How much unemployment will I get from Washington ESD - need to budget

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your earnings from the base period, which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. It's not just your last few paychecks. Your weekly benefit amount will be roughly 3.85% of your total base period wages, up to a maximum of $999 per week in 2025.

with your wage you're probably looking at somewhere between $400-600 per week depending on how much you worked. the calculation is weird but it usually works out to about 50-60% of what you were making

You can actually get an estimate before you even file your claim. When you go to file on the Washington ESD website, they'll show you your potential weekly benefit amount based on your reported wages. But honestly, trying to get through to them by phone to ask questions is nearly impossible these days. I spent literally hours on hold last month trying to get clarification on my claim.

The formula is confusing but here's what matters: Washington ESD takes your two highest-earning quarters from your base period and calculates from there. If you were making $22/hour consistently, you're probably looking at around $500-550 per week assuming you worked full-time hours. Don't forget you'll need to file your weekly claims every Sunday and meet the job search requirement of 3 jobs per week.

been on unemployment twice and the amount always surprised me - once higher than expected once lower. depends on how much overtime you had and if you had any gaps in employment. warehouse work usually qualifies no problem though

MAKE SURE you file ASAP because there's a waiting week and your claim starts from when you file, not when you lost your job! I made that mistake and lost a week of benefits. Also the maximum in Washington is $999/week but most people don't get close to that unless they were making like $70k+

The whole system is a mess tbh. I've been trying to get my claim resolved for weeks and can't get anyone on the phone at Washington ESD. The online portal doesn't give you enough info and the automated phone system is useless.

UPDATE: I filed this morning and my estimated weekly benefit is $487! That's actually really close to what you all predicted. Thanks for all the help, this forum is way more useful than the Washington ESD website.

Just a heads up - your benefit amount can change if Washington ESD finds additional wages they didn't account for initially. Happened to me when they found some 1099 work I'd forgotten about.

Remember you'll need to report any part-time work or gig work while you're collecting. Even a few hours can affect your weekly benefit amount. The good news is in Washington you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing your payment.

The job search requirement is the real pain. 3 applications per week doesn't sound like much but finding legitimate jobs to apply for gets old fast. Use WorkSourceWA workshops and job fairs - they count toward your requirement too.

been collecting for 4 months now and honestly the hardest part isn't the money calculation it's dealing with washington esd when something goes wrong. keep copies of EVERYTHING

Your benefit amount looks good but don't forget about taxes! Washington doesn't tax unemployment but federal taxes still apply. You can have them withhold 10% or pay quarterly estimated taxes.

Pro tip: set up direct deposit ASAP. Paper checks take forever and can get lost. The direct deposit usually hits your account within 1-2 business days of filing your weekly claim.

I hate how confusing they make the whole process. Like why can't they just tell you upfront exactly what you'll get instead of making you guess?

Make sure your job search is in the same field or related fields. I got questioned because I was applying for office jobs when my last job was retail. Had to explain how my skills transferred.

The WorkSourceWA integration is actually pretty helpful once you figure it out. It automatically logs your job searches and you can see labor market info for your area.

Whatever you do, don't miss filing a weekly claim! I forgot one Sunday and it took weeks to get it sorted out. Set a phone reminder or something.

Good luck with your job search! The warehouse/logistics market is pretty good right now so hopefully you won't need the full 26 weeks of benefits.

If you run into any issues with your claim, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier is legit. I was skeptical at first but when my claim got stuck in adjudication for a month, they got me through to someone who fixed it in one call.