How much unemployment will I get if I make $300 a week - Washington ESD benefit calculation

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period to calculate benefits. With $300/week that's about $15,600 annually, so you'd likely qualify. Your weekly benefit amount (WBA) would be roughly 1/26th of your highest quarter earnings.

i think you'll get more than you expect actually. washington has pretty decent UI benefits compared to other places

You'll want to use the Washington ESD benefit calculator on their website to get an exact estimate. But with consistent $300/week earnings, you should definitely qualify. The minimum weekly benefit in WA is $295, so you might actually get close to what you were earning.

I was in a similar situation last year making around $280/week. Had the hardest time getting through to Washington ESD to check my benefit amount calculation. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

THE WASHINGTON ESD PHONE SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. Sorry for caps but I'm so frustrated. Been trying to call for three weeks about my benefit calculation and can never get through. It's like they don't want to help people.

honestly the online calculator is pretty accurate for basic stuff like this. plug in your quarterly wages and it'll give you a good estimate

Just want to add that you need to make sure you meet the work history requirements too. It's not just about weekly wages but total earnings over the base period. With part-time work, double-check that you have enough qualifying wages.

I love how Washington state actually tries to make unemployment livable. Some states give you like $200/week maximum.

Make sure you understand the difference between gross and net when calculating. Your $300/week - is that before or after taxes? The Washington ESD calculation uses gross wages.

just a heads up that if you're still working part-time while claiming UI, you need to report those earnings each week. they'll reduce your benefit by a portion of what you earn

Update on the Claimyr thing I mentioned earlier - just used them again this week to get through about a different issue. Still works great and saved me hours of phone frustration. Really recommend it if you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD.

One thing to keep in mind is that your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you first file, but you only get a maximum of 26 weeks of benefits (unless there are extensions).

Don't forget about the job search requirements once you start claiming. You'll need to do at least 3 job search activities per week and keep a log.

Quick question - are you planning to file online or over the phone? The online system is usually faster if you can navigate it.

Based on what you're describing, you should definitely qualify and get a decent benefit amount. Washington's UI system is actually designed to help people in situations like yours.

Just remember to file your weekly claims every week even if you haven't heard back about your initial application. Missing weeks can cause problems later.

One more vote for using a service like Claimyr if you run into any issues. The Washington ESD phone system can be really difficult to navigate, and sometimes you just need to talk to a human to sort things out properly.

Hope everything works out for you! The Washington unemployment system isn't perfect but it's better than a lot of places. You should be able to get the help you need.