How much money can I make while on Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I just started receiving UI benefits from Washington ESD and I'm confused about the work reporting rules. My weekly benefit amount is $487 but I want to pick up some part-time shifts at my old restaurant job. How much can I earn before it affects my unemployment check? I've read conflicting information online and don't want to mess up my benefits or get an overpayment notice later. Has anyone dealt with working part-time while collecting unemployment in Washington?
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The Boss
In Washington state, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before they start reducing your UI payment. So if your weekly benefit is $487, you can make up to $482 gross earnings per week without any reduction. Anything over that gets deducted dollar-for-dollar from your benefit.
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Mia Roberts
•That's helpful, thank you! So if I made $300 one week, I'd still get my full $487 benefit amount?
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The Boss
•Exactly right. Just make sure you report ALL earnings on your weekly claim, even if it's under the threshold.
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Evan Kalinowski
wait i thought there was some kind of percentage thing with earnings? im so confused about these rules
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The Boss
•No percentage in Washington. It's just your weekly benefit amount minus $5 as the threshold. Other states have different formulas but Washington keeps it simple.
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Evan Kalinowski
•ok good to know, i was overthinking it
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Victoria Charity
Make sure you understand the difference between gross and net earnings too. Washington ESD wants your gross earnings (before taxes) when you file your weekly claim. I made the mistake of reporting net earnings my first week and had to call to correct it.
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Mia Roberts
•Good point - so if I work a shift and make $150 gross but only take home $120 after taxes, I report the $150?
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Victoria Charity
•Yes, always report gross earnings. The system calculates everything based on pre-tax income.
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Jasmine Quinn
•I wish they made this clearer on the weekly claim form. I got confused about this too.
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Oscar Murphy
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about earnings, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. I used it when I needed to clarify some earnings reporting rules and actually got through to someone instead of getting the busy signal.
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Mia Roberts
•Hmm never heard of that. Is it legit? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for days about another issue.
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Oscar Murphy
•Yeah it's legitimate. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual Washington ESD rep. Saved me hours of trying to get through myself.
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Nora Bennett
•Interesting, might have to check that out. The phone system is impossible.
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Ryan Andre
One thing to be careful about - if you work more than full-time hours (40+ hours) in a week, you might not be eligible for any benefits that week even if your earnings are low. Washington ESD looks at both earnings and hours worked.
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Mia Roberts
•Oh I didn't know about the hours limit. What if you work like 45 hours but at minimum wage?
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Ryan Andre
•If you work full-time or more, you're generally not considered unemployed for that week regardless of pay. But part-time work is fine as long as you report it correctly.
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Jasmine Quinn
I'm in a similar situation and I've been scared to take any work because I don't want to mess up my claim. The Washington ESD website isn't very clear about the exact rules.
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Victoria Charity
•Don't be scared to work! As long as you report your earnings honestly on your weekly claim, you'll be fine. It's better to work part-time and supplement with UI than not work at all.
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Jasmine Quinn
•You're right, I need to stop overthinking it. Thanks for the encouragement.
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Lauren Zeb
MAKE SURE YOU REPORT EVERYTHING! I know someone who got hit with a huge overpayment because they didn't report some cash work they did. Washington ESD will find out eventually.
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Mia Roberts
•Yikes, how much was the overpayment?
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Lauren Zeb
•Like $2800 that they had to pay back plus penalties. Not worth trying to hide anything.
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Evan Kalinowski
•omg that's terrifying
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The Boss
Also remember that you still need to meet your job search requirements even if you're working part-time. Washington ESD requires you to make 3 job contacts per week unless you're on standby with your employer.
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Mia Roberts
•Good reminder. I've been doing my job searches through WorkSourceWA like they require.
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Daniel Washington
•The job search thing is such a pain when you're already working part-time. Feels like busywork.
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Aurora Lacasse
i work uber on weekends and just report whatever i made that week. never had any problems as long as im honest about it
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Mia Roberts
•That's good to know. I was wondering about gig work too.
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Ryan Andre
•Gig work counts as self-employment income, so same rules apply - report the gross earnings.
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Anthony Young
The key thing is just to file your weekly claim every week and be honest about your earnings. The system will calculate everything automatically. I've been doing this for 8 weeks now with part-time restaurant work and no issues.
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Mia Roberts
•That's reassuring. I think I was overcomplicating it in my head.
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Anthony Young
•Yeah, Washington ESD's system is pretty straightforward once you get used to it.
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Charlotte White
Does anyone know what happens if you forget to report earnings one week? Like if you realize you made a mistake?
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Victoria Charity
•You should call Washington ESD as soon as possible to correct it. They'd rather you fix mistakes voluntarily than discover them later during an audit.
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Oscar Murphy
•This is exactly when something like Claimyr would be helpful to actually get through to someone at Washington ESD to fix the mistake.
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Admin_Masters
I work seasonal retail and my hours vary a lot week to week. Some weeks I make $200, some weeks $600. As long as I report everything accurately, my UI just adjusts automatically.
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Mia Roberts
•That's exactly my situation! Good to know it adjusts automatically.
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Admin_Masters
•Yep, on the weeks when I make more than my benefit amount minus $5, I just get a reduced UI payment or sometimes nothing if I worked a lot.
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Matthew Sanchez
this whole system is so confusing why cant they just explain it clearly on their website
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Lauren Zeb
•BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT MAKES EVERYTHING COMPLICATED ON PURPOSE
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The Boss
•The rules are actually pretty simple once you understand them. Earn less than (weekly benefit - $5) = no reduction. Earn more = dollar for dollar reduction.
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Ella Thompson
Just wanted to add that if you're getting paid tips, those count as earnings too. I work at a coffee shop and have to estimate my tip income when I file my weekly claim.
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Mia Roberts
•Oh good point! I hadn't thought about tips. Do you just estimate based on what you typically make?
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Ella Thompson
•Yeah, I try to be as accurate as possible but sometimes you have to estimate. Better to overestimate than underestimate.
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JacksonHarris
Been working part-time while on UI for 3 months now. Best advice is just be consistent with reporting and don't try to game the system. Washington ESD is pretty fair if you're honest.
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Mia Roberts
•Thanks for sharing your experience. Makes me feel more confident about taking those shifts.
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JacksonHarris
•Go for it! Extra income plus UI benefits is definitely better than just UI alone.
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Jeremiah Brown
Word of warning - make sure your employer knows you're on unemployment if you're going back to work for them part-time. Some employers don't realize they need to report wages to Washington ESD too.
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Mia Roberts
•I didn't think about that. I should probably give my manager a heads up.
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Victoria Charity
•Good point. Both you and your employer are supposed to report the same earnings, so it's good to be on the same page.
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Royal_GM_Mark
If anyone else is struggling to get answers from Washington ESD about earnings questions, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually worked for me too. Worth checking out if you're stuck.
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Amelia Cartwright
•I'm definitely going to try that. I've been on hold for literally hours trying to ask about my specific situation.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•Yeah, it's frustrating how hard it is to reach them normally. At least this way you can actually talk to someone.
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Chris King
Bottom line for OP - you can make up to $482 per week without losing any benefits. Anything over that reduces your UI payment dollar for dollar. Just report everything honestly and you'll be fine!
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Mia Roberts
•Perfect summary, thank you! I feel much more confident about taking some shifts now.
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Chris King
•Glad I could help! The restaurant industry is tough, so definitely take whatever work you can get while supplementing with UI.
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Rachel Clark
One last thing - keep good records of your earnings in case Washington ESD ever asks for documentation. I keep screenshots of my paystubs and a simple spreadsheet.
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Mia Roberts
•Good idea about keeping records. Better safe than sorry.
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Rachel Clark
•Exactly. Documentation is your friend if there are ever any questions about your claim.
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