How much of your pay do you get from Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm about to file for unemployment for the first time and trying to figure out my budget. Does anyone know what percentage of your regular pay you actually get from Washington ESD? I was making $4,200 a month at my last job and I'm trying to see if I can still afford my rent and car payment. Is there a calculator or formula they use?
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Zainab Yusuf
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. It's roughly 3.85% of your total wages in that quarter, but there's a maximum weekly benefit amount of $999 for 2025. So if you were making $4,200/month consistently, you'd probably get close to the maximum.
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Miguel Alvarez
•So that would be about $4,000 a month? That's actually better than I expected!
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Zainab Yusuf
•Yes, but remember you have to file your weekly claims every week and meet the job search requirements. You need to apply for 3 jobs per week and keep a log.
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Connor O'Reilly
i think its like 50-60% of what you made but theres a cap. i was making about 3k a month and got around $800 a week so it worked out pretty good for me
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Miguel Alvarez
•That's about what I'm hoping for. How long did it take for your claim to get approved?
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Connor O'Reilly
•took about 3 weeks but that was because they had to verify my employment. make sure you have all your paystubs ready
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Yara Khoury
Just went through this myself and couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks to check on my claim status. Finally used Claimyr to get connected to an actual agent who explained everything. The service calls for you and gets you through - saved me so much time and stress. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Miguel Alvarez
•Never heard of that service before. Is it legit? I'm worried about giving my info to third parties.
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Yara Khoury
•It's legitimate - they just help you get connected to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com for more info. I was skeptical too but it really worked.
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Keisha Taylor
•I've been trying to call Washington ESD for two weeks straight. Might have to look into this Claimyr thing too.
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StardustSeeker
The calculation is based on your base period wages. Washington ESD looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. They take your highest earning quarter and multiply by 0.0385 to get your weekly benefit amount. There's also a minimum of $295/week and maximum of $999/week for 2025.
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Miguel Alvarez
•This is super helpful! So if my highest quarter was around $13,000, I'd get about $500 a week?
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StardustSeeker
•Exactly! $13,000 x 0.0385 = $500.50 per week. You'd get that for up to 26 weeks if you remain eligible and keep filing your weekly claims.
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Paolo Marino
WHATEVER YOU DO make sure you report ANY work you do while on unemployment, even if it's just a few hours. I know someone who got hit with a $8,000 overpayment because they didn't report part-time work properly. Washington ESD will find out eventually through their cross-matching systems.
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Miguel Alvarez
•Yikes, that's scary. I wasn't planning on working but good to know. How do you report work if you do get some?
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Paolo Marino
•You report it on your weekly claim when you file. There's a section that asks about any work and wages earned that week. Be honest about everything.
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Amina Bah
been on unemployment 3 times in the last 10 years and the amount changes based on what you made. last time i got $750/week but the time before that was only $600 because i had switched jobs and my base period was lower
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Miguel Alvarez
•That makes sense. I've been at my current job for 2 years so hopefully my base period is solid.
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Amina Bah
•yeah you should be fine then. just make sure you file as soon as you can after your last day of work
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Zainab Yusuf
One thing to remember is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld (10% federal) or pay them when you file your tax return. I'd recommend having them withheld so you don't get hit with a big tax bill next year.
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Miguel Alvarez
•Good point! I totally forgot about taxes. Is there state tax too?
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Zainab Yusuf
•Washington doesn't have state income tax, so you only need to worry about federal taxes on your UI benefits.
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Oliver Becker
The job search requirement is no joke either. You need to make 3 job contacts per week and keep detailed records. I got audited and had to provide my job search log going back 6 months. Make sure you're actually applying for suitable work in your field.
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Miguel Alvarez
•What counts as a job contact? Does it have to be actual applications or can it be networking?
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Oliver Becker
•It needs to be actual job applications or direct contact with employers about open positions. Networking events might count but you need to document specific contacts made.
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StardustSeeker
•You can also use WorkSourceWA to search for jobs. Some of the training programs they offer can count toward your work search requirements too.
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Keisha Taylor
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation. The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through, I get disconnected. It's so frustrating when you just need a simple answer.
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Yara Khoury
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. They handle all the calling and waiting for you. Worth checking out if you're tired of the runaround.
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Keisha Taylor
•I might have to look into that. I've wasted so many hours trying to get through on my own.
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Natasha Petrova
Make sure your employer actually reports your separation correctly. I got delayed for 3 weeks because my employer said I quit when I was actually laid off. Had to go through the whole adjudication process to get it straightened out.
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Miguel Alvarez
•How do you know what your employer reported? Do they tell you?
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Natasha Petrova
•You'll find out when Washington ESD contacts you if there's an issue. They'll send you a determination letter if your employer contests your claim.
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Connor O'Reilly
also dont forget you can work part time while on unemployment but they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar after you make more than your weekly benefit amount. so if you get $500/week and make $600 that week from part time work, you'd get $0 from unemployment that week
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Miguel Alvarez
•That's actually really good to know. So some part-time work is okay as long as it's not too much?
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Connor O'Reilly
•yeah exactly. you can make up to your weekly benefit amount without any reduction. anything over that gets deducted from your UI payment
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Javier Hernandez
The waiting week was eliminated in Washington so you should get paid for your first week of unemployment as long as you file on time. Don't wait to file your claim!
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Miguel Alvarez
•That's great news! I thought there was still a waiting period. When should I file - right after my last day of work?
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Javier Hernandez
•File as soon as possible after your last day. You can file online 24/7 but claims are processed faster if you file Sunday through Thursday.
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Emma Davis
if your claim gets stuck in adjudication like mine did, you might want to try calling. I waited 6 weeks before I finally got through to someone who could help. Turned out they just needed one more piece of documentation.
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Miguel Alvarez
•6 weeks?! That's crazy. What kind of documentation did they need?
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Emma Davis
•they wanted a letter from my employer confirming my separation date and reason. something that should have been routine but got flagged for manual review
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Yara Khoury
•This is another situation where Claimyr could help - getting through to ask about missing documentation instead of waiting weeks for a callback.
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