How much will I get unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your earnings from the highest quarter in your base period. They take about 3.85% of your total wages from that quarter and divide by 13 weeks. For someone making $22/hour full-time, you'd probably get somewhere around $650-750 per week, but it depends on how many hours you worked and if you had any gaps in employment.

The exact calculation can be confusing but Washington ESD has a benefit calculator on their website that gives you an estimate. You'll need your wage information from the last 18 months. Just remember you have to actively search for work and report it weekly to keep getting benefits.

I was in a similar situation last year and had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about my benefit amount. If you need to talk to someone directly, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me hours of trying to call.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing!! i filed 3 weeks ago and still dont know exactly what im getting because my claim is stuck in adjudication. they said something about verifying my identity but i already sent everything they asked for

Just a heads up - your benefit amount might be different than what you calculate if you had any other income during your base period. Things like bonuses, overtime, or if you worked multiple jobs all factor in. Washington ESD looks at all your covered wages.

The whole system is a joke. I was supposed to get $600 something a week but they kept reducing it for random reasons. First they said I didn't report work search activities correctly, then they said I had some overpayment from 2 years ago that I never even knew about. Now I'm getting like $200 less than I should be.

For what it's worth, I found that the initial benefit estimate they give you when you first file isn't always accurate. Mine went up after they processed my full wage history. Just be patient with the process.

Remember you also have to pay federal taxes on unemployment benefits. They don't automatically withhold them unless you request it. Learned that the hard way last tax season.

Don't count on getting benefits right away either. Even if your calculation looks good, they still have to approve your claim first. Mine took 3 weeks because they had to verify my separation reason with my employer.

Also keep in mind that if you find part-time work while collecting benefits, they'll reduce your weekly amount based on what you earn. It's not dollar for dollar though - there's a formula they use.

Whatever amount you get, make sure you're doing your job search requirements every week. Washington ESD is pretty strict about that now. You need 3 job search activities per week and they audit people regularly.

I had issues with my benefit calculation too and ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. They actually got me through to someone who explained that my benefits were calculated wrong initially. Turns out they missed some wages from a previous employer. Got it fixed and my weekly amount went up by $150.

been on unemployment twice and both times the amount was different even though i made similar wages. the first time i got $710/week and the second time only $580. never did figure out why the difference was so big.

Just file as soon as possible after you lose your job. There's a waiting week before you can collect, so the sooner you file, the sooner that clock starts ticking. And even if you're not sure about the exact benefit amount, you can always ask questions later.

One more thing - if you're thinking about taking any training programs while on unemployment, some of them might affect your benefit amount or job search requirements. Worth asking about if that's something you're considering.