How much unemployment benefits can I get in Washington - confused about calculations
I'm trying to figure out how much unemployment I'll actually receive if I get approved. I worked at a manufacturing plant for 18 months making about $22/hour before getting laid off last month. I've been looking at the Washington ESD website but the benefit calculator seems confusing and I'm not sure if I'm entering the right information. Does anyone know how they actually calculate your weekly benefit amount? I keep seeing different numbers when I try to estimate it myself.
48 comments
Join the conversation
Mei Lin
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. They take that quarter's wages and divide by 26. Your maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999, but most people don't get the max. You also need to meet the minimum earnings requirement in your base period.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Thanks! So they don't use my most recent wages? That's confusing because I got a raise 6 months ago.
0 coins
Mei Lin
•Right, they use a specific base period that ends before you file your claim. Your recent raise might not be included depending on when you filed.
0 coins
Liam Fitzgerald
The base period thing is so confusing! I thought they'd use my last year of work but apparently it's different quarters. Has anyone used that benefit calculator on the Washington ESD site? I tried it like 5 times and got different amounts each time.
0 coins
Amara Nnamani
•The calculator is pretty glitchy honestly. I had better luck just calling Washington ESD to get my exact amount, but good luck getting through on the phone.
0 coins
Liam Fitzgerald
•Yeah I've been trying to call for days with no luck. The wait times are insane and then it just hangs up on you.
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
I had the same phone issue when I was trying to get my benefit amount confirmed. Spent hours calling Washington ESD with no success. Then I found out about Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you actually get through to ESD agents. I was skeptical at first but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) and decided to try it. Got connected within 20 minutes and the agent walked me through my exact benefit calculation.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Really? That actually worked for you? I'm desperate at this point because I need to know my benefit amount for budgeting.
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
•Yeah it was legit. The agent explained that my highest quarter was from early last year, not my recent wages, which is why my estimate was wrong.
0 coins
NebulaNinja
•How much does that service cost though? I'm already broke from being unemployed.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Suwaidi
For what it's worth, at $22/hour full time you were probably making around $3,800-4,000 per month. If that was your highest quarter, you might be looking at somewhere around $350-400 per week in benefits, but that's just a rough guess. The actual calculation depends on your specific wage history.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•That sounds about right based on what I was making. I just wish there was an easier way to get the exact number without all this guesswork.
0 coins
Dylan Mitchell
•The problem is Washington ESD doesn't make it easy to understand. Their website has all the info but it's written in government speak that nobody can understand.
0 coins
Sofia Morales
ugh this is exactly why I hate dealing with unemployment. You'd think they'd make it simple to find out how much you'll get but NOPE. Everything has to be complicated with base periods and quarters and calculations. Just tell me the damn number!
0 coins
Dmitry Popov
•I feel you! The whole system seems designed to confuse people. Like why can't they just use your last 12 months of wages like a normal person would expect?
0 coins
Sofia Morales
•Exactly! And then when you try to call for help you sit on hold forever or get hung up on. It's like they don't want to help.
0 coins
Ava Garcia
Actually the base period system makes sense once you understand it. They use completed quarters to ensure accurate wage reporting. Your base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd likely use quarters from April 2023 through March 2024.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Wait, so they might not even use my 2024 wages at all? That seems really unfair since I was making more money recently.
0 coins
Ava Garcia
•There's an alternative base period option if the regular one doesn't work in your favor, but you have to specifically request it when you file your claim.
0 coins
StarSailor}
•This is why I always tell people to keep detailed records of their pay stubs. You need to know your quarterly earnings to understand your benefits.
0 coins
Miguel Silva
I went through this same thing last year. Manufacturing layoffs are tough. What helped me was creating a spreadsheet with all my quarterly wages from the past 18 months, then I could see which quarters would be used for my base period. Made the whole thing much clearer.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•That's a good idea. I should be able to get that info from my pay stubs. Did you end up getting close to what you estimated?
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•Yeah pretty close. The tricky part was understanding that they use gross wages before taxes and deductions. A lot of people calculate based on take home pay.
0 coins
Zainab Ismail
Has anyone here actually gotten the maximum $999 per week? That seems like a lot. I'm wondering what kind of salary you'd need to qualify for that amount.
0 coins
Mei Lin
•You'd need to have earned about $25,974 in your highest quarter, which works out to roughly $104,000 annually. Not many people hit that threshold.
0 coins
Connor O'Neill
•Yeah the max is really just for high earners. Most regular working people get somewhere between $200-500 per week depending on their wages.
0 coins
Zainab Ismail
•Makes sense. I was hoping maybe there was some trick to getting more but sounds like it's pretty straightforward math.
0 coins
Yara Nassar
Just want to second the Claimyr recommendation from earlier. I used them when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about my benefit calculation questions. Really saved me a lot of frustration and I got accurate info directly from an ESD agent instead of guessing.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•I'm seriously considering it at this point. How quickly were you able to get connected?
0 coins
Yara Nassar
•It was pretty fast, maybe 15-20 minutes. Way better than the hours I spent trying to call on my own with no success.
0 coins
Keisha Robinson
One thing to remember is that your benefit amount isn't just about the weekly payment. You also get a certain number of weeks of benefits based on your total base period wages. So even if your weekly amount is lower, you might qualify for more weeks of payments.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•How do they calculate the number of weeks? Is that on the Washington ESD website somewhere?
0 coins
Keisha Robinson
•It's based on your total base period wages divided by your weekly benefit amount, up to a maximum of 26 weeks typically. The formula is pretty complex though.
0 coins
GalaxyGuardian
•This is getting way too complicated. Why can't they just give you a simple estimate when you file your claim?
0 coins
Paolo Ricci
Pro tip: when you do figure out your weekly benefit amount, remember that it's subject to federal and state taxes if you choose to have them withheld. A lot of people forget about that and then owe money at tax time.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Good point! I didn't even think about taxes. Do most people have taxes taken out or pay later?
0 coins
Paolo Ricci
•It's really personal preference. Having them withheld means smaller payments but no surprise tax bill. I always recommend withholding if you can afford the reduction.
0 coins
Amina Toure
Another option if you can't get through by phone is to try visiting a WorkSource office in person. They sometimes have staff who can help with benefit questions, though their availability has been limited lately.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•I didn't know they could help with benefit calculations. Is there a WorkSource office finder on the Washington ESD website?
0 coins
Amina Toure
•Yeah there's a location finder tool. Just keep in mind that not all locations offer the same services, so call ahead if you can.
0 coins
Oliver Zimmermann
•I tried this route and the office near me was only doing appointments for job search help, not benefit questions. YMMV depending on your location.
0 coins
Natasha Volkova
Looking back at your original post, with 18 months at $22/hour you should have decent base period wages. Manufacturing jobs usually have consistent hours too, which helps. You'll probably qualify for a reasonable benefit amount, just need to get the exact calculation from Washington ESD.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Yeah I was working pretty much full time the whole period, sometimes with overtime. Hopefully that helps my case.
0 coins
Natasha Volkova
•Overtime definitely counts toward your base period wages, so that's good news for your benefit calculation.
0 coins
Javier Torres
Final thought - once you do get your benefit amount figured out, make sure you understand the job search requirements too. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and they do audit people randomly. Just want to make sure you're prepared for all aspects of the process.
0 coins
Jamal Wilson
•Thanks for the heads up! I've been applying to jobs already but didn't know about the specific requirements. I'll look into that once I get my claim sorted out.
0 coins
Javier Torres
•Smart to stay ahead of it. The job search requirements are pretty straightforward but you need to keep good records of your activities.
0 coins
Emma Davis
•This whole thread has been super helpful. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with benefit calculations!
0 coins