How much money can you get from Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

So it's not just based on my most recent salary? They look at a whole quarter?

Right, they take your highest earning quarter and divide by 26 to get your weekly amount. So if you made $15,000 in your best quarter, you'd get about $577 per week.

I tried their calculator but it keeps giving me error messages. Maybe their site is down again.

The Washington ESD website has been really glitchy lately. I had the same problem when I was trying to check my claim status last week.

How much does that cost? I'm already broke from being unemployed.

It's worth checking out their site for the details. For me it was way better than spending my whole day redialing Washington ESD and never getting through.

That's really helpful! So with my salary I'm probably looking at around $500-600 per week assuming my best quarter was around $13-15k.

dont forget you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits too, they dont automatically take it out

Oh great, another thing to worry about. Can I have them withhold taxes or do I have to pay quarterly?

How many job applications do you have to do per week? I heard it changed recently.

It's 3 job search activities per week minimum. They can be applications, networking events, job interviews, etc. You have to log them in your WorkSource account.

omg that's horrible, did you try appealing it?

Yeah I filed an appeal but that was 3 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything. The whole system is a nightmare.

This is exactly why I used Claimyr - I needed to talk to someone about a similar issue and couldn't get through on my own. Sometimes you just need to actually speak with an agent to get things resolved.

26 weeks should be enough time to find something hopefully. The job market seems pretty good right now in Seattle.

depends what field youre in. tech is still pretty rough

So if I had a really good bonus or overtime in a recent quarter, that could help my benefit amount?

Exactly! Any gross wages count including bonuses, overtime, commissions, etc. Just make sure it falls within your base period.

what if you just started a new job recently and dont have much earnings in those quarters?

How long did it take to get your first payment after you applied?

took about 3 weeks because they had to verify my employment. make sure you have all your employer info ready when you file

thanks for the breakdown, this is really helpful

Yeah this gives me a good idea of what to expect. Sounds like I should qualify for a decent amount.

just remember to file as soon as possible after you lose your job, you cant backdate claims very far

That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist. I know I mentioned it before but seriously, being able to actually talk to an agent without spending your entire day on hold is worth it.

I might have to check that out. This calling situation is ridiculous.

i tried calling at 8am sharp and still couldnt get through. system is completely overwhelmed

Wait, so even if I file today I won't get paid for the first week?

right, the first week is a waiting week. so if you file this week you wont get paid until week 2 at the earliest

Do they actually audit people often? That sounds stressful.

Not super often but it happens. I know someone who got selected for audit and had to provide proof of every job application they made for 3 months.

thats why i screenshot everything and keep a spreadsheet. better safe than sorry

Can you have them withhold taxes from each payment?

Yes, you can elect to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claim. I wish I had done that from the beginning.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. I'm going to file my claim tomorrow and see what happens.

good luck! the process isnt too bad if everything goes smoothly

Hope your claim goes through quickly. Some people get approved right away, others get stuck in adjudication for weeks.