How much money can you make and still get Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm currently receiving unemployment benefits through Washington ESD and just got offered some part-time work. I want to take it but I'm confused about how much I can earn before it affects my weekly benefit amount. I've heard different things from people - some say you can make up to $300 without any reduction, others say it's based on a percentage. Can anyone explain the actual rules? I don't want to mess up my claim or have to pay anything back later.
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NebulaNinja
The Washington ESD has specific earnings deduction rules. You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction. After that, they deduct dollar-for-dollar from your benefits. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you can earn $100 with no impact. If you earn $200, they'd reduce your benefit by $100.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Thanks! So if I make $150 and my weekly benefit is $350, they'd reduce it by $62.50? (150 minus 87.50 which is 25% of 350
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NebulaNinja
•Exactly right! You've got the math correct. Just make sure to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
Be really careful about reporting everything correctly. I made the mistake of not reporting some cash work I did and Washington ESD caught it months later. Had to pay back benefits plus penalties.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Oh wow, how did they find out? Was it through tax records?
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•Yeah they cross-check with employment records and tax info. Not worth the risk at all.
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Dylan Mitchell
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask this exact question but their phone lines are always busy. Finally found a service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an agent. They have this system that calls for you and gets you through - check out claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone directly. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.
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Sofia Morales
•How much does that cost? Seems like something that should be free to get through to the agency we're paying taxes to support.
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Dylan Mitchell
•I get the frustration but honestly it was worth it for me. Saved me hours of redialing and I got my question answered same day.
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Dmitry Popov
•I used Claimyr too when I had an adjudication issue. Really does work - got through in like 20 minutes instead of calling for days.
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Ava Garcia
Also remember you still have to meet the job search requirements even if you're working part time. Don't skip those weekly job contacts just because you have some work.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Good point! I almost forgot about that. Still need to log 3 job search activities per week right?
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Ava Garcia
•Yes, unless you're on standby with your employer. But regular UI claims still need the full job search requirements.
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StarSailor}
Wait I thought you could make like $600 before they touched your benefits?? That's what my neighbor told me
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NebulaNinja
•No, that's not correct. Your neighbor might be thinking of a different state or mixing up the rules. In Washington it's definitely the 25% rule I mentioned above.
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StarSailor}
•Damn ok good thing I asked here first lol
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Miguel Silva
The whole system is so confusing. Why can't they just let you work without penalizing you? It's like they don't want people to try to get back on their feet.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•I think the idea is to encourage full-time work rather than people just coasting on partial benefits forever. But yeah it can be frustrating.
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Miguel Silva
•I guess that makes sense but still feels punitive when you're just trying to survive
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Zainab Ismail
Pro tip: keep detailed records of all your earnings and hours worked. If there's ever a discrepancy or audit, you'll want documentation. I use a simple spreadsheet with dates, hours, and gross pay.
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Giovanni Mancini
•That's smart. Do you report gross pay or net pay on the weekly claims?
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Zainab Ismail
•Always gross pay - before taxes and deductions. That's what they want to see.
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Connor O'Neill
Make sure the part-time job won't interfere with your availability for full-time work either. Washington ESD can question whether you're truly available and able to work if your schedule gets too restricted.
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Giovanni Mancini
•The job is just weekends so I think I should be fine. Still available Monday through Friday for interviews and full-time positions.
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Connor O'Neill
•That sounds perfect then. Weekend work usually doesn't raise any red flags with availability requirements.
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Yara Nassar
Been working part-time while on UI for 2 months now. The key is being super accurate with your reporting. Even if you're off by $5 they might flag it for review.
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Keisha Robinson
•How long does a review take if they flag something?
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Yara Nassar
•Mine took about 3 weeks. Benefits were held up during that time which sucked but they eventually cleared it up and paid the back benefits.
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GalaxyGuardian
Don't forget about the annual earnings limit too. There's a maximum you can earn in a benefit year before you become ineligible, though most people don't hit that unless they're working substantial hours.
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Giovanni Mancini
•What's the annual limit? I hadn't heard about that rule.
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GalaxyGuardian
•It varies based on your benefit year earnings but it's pretty high. Most people doing occasional part-time work won't get close to it.
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Paolo Ricci
This thread is super helpful! I'm in the same boat with a potential gig work opportunity. Sounds like as long as I report everything accurately I should be fine.
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Amina Toure
•Gig work can be trickier to calculate since the income might be irregular. Just make sure you report it in the week you actually receive payment.
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Paolo Ricci
•Good to know, thanks! I'll be extra careful with the reporting dates.
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Oliver Zimmermann
Has anyone dealt with employer-provided benefits while on partial unemployment? Like if the part-time job offers health insurance?
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Natasha Volkova
•Benefits don't count as earnings for UI purposes. Only cash wages matter for the calculation.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Perfect, that's what I was hoping to hear!
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Javier Torres
One more thing - if your part-time earnings end up being more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't get any UI payment that week but your claim stays active. Don't panic if you see $0 for a week.
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Giovanni Mancini
•That's good to know! So it doesn't hurt my claim long-term if I have a really good week earnings-wise?
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Javier Torres
•Nope, it just means you didn't need the benefits that week. Your claim continues normally.
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Emma Davis
For anyone still struggling to get through to Washington ESD about earnings questions, I had success with that Claimyr service mentioned earlier. Really saved me from spending whole days trying to call.
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CosmicCaptain
•Did they help you understand the earnings rules or just get you connected?
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Emma Davis
•They got me connected to an actual Washington ESD agent who could explain my specific situation. Much better than trying to figure it out from generic websites.
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Malik Johnson
Just want to emphasize again - ALWAYS report your earnings even if you think they're too small to matter. I've seen people get in trouble for not reporting $50 weeks thinking it wouldn't make a difference.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Definitely noted! Better safe than sorry with Washington ESD.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Exactly. The system is automated and it will catch discrepancies eventually.
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