How often can I get unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?

There's no limit on how many times you can file for unemployment in Washington as long as you meet the eligibility requirements each time. The key is that you need to have earned enough wages in your base period to qualify for a new claim.

You can file as many times as needed but each time you have to meet the wage requirements and work search requirements. I've filed three different times over the past decade when I got laid off from different jobs.

The main thing to understand is that Washington ESD looks at each claim independently. As long as you've worked and earned wages since your last claim ended, you can file again. There's no waiting period between claims if you legitimately become unemployed again.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I needed to ask questions about filing my second claim. The phone lines are always busy and it took me weeks to get answers. If you run into that problem, there's a service called Claimyr that helps people get through to actual Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ive collected unemployment like 5 times over the years and never had any issues filing again. as long as you worked between claims youre fine

One important thing to note - if you exhaust your regular UI benefits (usually 26 weeks in Washington), you have to wait until you earn 10 times your weekly benefit amount in new wages before you can file another regular UI claim. This is called the 'requalification' requirement.

The whole system is so confusing! Why can't Washington ESD just make this information clearer on their website? I spent hours trying to figure out if I could file again after my seasonal job ended.

Pro tip: if you're filing a new claim after having one before, Washington ESD might ask for additional verification of your work history. Keep your pay stubs and W-2s handy because they sometimes need proof of recent employment.

I thought there was some kind of limit because my coworker told me you could only collect unemployment twice in Washington. Guess he was wrong?

Been there done that multiple times. The only real restriction is making sure you have enough qualifying wages in your base period. Washington ESD will calculate this automatically when you file your claim online.

Just want to add that if you're worried about whether you qualify, you can always just file and let Washington ESD make the determination. The worst they can do is deny your claim, and then you'd know for sure.

If anyone needs to talk to Washington ESD about their specific situation, I definitely recommend trying Claimyr again. I know I mentioned it before but it really saved me time when I had questions about filing multiple claims. Way better than trying to get through on the phone yourself.

WASHINGTON ESD MAKES EVERYTHING SO COMPLICATED! Why can't they just have a simple yes/no answer about whether you can file again?? This is taxpayer money we're talking about!

just file online when you lose your job, thats what i always do. never had problems filing multiple times

The key thing to remember is that each unemployment claim is treated separately by Washington ESD. Your previous claims don't count against you as long as you legitimately became unemployed through no fault of your own and worked enough since your last claim.

I've been collecting unemployment on and off for years due to the nature of my work (seasonal agriculture). Never once has Washington ESD said I couldn't file because I'd filed before. As long as you meet the requirements, you're good.

One more thing - make sure you understand the difference between filing a new claim and reopening an old claim. If it's been a while since your last claim, you'll probably be filing a completely new one.

Bottom line: there's no limit on how many times you can collect unemployment in Washington. Just meet the eligibility requirements each time and you're fine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Good luck with your claim when the time comes! The online filing system is pretty user friendly these days.