How much will I receive from Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. They take your total wages from that quarter and divide by 26. The maximum weekly benefit in 2025 is $999 per week. You can also check your benefit estimate in your SecureAccess Washington account once your claim is processed.

Thanks! So if I made $13,000 in my highest quarter, that would be $500 per week? That's actually better than I expected.

Yes, that math looks right. Just remember you'll need to file your weekly claims every week to actually receive the payments.

don't forget about taxes!! washington doesn't take state tax but federal is still there. you can have them withhold 10% or pay quarterly. learned this the hard way last year

Oh good point! How do I set up the tax withholding? Is that in my ESD account somewhere?

yeah when you file your weekly claims there's an option to have federal taxes withheld. definitely recommend it

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation because the online estimate seems wrong. Their phone lines are always busy and I keep getting disconnected. Has anyone found a better way to reach them?

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to ESD agents without waiting on hold forever. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. I was able to talk to someone within an hour instead of calling for days.

That sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost? I'm already stressed about money.

It's worth it when you need actual answers. Way better than losing your mind trying to call every day. The video explains everything.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! They tell you one thing online and then when you finally talk to someone they say something completely different. I was told I'd get $400/week and ended up with $275. Make sure you have all your pay stubs ready because they WILL ask for verification.

What kind of verification did they ask for? I want to be prepared.

Pay stubs from all your jobs in the last 18 months, separation letter from your employer, sometimes tax returns. Have everything ready or they'll delay your claim even more.

The discrepancy you experienced might have been due to having wages from multiple quarters that affected your calculation. The online estimator sometimes doesn't account for all variables.

Just got my first payment and wanted to share the timeline. Filed claim on Monday, got approved Thursday, first payment hit my account the following Tuesday. For anyone wondering, the deposit shows up as 'WA ST ESD TELE-SERV' on your bank statement.

That's encouraging! Did you have any issues with the claim or was it pretty straightforward?

Pretty smooth actually. I made sure to answer all questions accurately and had my employment info ready. The key is being consistent with your answers.

Wait, I'm confused about something. Do I get the same amount every week or does it change? And what happens if I work part-time while collecting unemployment?

Your weekly benefit amount stays the same, but if you work part-time and earn money, it will reduce your weekly payment. Washington ESD allows you to earn up to your weekly benefit amount before they start deducting dollar-for-dollar.

So if my WBA is $400 and I earn $200 part-time, I'd still get the full $400 unemployment?

Not exactly. There's a formula - they deduct 75% of your earnings above $5. So if you earn $200, you'd get your WBA minus $146.25 (75% of $195). Always report all earnings when filing your weekly claim.

been on unemployment for 8 weeks now and my advice is to set up direct deposit immediately. the debit card option has fees and is a pain. also make sure you're doing your job search activities or they'll cut you off

What kind of job search activities do I need to do? Nobody explained this to me when I filed.

you need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep a log. can be applications, networking, job fairs, interviews. they randomly audit people so keep good records

My sister works for Washington ESD and she always tells people to read the handbook they send you. Most questions are answered in there but nobody reads it. Your benefit amount is based on your base period wages, not your most recent job.

I haven't received any handbook yet. How long does that usually take?

Should come within a week of filing your claim. You can also download it from the ESD website if you need it sooner.

One thing to watch out for - if you were fired for misconduct or quit without good cause, you might get disqualified even if your claim is initially approved. They sometimes approve claims first then investigate later.

I was laid off due to company downsizing so I should be fine, right?

Yeah, layoffs are usually straightforward. Just make sure your employer doesn't contest the claim or claim you were fired for cause.

For anyone still having trouble reaching Washington ESD about benefit calculations or claim issues, I can't recommend Claimyr enough. I was spinning my wheels for two weeks trying to get answers and they got me connected to an agent in less than an hour. Check out their demo video to see how it works.

I'm skeptical of these services but honestly after calling ESD 47 times yesterday with no luck, I might try anything at this point.

I was skeptical too until I actually needed help. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get things sorted out, especially with benefit calculations.

Quick question - does the weekly benefit amount include any dependents allowance? I have two kids and wondering if that increases what I get.

Washington state doesn't provide dependent allowances for unemployment benefits. Your WBA is based solely on your work history and wages.

Bummer, I thought I remembered something about that from years ago. Thanks for clarifying.

Make sure you understand the difference between your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) and your Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA). The WBA is what you get each week, the MBA is the total you can receive over the entire benefit year.

How do they calculate the maximum benefit amount?

It's typically your WBA multiplied by 26 weeks, but it can't exceed 1/3 of your total base period wages. Whichever is lower becomes your MBA.

i just want to add that if you're getting any other benefits like disability or worker's comp, that might affect your unemployment amount. learned this when my claim got held up for 3 weeks

I'm not getting any other benefits so I should be clear. Thanks for the heads up though.

yeah you should be fine then. just be honest about everything when you file your weekly claims

Update: I finally got through to someone at Washington ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Turns out my benefit calculation was correct but there was an error in how they were displaying it online. The agent fixed it in 10 minutes. Wish I had known about this weeks ago!

That's great to hear! I'm keeping that service in mind in case I run into any issues with my claim.

Glad it worked out for you! It's amazing how quickly things get resolved when you can actually talk to someone who knows what they're doing.

Don't forget you can also check your payment history and benefit information in your SecureAccess Washington account. It shows your WBA, remaining balance, and payment dates. Super helpful for keeping track of everything.

I'll definitely check that out once my claim gets processed. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!