How much will Washington ESD unemployment benefits pay me weekly?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from your base year (the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file). They take that quarter's earnings, divide by 13, then you get roughly 3.85% of that amount weekly. Maximum weekly benefit right now is $999 per week. At $52k annually, you're probably looking at somewhere around $400-500 weekly depending on when your highest quarter was.

I was making around $48k and my weekly benefit is $442. The amount really depends on your work history though - if you had gaps in employment or lower wages in some quarters it could be less.

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to have earned at least $7,326 during your base year to qualify, and you need to have earned wages in at least 680 hours of covered employment. But at your salary level that shouldn't be an issue. You can actually estimate your benefit amount on the Washington ESD website before you file.

Just a heads up - it can take forever to actually get through to Washington ESD to ask questions like this. I've been trying to call for weeks about my claim and can never get past the busy signal. If you need to talk to someone, I recently found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

The weekly amount is just part of it - you also get the money for up to 26 weeks typically, longer if there's an extension program running. But you have to keep filing your weekly claims and meet all the job search requirements to keep getting paid.

Don't forget about taxes! The weekly benefit amount they quote you is before taxes. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them at the end of the year, but unemployment benefits are taxable income.

Also worth noting that if you find part-time work while collecting, you can still get partial benefits as long as you earn less than 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount. They'll just deduct some of your earnings from your weekly claim.

The whole system is confusing honestly. I made decent money but my benefit amount was way lower than I expected because apparently my highest quarter was from over a year ago when I was making less money at a different job.

Whatever you do, file as soon as possible after you lose your job. There's no waiting period in Washington and benefits are backdated to when you file, not when you lost your job. I made the mistake of waiting a few weeks thinking I'd find something quickly.

One more thing about Claimyr - if you do run into issues with your claim or need to check on something specific, it's really helpful for getting through to Washington ESD customer service. The regular phone lines are basically impossible most days.

Just to add - your employer might contest your claim which could delay things, especially if they claim you were fired for misconduct or quit voluntarily. Make sure you have documentation about your layoff just in case.

The benefit calculator on Washington ESD's website is pretty accurate. I used it before filing and my actual weekly amount was within $20 of the estimate.

Also remember you have to be actively looking for work and available for work to keep collecting. Can't just sit around and collect checks - they do audit job search activities.

Don't stress too much about the exact amount - focus on getting your claim filed correctly first. You can always call Washington ESD later if you have questions about your benefit calculation, though good luck getting through on the phone!

At your income level you should qualify for a decent weekly amount. The key is making sure all your wages were reported correctly by your employer. Sometimes there are discrepancies that can affect your benefit calculation.

The maximum weekly benefit in Washington is actually pretty good compared to other states. At $999 per week max, you're in better shape than a lot of places that cap benefits much lower.

Just file online through secure.esd.wa.gov - it's much easier than trying to call or go in person. The whole process takes maybe 30 minutes if you have all your information ready.

Been through this process twice now and the benefit amount calculation is pretty straightforward once you understand how they look at your base year earnings. Your $52k salary should put you in a good position for a decent weekly benefit.

One last tip - if you have any questions about your specific situation that the website can't answer, Claimyr really is the way to go for actually talking to Washington ESD. I tried calling on my own for weeks and got nowhere.

Good luck with everything! The unemployment system can be frustrating but the benefits do help while you're job searching. Just stay on top of your weekly claims and job search requirements.