How much you get unemployment benefits in Washington - what's the weekly amount?
trying to figure out how much unemployment money i can get if i file a claim in washington. my last job paid me about $18/hour working full time. does anyone know how they calculate the weekly benefit amount? i heard it depends on your wages but not sure how much you actually get each week.
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Zane Gray
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999, but most people get somewhere between $200-600 per week depending on their previous wages. At $18/hour full-time, you'd probably qualify for around $400-500 weekly.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•thanks! do you know if that includes the taxes or is that before taxes?
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Zane Gray
•That's before taxes. You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claims, or pay it later when you file your tax return.
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Maggie Martinez
the formula is pretty confusing but basically they take your base period wages and divide by 52. then you get about 50% of your average weekly wage up to the maximum. i was making $20/hour and got $485 per week
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Alejandro Castro
•Wait I thought it was based on quarterly wages not yearly? I'm so confused about how Washington ESD calculates this stuff.
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Maggie Martinez
•yeah its based on quarters but they look at all 4 quarters in your base period to determine eligibility and then use your highest quarter for the calculation
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Monique Byrd
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about your benefit calculation, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get connected to an actual agent who explained exactly how my weekly benefit amount was calculated. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•never heard of that service before, does it cost anything?
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Monique Byrd
•There is a fee but it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of being on hold for hours. Way better than trying to call Washington ESD directly.
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Jackie Martinez
•I've been trying to call for weeks to ask about my benefit amount calculation. Might have to try this if I can't get through soon.
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Lia Quinn
The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool that can give you an estimate, but it's not always accurate. Your actual weekly benefit depends on wages from your base period which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. For someone making $18/hour consistently, expect around $350-450 per week.
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Haley Stokes
•I tried that calculator and it was way off from what I actually got approved for. Better to just file and see what happens.
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Lia Quinn
•True, the calculator is just an estimate. Your actual determination letter will show the exact calculation based on your reported wages.
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Alejandro Castro
this whole system is so confusing!! why cant they just make it simple like you get X percent of your last paycheck or something. all this base period quarterly calculation stuff makes no sense
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Zane Gray
•I agree it's complicated, but the reason they use the base period is to prevent people from working just a few weeks at a high wage job and then claiming benefits based on that short period.
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Alejandro Castro
•i guess that makes sense but still super confusing when you're trying to figure out if you can pay rent
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Jackie Martinez
Just went through this process last month. Filed my claim and got my determination letter about 2 weeks later. Was making $19.50/hour and my weekly benefit came out to $478. You also get the extra $25 per week if you have dependents.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•oh i didnt know about the dependent thing. i have 2 kids does that mean extra money?
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Jackie Martinez
•Yeah you get $25 extra per week for dependents in Washington, but I think there's a cap on how many dependents they count.
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Lia Quinn
•It's $25 per week regardless of how many dependents you have, not per dependent. So whether you have 1 kid or 5 kids, it's still just $25 extra.
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Haley Stokes
been on unemployment for 3 months now and getting $412 per week. was making about $17.75/hour before i got laid off. the money helps but definitely not enough to cover all my bills
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Maggie Martinez
•are you doing the job search requirements? you have to apply for 3 jobs per week to keep getting benefits
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Haley Stokes
•yeah im doing the job searches through WorkSourceWA. such a pain but gotta do it to keep the money coming
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Asher Levin
Does anyone know if the weekly amount changes if you work part time while on unemployment? I might be able to get some gig work but don't want to lose my benefits.
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Zane Gray
•You can work part-time and still get partial unemployment benefits. They reduce your weekly benefit by the amount you earn, but there's a small earnings disregard. Definitely report any work when you file your weekly claim.
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Asher Levin
•thanks, i'll make sure to report everything. don't want to get in trouble with Washington ESD
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Serene Snow
The maximum is almost $1000 per week now but you'd have to be making really good money to qualify for that much. Most regular jobs qualify for somewhere in the $300-500 range.
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Alejandro Castro
•wow almost $1000? what kind of job would you need to get that much?
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Serene Snow
•You'd probably need to be making $35-40+ per hour consistently to max out the benefit. That's for high paying tech jobs, management positions, etc.
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Monique Byrd
If you're having trouble getting specific information about your benefit calculation, definitely check out that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. I was stuck for weeks trying to understand why my benefit amount was lower than expected, and they helped me get connected to an Washington ESD specialist who walked through my entire wage history.
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Issac Nightingale
•I'm skeptical of paying for something like that but honestly after being on hold for 2+ hours multiple times, it might be worth it.
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Monique Byrd
•I was skeptical too but it really saved me time and stress. Much easier than the regular Washington ESD phone system.
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Romeo Barrett
remember you also have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits now. learned that the hard way last year when i owed money at tax time
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Aileen Rodriguez
•ugh seriously? so the money they give you isnt even the full amount after taxes?
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Romeo Barrett
•nope, unemployment is considered taxable income. you can have them withhold 10% federal tax each week or pay it all at once when you file taxes
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Marina Hendrix
Pro tip: keep all your pay stubs from the last 18 months before filing. Washington ESD might ask for wage verification and having the documents ready speeds up the process.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•good point, i think i have most of my recent pay stubs saved
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Marina Hendrix
•Also keep any W-2s and 1099s. The more documentation you have, the smoother the process goes.
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Justin Trejo
been trying to call Washington ESD for 3 days straight to ask about my benefit calculation and cant get through. the phone system is absolutely terrible
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Monique Byrd
•This is exactly why I used Claimyr - saved hours of trying to get through on the phone. Sometimes it's worth paying a little to avoid the headache.
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Justin Trejo
•at this point im desperate enough to try anything. will check out that claimyr site
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Alana Willis
Your weekly benefit amount shows up on your determination letter once your claim is processed. Mine took about 10 days to get approved and then I could see exactly how much I qualified for.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•how do you get the determination letter? through the mail or online?
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Alana Willis
•Both - I got it in my secure message inbox on the Washington ESD website and also got a paper copy in the mail a few days later.
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Tyler Murphy
don't forget about the waiting week! you dont get paid for your first week of unemployment even though you have to file the claim
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Alejandro Castro
•wait what? so you file but don't get money the first week? that seems unfair
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Tyler Murphy
•yeah its called a waiting week. you file the claim but dont get paid for that first week. after that you get paid weekly if you keep filing
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Sara Unger
The amount also depends on whether you qualify for regular UI or if you're on standby. Standby has different calculation rules.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•whats standby? is that different from regular unemployment?
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Sara Unger
•Standby is for when you're temporarily laid off but expect to return to the same job within a certain timeframe. Different eligibility rules and you don't have to do job searches.
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Butch Sledgehammer
Just want to add that your benefit amount can change if Washington ESD gets updated wage information from your employer. Mine went up slightly after they got my final wage report.
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Freya Ross
•That happened to me too - got an adjustment notice about a month after my initial determination.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•Yeah it's not common but can happen if there were reporting delays or corrections to your wage history.
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Leslie Parker
Bottom line for OP - at $18/hour full time you're probably looking at $400-500 per week before taxes. File your claim and you'll get the exact amount in your determination letter within 1-2 weeks.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•thanks everyone for all the helpful info! definitely going to file my claim this week
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Leslie Parker
•Good luck! The process isn't too bad once you get started. Just make sure to file your weekly claims on time to keep getting paid.
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Santiago Martinez
I went through this same situation last year when I was making about $18.50/hour. My weekly benefit ended up being $436 per week. The key thing to remember is they look at your highest earning quarter in your base period, not just your most recent wages. So if you had a quarter where you worked overtime or got a raise, that could bump up your weekly amount. Also make sure you apply online through the Washington ESD website - it's way faster than trying to call them. The whole process took about 2 weeks from filing to getting my first payment.
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