How much unemployment would I get from Washington ESD - confused about benefit calculation
I'm thinking about filing for unemployment but have no idea how much I'd actually get from Washington ESD. I've been working part-time at a restaurant for about 8 months making around $15/hour, usually getting 25-30 hours per week. Before that I had a full-time job for 2 years but got laid off last year. Does Washington ESD look at all my work history or just recent stuff? I heard it's based on your highest quarter of earnings but I'm totally lost on how they calculate it. Anyone know what I might expect for weekly benefits?
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Amina Sy
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest quarter of earnings from your base year, which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. They take your highest quarter earnings and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. Maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999.
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QuantumQuest
•So they look at quarters not just my current job? That's good because my previous full-time job paid way more than this restaurant gig.
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Amina Sy
•Exactly! They'll use whichever quarter had your highest earnings during that base year period, so your full-time job quarters would likely be what they use for the calculation.
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Oliver Fischer
i think its like half your normal pay or something like that? not sure exactly but its not much tbh
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Natasha Petrova
•It's more complicated than that. The formula is highest quarter earnings divided by 26, but there's also a minimum and maximum amount. You need to have earned at least $8,190 in your base year to qualify.
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Oliver Fischer
•oh ok didnt know about the minimum thing
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Javier Morales
I was in a similar situation last year trying to figure out my benefit amount. The Washington ESD website has a calculator but honestly it's confusing as hell. I ended up having to call them multiple times to get a straight answer, but good luck getting through on the phone - I must have tried 50+ times.
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QuantumQuest
•Ugh that's what I was afraid of. Did you eventually get through to someone who could help?
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Javier Morales
•Eventually yeah, but it took weeks of trying. Actually someone on here mentioned using Claimyr.com to get through faster - they have some system that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual person. Watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and it looked legit.
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Emma Davis
The whole system is set up to screw over part-time workers!! I worked multiple jobs and they still only gave me like $200 a week. Meanwhile people who had one good job get $800+. It's BS!
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Natasha Petrova
•The system is based on your earnings history, so if you earned more in previous quarters from full-time work, that's what they'll use. It's not designed to penalize part-time workers specifically.
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Emma Davis
•Still feels unfair when you're struggling just as much but get way less help
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Amina Sy
For your specific situation OP, if your restaurant job was paying you $15/hour for 25-30 hours per week, that's roughly $375-450 per week or about $1,500-1,800 per month. But since Washington ESD looks at your highest quarter in the base year, they'll likely use earnings from your previous full-time position if those quarters had higher earnings.
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QuantumQuest
•That makes sense. My full-time job was paying $22/hour for 40 hours so definitely higher quarterly earnings there.
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Amina Sy
•Right, so at $22/hour full-time you were earning around $2,860 per month. If that was your highest quarter, you'd be looking at a weekly benefit somewhere in the $400-500 range, but you'd need to check the exact calculation.
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GalaxyGlider
dont forget you gotta pay taxes on unemployment too so whatever you think youll get subtract like 20%
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Natasha Petrova
•You can choose to have taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits when you file your weekly claims, or pay them when you file your tax return. It's 10% federal withholding if you choose that option.
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GalaxyGlider
•yeah i forgot to do that and got hit with a big tax bill
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QuantumQuest
This is all really helpful thanks everyone. Sounds like I need to gather my pay stubs from both jobs to figure out which quarters had the highest earnings. Is there a way to check this online or do I have to call Washington ESD?
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Amina Sy
•You can see your quarterly wage reports on the Washington ESD website once you create an account, but sometimes employers don't report correctly or there are delays. Calling can help verify everything is accurate.
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Javier Morales
•Yeah definitely check online first, but if you need to call about wage issues or calculations, seriously consider that Claimyr service I mentioned. Saved me so much time and frustration.
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Malik Robinson
Remember you also have to meet the job search requirements while collecting benefits. That's 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them in WorkSourceWA. Just a heads up since some people don't realize that part.
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QuantumQuest
•Good point, I didn't even think about that requirement. Is it hard to meet?
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Malik Robinson
•Not really hard but you have to be consistent about it. Applying for jobs, going to job fairs, networking events all count. Just keep good records.
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Oliver Fischer
also make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week or they wont pay you for those weeks even if you qualify
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Natasha Petrova
•This is crucial - you have to file by the deadline each week. If you miss it, you can't go back and claim those weeks later.
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Isabella Silva
I'm curious about the base year thing - does it matter when you file? Like if I file now in January vs waiting until March, would that change which quarters they look at?
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Amina Sy
•Yes, timing can matter! The base year is calculated from when you file your claim. If you're close to a quarter boundary and had higher earnings in a recent quarter, waiting might increase your benefit amount.
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Isabella Silva
•That's good to know, might be worth calculating both scenarios
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Ravi Choudhury
One thing nobody mentioned - if you're working part-time you might still be able to collect partial unemployment benefits depending on how much you earn each week. Washington ESD has rules about working while on benefits.
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QuantumQuest
•Oh really? I assumed you had to be completely unemployed to get benefits.
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Ravi Choudhury
•Nope! You can work part-time and still collect partial benefits as long as you earn less than 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount. They reduce your benefits based on what you earn but you can still get something.
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Emma Davis
Just be prepared for the whole process to take FOREVER. I filed in November and didn't see my first payment until January because of some stupid adjudication issue they couldn't explain properly.
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Javier Morales
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr when I had problems. Being able to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD instead of waiting months for them to maybe call me back was worth it.
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Emma Davis
•Wish I had known about that when I was dealing with my mess
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Freya Andersen
The benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is actually pretty accurate once you have all your wage info. It walks you through the whole calculation step by step.
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QuantumQuest
•I'll definitely try that once I get my wage information together. Thanks for the tip!
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Omar Farouk
dont stress too much about the exact amount until you actually file. sometimes the calculation ends up different than what you expect because of how they count certain types of income or bonuses
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Natasha Petrova
•True, things like commissions, tips, and overtime can affect the calculation in ways that aren't always obvious from just looking at your regular hourly wage.
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CosmicCadet
I've been on unemployment twice and both times the amount was different even though I thought my situation was similar. The first time I got $380/week, second time only $290 because of when I filed and which quarters they used.
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QuantumQuest
•That's confusing - so the timing of when you file really can make a big difference?
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CosmicCadet
•Yeah definitely. The quarters they look at shift based on when you file your claim, so your highest earning quarter might not always be included.
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Chloe Harris
Also keep in mind there's a one week waiting period before you start receiving benefits, so don't expect payment right away even if everything goes smoothly.
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QuantumQuest
•Good to know, I'll need to budget for that gap
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Diego Mendoza
The maximum benefit amount changes every year based on the state's average weekly wage. For 2025 it's $999 per week but most people don't get anywhere near that amount.
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Amina Sy
•Right, you'd need to have been earning over $25,000 in your highest quarter to hit the maximum benefit amount.
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Anastasia Popova
My advice is just file and see what happens. You can always appeal if you think the calculation is wrong, but you can't collect benefits for weeks you don't file claims.
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QuantumQuest
•That makes sense - better to get the process started than keep trying to predict the exact amount
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Sean Flanagan
washington esd also has a mobile app now that makes filing weekly claims easier than the website. just fyi
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QuantumQuest
•Oh cool, I didn't know they had an app. That would definitely be more convenient than logging into the website every week.
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Zara Shah
Whatever you do, make sure you report your restaurant income accurately when you file. Even small amounts of unreported income can cause big problems later with overpayment notices.
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QuantumQuest
•Definitely will be honest about everything. Don't want to deal with having to pay money back later.
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