How much unemployment will I get if I make $1,500 a week in Washington?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter in your base year. At $1,500/week you're looking at around $844 maximum weekly benefit (that's the 2025 max). But it depends on your actual quarterly earnings and how long you've been working at that wage.

I was making about $1,400/week and got $789 per week in unemployment. The formula is roughly half of what you made in your highest quarter, divided by 13 weeks, but capped at the state maximum. You'll probably hit the max.

If you're struggling to reach Washington ESD by phone, I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

DONT COUNT ON GETTING THE MAXIMUM!!! I made good money too and they found some excuse to reduce my benefits. The adjudication process is designed to screw you over. They'll dig into every detail of your employment.

Don't panic yet. The key is making sure you have proper documentation of your layoff. Get a letter from HR stating it's a reduction in force, not performance related. That'll prevent most adjudication issues.

i made about 1200 a week and got like 650 or something. its not half your pay like people think

The Washington ESD benefit calculator is confusing but here's the deal: they take your highest earning quarter in your base year, divide by 13, then multiply by 0.5. But there's a minimum and maximum. At your income level you'll likely hit the $844 maximum for 2025.

One thing to keep in mind is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can have taxes withheld or pay quarterly. At the benefit levels you're looking at, you'll definitely owe taxes.

Just went through this myself. Made $1,600/week, got $844 weekly benefit. But it took 5 weeks to get my first payment due to adjudication. Start filing immediately when you're laid off, don't wait.

The waiting period is the worst part. Even if everything goes smoothly, there's still the waiting week where you don't get paid. Plan for at least 2-3 weeks before you see any money.

My sister used Claimyr when she couldn't get through to Washington ESD about her benefit calculation. The agent was able to explain exactly how they calculated her amount and it matched what she expected. Worth the money if you run into issues.

Remember you can work part-time while on unemployment but they'll reduce your benefits. At your benefit level, you can earn up to about $280/week before they start reducing it dollar for dollar.

The job search requirement is 3 contacts per week minimum but at your income level they expect quality applications. Keep detailed records in WorkSourceWA because they do audit job searches.

honestly at your income level you might want to consider cobra for health insurance. unemployment benefits are good but losing health coverage is scary

File online as soon as you're laid off. The Washington ESD website is better than it used to be. Don't try to call unless you absolutely have to - the wait times are insane.

Make sure you understand the difference between being laid off vs terminated for cause. Layoffs due to lack of work are straightforward. If there's any question about your separation reason, get documentation from HR.

The maximum benefit duration is 26 weeks in Washington. At your income level, you'll likely qualify for the full 26 weeks assuming you have enough work history.

Just remember to file your weekly claims every week even if you haven't been paid yet. If you miss a week, you lose that week's benefits forever.

Overall, at $1,500/week you're looking at roughly 55% income replacement if you get the maximum benefit. It's not perfect but it's something while you job search.

One thing I'd add is to make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license, and bank account info ready when you file. Washington ESD also asks for your employer's federal tax ID number (FEIN) which you can usually find on your W-2 or paystub. Having all this info ready will make the initial application process much smoother.