How much unemployment will I get from Washington ESD - need to plan budget
Just got laid off from my warehouse job after 2 years and I'm trying to figure out how much my weekly unemployment benefit will be. I was making $18.50/hour working about 35-40 hours per week. I know Washington ESD calculates it based on your earnings but I can't find a clear explanation of exactly how much I should expect. I need to plan my budget and figure out if I can cover rent and bills. Has anyone been through this recently? What percentage of your wages did you get?
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CosmicCruiser
Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the past 15 months to calculate your weekly benefit amount. It's roughly 3.85% of your highest quarter earnings, but there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week as of 2024. With your wage history, you're probably looking at somewhere between $400-600 per week depending on your exact hours and any overtime.
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Mateo Hernandez
•That's more than I expected actually. I was worried it would be way less. How do I find out my exact highest quarter earnings?
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CosmicCruiser
•You can see your wage history once you file your claim through SecureAccess Washington. It'll show all your reported earnings by quarter from employers who paid into the UI system.
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Aisha Khan
i got laid off in october and was making about the same as you. my weekly benefit is $487. took forever to get approved though because of some adjudication issue
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Mateo Hernandez
•How long did the adjudication take? I'm worried about delays since I need to start getting benefits soon.
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Aisha Khan
•like 6 weeks total. couldn't get through to anyone at washington esd to find out what was going on. super frustrating
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Ethan Taylor
The calculation is actually more complex than people think. Washington ESD looks at your base year earnings (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) and takes your two highest quarters, adds them together, then divides by 52. But there are also dependency allowances if you have kids - adds $25 per child up to $75 total per week.
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Mateo Hernandez
•I don't have kids but good to know. So they use the two highest quarters not just one?
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Ethan Taylor
•No sorry, I misspoke. It's your single highest quarter earnings divided by 26, then that amount is your weekly benefit. The two highest quarters thing is for eligibility, not the calculation.
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Yuki Ito
•Actually you had it right the first time. They do use both highest quarters for some calculations but the weekly benefit is definitely based on the single highest quarter.
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Carmen Lopez
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to get your exact benefit amount, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me reach an agent. They have a system that calls for you and gets you connected when someone picks up. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Never heard of that but might be worth trying if I can't get through. How much does it cost?
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Carmen Lopez
•They don't publish the exact price but it's reasonable for what you get. Way better than spending all day redialing Washington ESD and getting busy signals.
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Andre Dupont
•Sounds like a scam to me. Why would you pay someone to make a phone call for you?
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QuantumQuasar
THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! I've been waiting 8 weeks for my claim to be approved and they keep saying it's under review. How are people supposed to survive without income while they take their sweet time?
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Mateo Hernandez
•8 weeks is insane. Have you tried calling or filing an appeal?
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QuantumQuasar
•I've called probably 200 times. Either busy signal or they hang up on me after 2 hours on hold. This system is designed to make you give up.
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Carmen Lopez
•This is exactly why I mentioned Claimyr above. When the system is this broken, sometimes you need help just to get through to a human being.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
me too worried about this. got laid off last week and never done unemployment before. is there like a calculator somewhere?
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CosmicCruiser
•Washington ESD doesn't have an official calculator but there are some online estimators. Just remember they're rough estimates - your actual amount depends on your specific wage history.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•ok thanks will look for one
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Yuki Ito
Don't forget you also have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits. It's not automatic - you can choose to have taxes withheld or pay quarterly/yearly. I learned this the hard way last year when I owed $800 at tax time.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Oh man I didn't think about taxes. What percentage should I expect to pay?
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Yuki Ito
•Depends on your total income for the year but unemployment is taxed as regular income. I'd say have them withhold 10% to be safe.
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Ethan Taylor
•You can elect to have federal taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims. It's in the settings somewhere on the website.
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Aisha Khan
also make sure you understand the job search requirements. you have to do 3 job search activities per week and keep a log. if you don't do this they'll cut off your benefits
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Mateo Hernandez
•What counts as a job search activity? Just applying for jobs?
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Aisha Khan
•applying, going to job fairs, networking events, updating your resume, even some online training courses count. they're pretty flexible about what qualifies
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CosmicCruiser
•WorkSourceWA also has approved activities that count toward your requirement. Worth checking out their workshops.
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Jamal Wilson
Quick question - do you know if part-time work affects the benefit amount? I might be able to pick up some gig work while job searching.
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Ethan Taylor
•Yes, any earnings get deducted from your weekly benefit. But there's a small earnings disregard - I think you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing it dollar for dollar.
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Jamal Wilson
•Good to know, thanks. Better to work part-time than sit around doing nothing.
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Andre Dupont
I'm skeptical of all these third-party services people keep mentioning. Why can't Washington ESD just fix their phone system instead of making people pay extra to reach them?
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QuantumQuasar
•Because they don't care about claimants. It's easier for them to let people give up than actually hire enough staff to answer phones.
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Carmen Lopez
•I get the frustration but sometimes you just need a solution that works. I tried calling Washington ESD for weeks before using Claimyr and it worked perfectly.
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Mei Lin
Been there - unemployment planning is stressful. My advice is to apply ASAP because there's usually a waiting period before benefits start. Also keep track of EVERYTHING - dates, phone calls, emails, job applications. Documentation is crucial if there are any issues.
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Mateo Hernandez
•How long is the waiting period typically?
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Mei Lin
•Usually one week but can be longer if there are eligibility questions or if you need to complete the online training modules.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Also check if your employer offers any severance or continued health insurance. Sometimes that affects when you can start collecting unemployment benefits.
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Mateo Hernandez
•I don't think I'm getting severance but I'll double check. Thanks for the reminder about health insurance.
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Amara Nnamani
One more thing - if you worked for multiple employers in the past year, make sure ALL of them are showing up in your wage history. Sometimes smaller employers don't report correctly and you could be missing out on benefits.
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Mateo Hernandez
•I only had the one warehouse job for the past 2 years but before that I did some temp work. Should I check on that?
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Amara Nnamani
•Definitely. Even if it was just a few months, it could bump up your base period earnings and increase your weekly benefit amount.
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Giovanni Mancini
honestly the whole system is confusing. i just filed my claim and hoped for the best. got approved for $445 per week which is pretty decent
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Mateo Hernandez
•That's actually pretty good. How long did it take from filing to getting your first payment?
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Giovanni Mancini
•about 3 weeks total. had to do some identity verification thing but after that it was smooth
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NebulaNinja
Make sure you file your weekly claims every Sunday! I missed one week early on and it was a huge hassle to get it corrected. Set a reminder on your phone.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Good tip. What happens if you miss filing a weekly claim?
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NebulaNinja
•You have to call Washington ESD to reopen the claim and explain why you missed it. They might make you wait an extra week or require additional documentation.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
The maximum benefit in Washington is actually $999 now but most people don't qualify for that unless they were making really good money. Average is probably around $400-500 per week.
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Mateo Hernandez
•That seems to match what others are saying. I'm hoping to be in that range.
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Dylan Mitchell
Don't forget about the federal taxes thing someone mentioned earlier. I had them withhold 10% and still owed money at tax time because I got a new job that bumped me into a higher bracket.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Ugh, taxes are so complicated. I'll probably just have them withhold something to be safe.
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Sofia Morales
I used a service similar to what someone mentioned earlier - not sure if it was the same one but it really helped me get through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my benefit amount. Worth it when you're stuck.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Seems like a lot of people have had good luck with these calling services. I might try it if I get stuck.
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Dmitry Popov
Last piece of advice - start looking for work immediately even if you're not required to yet. The job market is tough and unemployment benefits don't last forever. Better to find something while you still have the safety net.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Absolutely. I'm already updating my resume and plan to start applying this week. Thanks everyone for all the helpful info!
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CosmicCruiser
Glad we could help! Just remember to file your claim as soon as possible - benefits are retroactive to when you file, not when you lost your job. Good luck with everything!
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Mateo Hernandez
•Will do. Going to file online today. Thanks again everyone!
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