How much unemployment can you collect from Washington ESD weekly?

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the base period to calculate benefits. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 plus a $25 dependency allowance if you have dependents. Your benefit is roughly 3.85% of your highest quarter earnings divided by 13 weeks.

Thanks! So if I made $13,000 in my highest quarter, that would be about $385 per week?

That sounds about right. The exact formula is (highest quarter wages × 0.0385) ÷ 13, so you'd get around $384 weekly.

I tried calling Washington ESD for weeks to get my exact benefit amount verified but could never get through. The phone system is absolutely terrible - I'd get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours multiple times.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you actually reach Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Interesting, I'll check that out. Did it actually work for you?

Yes! Got through to an agent within a few hours instead of the usual nightmare of calling myself.

don't forget you can only collect for 26 weeks maximum in washington unless theres some emergency extension program running. also you have to actively look for work and report it every week

How many job contacts do you need to report each week?

It's 3 job search activities per week minimum, and they have to be documented in your WorkSourceWA account.

Just to add - your base period matters a lot. It's the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, they look at wages from July 2023 through June 2024.

Wait, that seems like really old wages. What if I just started this job recently?

Then you might qualify for alternate base period which uses more recent quarters, but you need to specifically request it if the regular base period doesn't qualify you.

This happened to me! I had to specifically ask for alternate base period review when my regular base period had zero wages.

The Washington ESD system is so confusing. I got approved but my weekly benefit amount was way less than I expected. Turns out I had a quarter with really low earnings that brought down my average.

Did you try to appeal or get it reviewed?

I wanted to but couldn't get anyone on the phone to explain it properly. Spent hours calling with no luck.

Here's the thing people don't realize - you can't just look at your annual salary and divide by 52. Washington ESD only looks at wages from specific quarters, and if you had any unpaid time off or were between jobs, those quarters might be lower than you think.

That makes sense. I did take some unpaid family leave last year.

Yeah, that could definitely impact your base period wages and lower your weekly benefit calculation.

I'm getting $623 per week right now. Was making about $65k annually. The calculation seemed fair based on my wages, but it took forever to get my first payment because of adjudication issues.

How long did adjudication take for you?

Almost 6 weeks! They were verifying some job separation details with my previous employer.

6 weeks is brutal. I'm in adjudication now for 3 weeks and getting desperate to talk to someone about the status.

Quick tip - if you're married filing jointly and your spouse works, that doesn't affect your UI benefit amount. Only YOUR wages from the base period matter for the calculation.

Good to know! I was worried about that.

The dependency allowance is worth knowing about too. If you have a dependent child or spouse who doesn't work, you can get an extra $25 per week added to your benefit amount.

Do you have to apply separately for that or is it automatic?

You have to specifically request it when you file your initial claim. They don't automatically add it.

I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for weeks to clarify my benefit calculation. The automated system just keeps telling me to check online, but my account doesn't show the breakdown of how they calculated my amount.

You should try Claimyr if you need to actually talk to an agent. I used it last month when I had questions about my benefit amount and got through the same day.

Is that legit? How does it work exactly?

Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent is available. Check claimyr.com for details.

Don't forget that your UI benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them when you file your return next year.

How much should I have withheld? I don't want a big tax bill later.

They withhold 10% federal if you elect it. Might want to talk to a tax person about whether that's enough for your situation.

If you're getting a really low benefit amount, double-check that Washington ESD has all your wage information. Sometimes employers don't report wages correctly or there are delays in the system.

How would I check that?

You can request a wage transcript from Washington ESD, but good luck getting through on the phone to request it. The online system doesn't always show complete wage history.

Just remember that once you start collecting, you need to file your weekly claims every week even if you don't have any work to report. Miss a week and you lose that week's benefit - they don't backdate missed filings.

What day of the week do you have to file by?

You can file starting Sunday for the previous week, and it's due by the following Saturday. Most people file Sunday morning to get it out of the way.

The maximum benefit amount goes up every year based on average wages in the state. In 2024 it was $999 per week max, and for 2025 it might be slightly higher when they update it.

Do they announce the new rates somewhere specific?

Usually gets posted on the Washington ESD website sometime in December or January. Check their news section.

One thing that caught me off guard - if you work part-time while collecting UI, they reduce your weekly benefit dollar-for-dollar after you earn more than your weekly benefit amount plus $5.

So if my benefit is $400/week, I can earn up to $405 without any reduction?

Exactly. Earn $406 and they reduce your UI by $1. Earn $500 and they reduce it by $95.

I had to go through an appeal process because Washington ESD initially calculated my benefits wrong. They were using the wrong base period wages. Took 3 months to get it sorted out but I eventually got backpay for the difference.

How did you prove they used the wrong wages?

I had to get my own wage records from my employers and submit them with the appeal. The hearing officer agreed that Washington ESD had incomplete wage data.

The whole system would be so much easier if you could actually talk to someone when you have questions instead of playing phone tag for weeks on end.

That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist. The phone system is broken but people still need to reach agents for legitimate questions about their claims.

I've heard mixed things about those calling services. Do they actually work consistently?

In my experience yes, but everyone's situation is different. The demo video on their site explains exactly how the process works if you want to see for yourself.

Bottom line - your weekly benefit is based on your highest earning quarter in the base period, not your most recent salary. If you've gotten raises recently, those higher wages might not be reflected in your UI calculation.

That explains why my estimated amount was lower than I expected. I got a big raise 6 months ago but it probably doesn't count yet.

Right, that raise would only count in next year's base period if you filed for UI then.