How much will Washington ESD unemployment pay you - confused about benefit amounts
I'm trying to figure out how much I'll actually get from Washington ESD unemployment benefits. I made about $52,000 last year working full time at a tech company before getting laid off. I've heard different things from people about how they calculate your weekly benefit amount. Some say it's based on your highest quarter, others say it's an average. Does anyone know the actual formula Washington ESD uses? I need to budget for the next few months and want to know what to expect.
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Oliver Cheng
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) using your highest earning quarter from your base year. They take that quarter's earnings, divide by 26, then you get about 50% of your average weekly wage up to the maximum. For 2025, the max weekly benefit is around $999. With your salary, you'll probably get close to the maximum.
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Ashley Simian
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $15,000, that would be about $577 per week, then half of that would be around $288? That seems low.
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Oliver Cheng
•Actually, you divide by 26 first to get your average weekly wage, then take 50% of that. So $15,000 ÷ 26 = $577, then 50% = $288.50 weekly. Plus there might be dependency allowances if you have kids.
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Taylor To
i think its more complicated than that. theres different calculations for different situations and they use some base period thing
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Ella Cofer
•The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. Washington ESD looks at all 4 quarters but uses the highest one for the weekly calculation.
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Kevin Bell
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation and it's impossible! The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through, I get disconnected. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there about benefit amounts?
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Savannah Glover
•I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents by calling for you. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. I was able to talk to an agent within a few hours instead of spending days trying to call.
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Kevin Bell
•That sounds almost too good to be true. How much does it cost? I'm already broke from being unemployed.
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Savannah Glover
•It's worth checking out their site for details, but for me it was totally worth it to actually get answers about my claim instead of wasting time calling and getting nowhere.
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Felix Grigori
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE! They make the calculations so complicated that nobody understands what they're getting. I've been on unemployment three times and still don't fully get how they come up with the numbers.
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Felicity Bud
•I feel you. It took me forever to understand that they don't just take your last paycheck and give you half of that.
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Ashley Simian
•Yeah, I was expecting it to be based on my most recent pay but apparently it's much more complicated than that.
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Ella Cofer
Here's the breakdown for Washington ESD benefit calculations: They look at your base period (first 4 of last 5 quarters), find your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26 to get average weekly wage, then you get 50% of that up to the state maximum. You also need at least $3,850 total in your base period and earnings in at least 2 quarters to qualify.
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Ashley Simian
•This is super helpful! Is there a way to estimate this myself before my claim gets processed?
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Ella Cofer
•Yes, you can use the benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website, or just do the math yourself if you have your quarterly earnings. Your pay stubs or tax documents should have that info.
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Taylor To
dont forget about taxes! unemployment benefits are taxable income so youll owe taxes on whatever you receive
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Max Reyes
•Wait, really? I thought unemployment was supposed to help you when you're broke, not create more tax problems.
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Ella Cofer
•Yes, UI benefits are taxable at the federal level and in Washington there's no state income tax. You can choose to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you certify your weekly claims.
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Mikayla Davison
I got $547 per week when I was on unemployment last year. I made about $48k the year before. The amount seemed fair but it definitely wasn't enough to maintain my normal lifestyle.
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Ashley Simian
•That actually sounds close to what I might get. How long did it take for your first payment to come through?
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Mikayla Davison
•About 2 weeks after I filed, but I had to do the whole job search thing and waiting period first.
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Felicity Bud
Pro tip: if you're not sure about your benefit amount, you can create an account on the Washington ESD website and it will show your potential weekly benefit amount before you even file a claim.
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Ashley Simian
•Really? I didn't know you could see that ahead of time. That would definitely help with planning.
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Oliver Cheng
•Yes, once you register on their secure site, you can see an estimate based on your wage history they have on file.
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Adrian Connor
My sister got way less than she expected because she had a gap in employment the year before. Apparently if you don't have enough quarters with earnings, it really hurts your benefit amount.
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Ella Cofer
•That's why the base period calculation matters so much. If you have quarters with zero or low earnings, it can definitely impact your weekly benefit amount.
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Kevin Bell
UPDATE: I tried that Claimyr thing someone mentioned and actually got through to a Washington ESD agent! They explained my benefit calculation and confirmed I'm getting the right amount. Wish I had known about this service weeks ago.
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Aisha Jackson
•How quickly did they get you connected? I'm still struggling to reach anyone at Washington ESD.
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Kevin Bell
•It took a few hours but way better than the weeks I spent trying to call myself. The agent was actually helpful too.
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Ryder Everingham
Don't forget that your benefit amount can change if you work part time while collecting. They have some formula for reducing benefits based on what you earn.
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Ashley Simian
•Good point. I might pick up some freelance work, so I'll need to understand how that affects things.
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Ella Cofer
•In Washington, you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction. Above that, they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar.
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Lilly Curtis
i was getting $445/week which was way less than i thought id get but better than nothing i guess
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Leo Simmons
•Same here, the reality check was tough but it kept me afloat while job hunting.
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Lindsey Fry
The benefit amount also depends on how many weeks you can collect. That's based on your total base period earnings, not just the highest quarter. Some people can collect for 26 weeks, others get less.
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Ashley Simian
•How do they calculate the number of weeks you can collect? Is there a minimum?
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Ella Cofer
•Your total base period earnings divided by your weekly benefit amount gives you the number of weeks, up to a maximum of 26 weeks in Washington.
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Saleem Vaziri
Make sure you understand the difference between your gross weekly benefit amount and what you actually receive after any tax withholding. I was confused about that at first.
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Ashley Simian
•Yeah, I need to decide whether to have taxes taken out or deal with it at tax time.
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Kayla Morgan
The Washington ESD benefit calculator is pretty accurate but sometimes the actual amount is slightly different due to rounding or other factors. Don't panic if it's off by a few dollars.
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James Maki
•Good to know! I was worried when my estimate was $5 higher than what I actually got.
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Jasmine Hancock
If your benefit amount seems wrong, you can appeal it. I had to do that once when they miscalculated my wages from a previous job.
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Ashley Simian
•How long does an appeal take? I want to make sure everything is correct before I start relying on the payments.
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Jasmine Hancock
•Mine took about 6 weeks but they backdated the correct amount once it was resolved.
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Cole Roush
Just remember that unemployment is temporary income replacement, not a full salary replacement. Plan accordingly and use the time to find new work.
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Ashley Simian
•Definitely. I'm treating this as a bridge while I job hunt, not a long-term solution.
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Scarlett Forster
For anyone still having trouble reaching Washington ESD about benefit amounts, I also used Claimyr recently and it was a game changer. Being able to actually talk to someone instead of getting busy signals all day made such a difference.
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Arnav Bengali
•I keep hearing about this service. Might have to try it if I can't get through on my own soon.
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Scarlett Forster
•The video demo on their site really shows how much easier it makes the whole process of reaching Washington ESD.
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Sayid Hassan
Bottom line: your weekly benefit amount will be roughly 50% of your average weekly wage from your highest earning quarter, up to the state maximum. It's not based on your most recent paycheck or your annual salary directly.
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Ashley Simian
•This thread has been incredibly helpful. I think I have a much better understanding now of what to expect from Washington ESD.
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