How much unemployment can i get from Washington ESD - need to know benefit amounts

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 and minimum is $295. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then you get roughly 3.85% of that amount per week.

The formula is actually simpler than that. Washington ESD takes your two highest quarters in your base period, adds them together, divides by 52. That's your weekly benefit amount. So if your two highest quarters were $13,000 each, you'd get $500 per week.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to get your exact benefit calculation, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get connected to an actual agent who walked me through my benefit amount calculation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! I've been trying to figure out my benefits for days and every website says something different. Why can't Washington ESD just have a simple calculator on their site???

For 2025, here are the current Washington ESD benefit ranges: Minimum weekly benefit is $295, maximum is $999. Your actual amount depends on your earnings history in the base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). Most people get somewhere between 40-50% of their average weekly wage.

Don't forget you can collect for up to 26 weeks in Washington (or longer if there are extensions). So even if your weekly amount isn't huge, it adds up over time. Also make sure you understand the job search requirements - you need to do 3 job search activities per week.

I was in a similar situation last year. Made about $48k and ended up getting $480 per week from Washington ESD. The calculation was pretty much what others described - they looked at my highest earning quarters and averaged them out. Took about 3 weeks to get my first payment after filing.

make sure u file right away cause there's a waiting week before benefits start. Also the sooner u file the sooner they can calculate ur exact amount instead of guessing

One thing to keep in mind - your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you file, but you can only collect up to 26 weeks worth of benefits (unless there are federal extensions). So if you find work quickly and then lose it again within that year, you can potentially restart your claim.

If your claim gets stuck in adjudication for any reason, I'd recommend trying Claimyr again. I was stuck for 5 weeks waiting for them to review my separation from my employer, and Claimyr got me through to someone who expedited the review. Saved me a lot of stress and lost benefits.

The Washington ESD benefit calculator is buried somewhere on their website but it's not very user friendly. Your best bet is to just wait for them to calculate it officially after you file. Should show up in your account within a week or so.

Something else to consider - unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have federal taxes withheld (10%) when you file your weekly claims, or you'll owe it when you file your tax return next year.

Just remember that even if your weekly benefit amount seems low, it's still something while you're job hunting. And Washington has pretty decent job training programs if you want to use the time to learn new skills.

The system is so slow right now. Filed 3 weeks ago and still don't have my benefit amount calculated. Keep getting told to wait for adjudication to complete but no timeline on when that might happen.

For what it's worth, Washington ESD benefits are among the better ones in the country. The maximum weekly amount is pretty decent compared to other states, and the duration is standard at 26 weeks.

One last tip - make sure you understand the difference between your weekly benefit amount and your maximum benefit amount. The weekly is what you get each week, the maximum is the total you can collect over the entire benefit year (weekly amount × 26 weeks).