How much unemployment will I get from Washington ESD - weekly benefit calculation?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. They take your total wages from that quarter and divide by 26. So if you made $6,000 in your best quarter, you'd get around $230 per week. The maximum weekly benefit in 2025 is $999.

the formula is confusing but basically its about 50% of what you were making weekly, up to the max. i was making about $600 a week and got $300 in benefits

I had a really hard time getting through to Washington ESD to ask about my benefit calculation. Spent literally hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the last 18 months to calculate your weekly benefit amount. They take that quarter's earnings and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit. The maximum you can get in 2025 is $999 per week, but most people get way less than that.

i think theres also a minimum you have to make to qualify but i dont remember what it is

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period to calculate benefits. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $1015 but most people get way less than that. You'll probably get around 50% of your average weekly wages up to the max.

The benefit calculation can be confusing because they look at multiple quarters. I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to verify my benefit amount when I filed last year. Ended up using Claimyr.com to get connected to an agent who explained everything. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Your benefit amount also depends on whether you have any dependents. If you have qualifying dependents under 18, you can get an additional $25 per week for each dependent, up to 5 dependents maximum.

WAIT A MINUTE - are you sure about that calculation? I thought they used ALL your quarters not just the highest one. I've been getting screwed if that's true!

Just remember you'll have to pay taxes on your unemployment benefits. They don't automatically withhold federal taxes unless you request it. I learned that the hard way at tax time.

So if I was making about $720 a week gross, I'd get around $360 weekly? That's better than I thought.

just file online and it will tell you

Here's the exact formula Washington ESD uses: Weekly Benefit Amount = (Highest quarter earnings in base period ÷ 26) rounded down to nearest dollar. Your base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, they look at quarters from July 2023 through September 2024.

also make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if your benefit amount seems low. you have to keep certifying to get paid

That sounds about right, but Washington ESD will calculate the exact amount based on your actual reported wages. You should get your monetary determination letter within a week or two of filing.

The base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you filed in January 2025, they look at wages from October 2023 through September 2024. Make sure all your employers reported your wages correctly or your benefit amount could be wrong.

How do I check if my wages were reported right? I had the same job the whole time so it should be straightforward.

You can check your wage history on the Washington ESD website once you create your account. If something looks wrong, you can contact the employers or Washington ESD to get it corrected.

I had to do this last year when my old employer didn't report my last month of wages. Took forever to get through to someone at Washington ESD to fix it.

I made $48k last year and my benefit amount was $445 per week. Sounds like you'll get more than me since you made a bit more.

Don't forget you'll also need to meet the minimum earnings requirement. For regular UI benefits, you need at least $1,056 in your highest quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount. Most full-time workers easily meet this.

One thing to keep in mind - your benefit calculation might be different if you had irregular hours or multiple jobs. Washington ESD looks at all your covered employment in your base period, not just your last job.

What happens if you don't meet the earnings requirement? Are you just out of luck?

If you don't qualify for regular UI, you might be eligible for alternative base period calculation or other programs, but you'd need to talk to Washington ESD about your specific situation.

The whole system is rigged anyway. They make it impossible to get through on the phone and the online system crashes half the time. Good luck getting anyone to help you figure out your benefits.

One thing to keep in mind - your benefit amount gets reduced if you work part-time while collecting unemployment. They have a formula for that too where you can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits.

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool but it's pretty basic. It won't give you an exact amount but it can give you a rough estimate based on your wages.

Does anyone know if overtime counts toward your benefit calculation? I worked a lot of OT in my last job.

I've been trying to call Washington ESD for three days straight to ask about my benefit amount and can't get through! The phone system is horrible. Anyone have tips for actually reaching a human there?

also dont forget you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents automatically. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for 3 days about my benefit calculation and can't get through. The phone system is absolutely terrible. Might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier.

my cousin got like $800 a week but she was making way more than you probably like $80k or something

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true.

whatever you do dont quit your job to get unemployment. they'll disqualify you for voluntary separation

Yeah it's real. I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of calling all day. Worth it when you need answers about your claim.

The benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is pretty accurate if you want to estimate before filing. You just need your quarterly wage information.

Just remember that whatever amount you calculate, you still need to meet all the other requirements like actively looking for work and being able and available to work. The benefit amount doesn't matter if you don't qualify for other reasons.

One more thing - if you get approved, your first payment might be delayed by a week because of the waiting period. Plan for that in your budget.

Thanks everyone for all the help! Sounds like I should expect somewhere around $500-550 per week based on my wages. I'll use the benefit calculator to get a more exact estimate and then file my claim online.

Just remember that whatever amount you get, they'll take out federal taxes if you elect to have them withheld. Otherwise you might owe a bunch come tax time.

Just want to add that your benefit duration is also based on your earnings. Higher earners can get up to 26 weeks while lower earners might only get 12-16 weeks. Something to keep in mind for planning.

Good point! Should I have taxes taken out or just save money for tax season?

I always have them take out the 10% federal tax. Makes things easier at tax time and you don't have to worry about setting money aside.

The benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is actually pretty accurate if you can figure out how to use it. You just need your quarterly wage info.

I tried using that but got confused about which quarters to use. The base period thing is confusing.

Yeah it's not intuitive. Basically ignore the current quarter and the quarter right before it, then count back 4 quarters from there.

Does anyone know if overtime hours count toward your benefit calculation? I worked a lot of OT last year.

Yes, all wages including overtime count as long as they were properly reported by your employer. Higher wages in your base period mean higher benefits.

Sweet! I was worried that OT wouldn't count. That should bump up my weekly amount then.

Keep in mind there's also a waiting week for new claims now. You won't get paid for your first week even if you're eligible.

Wait what? So even if I'm approved I don't get paid for the first week?

Correct. The first week is unpaid but you still have to file your weekly claim and do job searches. It's basically a one-week penalty.

That's ridiculous. Why do they make it so hard for people who are already struggling?

Make sure you file your claim as soon as possible. Benefits are only backdated to the Sunday of the week you file, not when you actually lost your job.

I filed on Monday so I should be good. Thanks for the heads up though!

Perfect. Now you just wait for your monetary determination and can start filing weekly claims once it's processed.

The whole system is so slow. Filed my claim 2 weeks ago and still waiting to hear about my benefit amount. Meanwhile bills keep coming.

That's frustrating but unfortunately normal processing time. If it's been more than 2-3 weeks without a monetary determination, you might want to follow up.

I've been trying to call but can never get through. Might have to try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned.

Pro tip: even if your benefit amount seems low, make sure to keep filing your weekly claims while you appeal or ask questions. You can't get back pay for weeks you didn't file.

Good to know! I was wondering about that. So file every week no matter what?

Exactly. Keep filing and doing your job searches even if something seems wrong with your claim. Better safe than sorry.

Anyone know if they count bonuses or commissions in the benefit calculation? I got a decent bonus last December.

Yes, all reportable income including bonuses and commissions count toward your base period wages if your employer reported them properly.

Awesome! That bonus should help boost my weekly amount then. Thanks!

Just got my monetary determination today - $487 per week for 26 weeks. Not amazing but better than nothing. The letter explains exactly how they calculated it.

That's helpful to know what to expect. How long did it take to get your determination?

About 10 days from when I filed. Make sure to read the whole letter carefully - it has important info about appeals and job search requirements.

Washington ESD customer service is terrible. Been trying to get answers about my benefit calculation for days. The automated system just hangs up on you.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. The regular phone system is basically unusable during busy times. At least with Claimyr you can actually get through to talk to someone.

How much does that cost though? I'm already tight on money.

I thought it was worth it to get my questions answered quickly instead of wasting days calling. Check out their site to see if it makes sense for your situation.

Don't forget you have to actively look for work to keep getting benefits. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them.

What counts as a job search activity? Just applying for jobs?

Applying for jobs, networking events, career fairs, updating your resume, informational interviews. There's a list on the Washington ESD website of what counts.

And make sure to keep good records! They can audit your job search log and if you can't prove you did the activities, they'll make you pay back benefits.

The benefit amount also depends on how many dependents you have. You can get extra money for kids under 18.

I don't have kids so that doesn't apply to me, but good info for others to know.

Yeah it's not a huge amount but every little bit helps when you're unemployed.

Whatever you do, make sure to report any work or income while on unemployment. Even small jobs can affect your benefits and not reporting is fraud.

What if I pick up a one-day gig or something? Do I have to report that too?

Yes, report everything. Even $50 from a side job needs to be reported. They'll reduce your benefits for that week but it's better than getting in trouble for fraud.

This is so important. I know someone who got caught not reporting cash work and had to pay back thousands in benefits plus penalties.

The maximum benefit duration is usually 26 weeks, but it can be less if you don't have enough wages in your base period. Check your determination letter for your specific situation.

26 weeks should be plenty of time to find something new. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!

Good luck with your job search! The job market is pretty decent right now so hopefully you'll find something soon.

One last tip - sign up for WorkSourceWA even if you're not required to. They have good job search resources and networking events that can help you find work faster.

I'll check that out. Any other resources you'd recommend for job searching?

LinkedIn, Indeed, company websites directly. Cast a wide net and don't just rely on online applications. Networking is still the best way to find jobs.

The benefit amount is just the start. You also need to meet the work search requirements to keep getting paid. That's 3 job search activities per week in Washington.

I'm getting $485 a week which is way more than I expected. I was only making about $650 a week at my last job so it's really helping while I look for work.

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 receive over the entire claim period

The Washington ESD monetary determination letter will show your exact weekly benefit amount and maximum benefits. Make sure to read it carefully when you get it.

ugh the whole system is so complicated. why cant they just tell you upfront how much youll get instead of all these calculations

Pro tip: if your benefit amount seems wrong, you can appeal the monetary determination. I had to do this when they didn't count wages from a job I had early in my base period.

I tried using Claimyr too after reading about it here. Worked exactly like they said - got connected to Washington ESD in about 2 hours instead of the days I'd been trying. Agent was able to explain my benefit calculation in detail.

Don't forget that if you do any part-time work while collecting unemployment, you need to report it. It might reduce your weekly benefit but you can still get partial benefits.

The key thing is to file your claim as soon as possible after losing your job. There's a waiting week but the sooner you file, the sooner you can start the process.