How much unemployment benefits can I get in Washington ESD 2025?

Washington ESD uses your base period wages to calculate your weekly benefit amount. They look at the highest quarter in your base period and divide by 26. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999 per week, but most people get less than that depending on their earnings history.

just filed mine last week and got $447/week. been working construction for 2 years making decent money but not great. the process was pretty straightforward once i figured out all the paperwork

The calculation can be tricky because it depends on your base period. For claims filed in 2025, they're looking at wages from October 2023 through September 2024 typically. If you haven't worked the full base period, your benefit amount might be lower. I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check my calculation until I found Claimyr.com - they helped me get connected to an agent who explained exactly how my wages were being calculated. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

THE SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING!! I've been laid off twice and still don't understand how they calculate benefits. First time I got $389/week, second time only $312/week even though I was making more money. Makes no sense at all!!!

i think the max went up this year from like $844 to $999 but most ppl dont get the max unless youre making really good money

Don't forget about the waiting week - there's no waiting week for most unemployment claims in Washington now, so you can get benefits starting from your first week of unemployment if you're eligible. Also remember you have to actively search for work and report your job search activities.

My sister got $567 per week when she filed last month. She was making around $65k per year at her office job. The amount seems pretty fair based on what she was earning.

Just be aware that unemployment benefits are taxable income. They don't automatically withhold taxes so you might want to have them take out 10% to avoid owing money at tax time.

The benefit calculator on Washington ESD website is pretty accurate if you have your wage info handy. Saved me from having to call and wait on hold forever.

Been getting unemployment for 6 weeks now and still confused about how they came up with my amount. Got $492/week but when I try to calculate it myself using their formula I get a different number. Anyone else have this problem?

remember you can only collect for 26 weeks total unless there's some extension program. make sure you're actively job searching the whole time

The whole system seems designed to confuse people honestly. I had to file an appeal because they initially calculated my benefits wrong and used the wrong quarter for my highest wages. Took 3 months to get it sorted out.

quick question - if you work part time while collecting unemployment do they reduce your benefits?

Don't forget to file your weekly claims every week even if you haven't found work yet. Miss a week and you lose those benefits permanently.

FYI the dependency allowance can add extra money to your weekly benefit if you have kids or a spouse. It's like $25 per dependent or something.

Last piece of advice - keep all your documentation organized. Pay stubs, termination letter, job search log, everything. Washington ESD can ask for proof of anything at any time and if you don't have it you could lose benefits.

One more thing - if your claim gets stuck in adjudication like mine did, that Claimyr service really helps get answers. I was waiting 5 weeks with no updates until I used them to get through to an actual person who could explain what was happening.

Just wanted to add that if you're in a union, check with them too. Sometimes they have additional resources or can help with the unemployment process.

Best of luck OP! The unemployment system isn't perfect but the benefits really help while you're job searching. Just stay on top of all the requirements and you should be fine.