How much you receive for unemployment benefits in Washington state?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 and the minimum is $342. They take your highest quarter wages, divide by 26, then calculate about 3.85% of your average weekly wage from that quarter.

The amount varies a lot depending on your work history. I was making $45k and I get $467 weekly. My friend who made $70k gets the max which is $999. It's not a straight percentage of your salary.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check your benefit calculation, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

The formula is confusing but basically they look at your base period which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. Then they find your highest earning quarter and use that for the calculation. Make sure all your employers reported your wages correctly or your amount will be wrong.

ugh the whole system is so confusing. I filed 2 weeks ago and still don't even know how much I'm supposed to get. Every time I call Washington ESD I get disconnected after waiting an hour

For anyone wondering about the exact numbers - in 2025 Washington has 25 different weekly benefit amounts ranging from $342 to $999. They don't just make up random numbers, it's based on a specific table they use.

Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits. I learned that the hard way last year when I owed money at tax time.

I got $623 weekly and I was making about $58k at my last job. The calculation seemed fair to me, it's roughly 60% of what I was making but not exactly.

One thing to remember is that your benefit amount stays the same for your entire claim year, even if you have gaps in unemployment. So if you go back to work and then get laid off again within that year, you'll get the same weekly amount.

The Washington ESD benefit calculator isn't perfect but it gives you a rough idea. I think mine was off by like $20 from what the calculator predicted vs what I actually got approved for.

If anyone needs to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD about their benefit amount calculation, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait times.

Also remember that you can collect up to 26 weeks of benefits in your claim year, and your total benefit amount is 26 times your weekly benefit amount. So if you get $500 weekly, your total potential benefits would be $13,000.

My benefit amount was way lower than I expected because I had a gap in employment the year before I filed. Make sure you understand how the base period works or you might be surprised.

The good news is that once your claim is approved and you start getting payments, you'll know exactly what your weekly amount is. Then it's just a matter of filing your weekly claims on time to keep getting paid.

just wanted to add that if you worked multiple jobs your benefit calculation includes wages from all of them. don't forget to list every employer when you apply

One last tip - if you think your benefit amount calculation is wrong, you can appeal it. You have 30 days from when you receive your monetary determination to file an appeal with Washington ESD.

The whole process is actually pretty straightforward once you get started. The hardest part is just waiting for everything to get approved and processed.

And if you do run into problems getting through to Washington ESD for questions about your benefit amount or anything else, definitely check out that Claimyr service. Made such a difference in my experience dealing with the unemployment office.

Hope this thread helped! Unemployment can be stressful but at least Washington state has decent benefit amounts compared to some other places.

Just remember to keep applying for jobs while you're collecting benefits. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and they do check on it.

Based on your $52k salary, you should expect somewhere in the $500-600 range weekly. I was making almost exactly the same amount and got $547 per week. The key thing is they look at your highest earning quarter from your base period, not your annual salary. So if you had overtime or bonuses in one quarter that could bump it up. Make sure to apply soon if you haven't already - there's a waiting week before benefits start and the sooner you get in the system the better.