How often can you claim unemployment benefits through Washington ESD?

That's good to know! So if I work for 6 months next year and then get laid off again, I could file a new claim?

Exactly. As long as you've earned enough wages during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters), you can establish a new benefit year.

How much do you need to earn between claims? Is there a specific dollar amount?

You need to earn at least 6 times your weekly benefit amount in covered employment between claims. So if your WBA was $400, you'd need to earn at least $2,400 in wages.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. I was able to speak with someone within a day instead of calling for weeks.

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check that out. This waiting on hold for hours just to get disconnected is driving me crazy.

Nope, no annual limit. The confusion might come from the fact that each benefit year lasts 52 weeks, but you can have multiple benefit years if you work between them.

I think some people confuse Washington's rules with other states. Every state is different when it comes to unemployment benefits.

That makes sense. I work in landscaping so my work is definitely seasonal. Good to know I won't have problems if this happens again next winter.

Same here with hospitality work. Summer is busy, winter is dead. I've filed probably 4-5 times over the years without any issues.

What's standby? Is that different from regular unemployment?

Standby is when your employer expects to call you back to work within a specific timeframe. You don't have to do job searches but you have to be available when they call you back.

Did they ever question why you had multiple claims?

Not at all. As long as the separations were qualifying (layoff, reduction in hours, etc.) and I had the work history, it was straightforward each time.

Oh that's a good point. So I couldn't file a new claim if I still had weeks left on my current one?

Right. You'd need to either use up all your weeks or wait for your benefit year to end. Then if you've worked enough, you could file a new claim with updated wage information.

That happened to my brother too. He worked part-time for a few months but it wasn't enough wages to qualify for a new claim.

This is why it's important to understand the 6x weekly benefit amount rule I mentioned earlier. You need substantial wages, not just any work.

Out of state wages can count, but it gets complicated with the paperwork. You'd probably need to talk to Washington ESD directly about how to report those wages.

That's another situation where Claimyr could help you get through to ask Washington ESD directly. Complex wage situations like that really need official clarification.

Exactly. It's not meant to be a permanent income source, but it's there when you need it between legitimate employment.

Thanks everyone! This has been really helpful. I feel much better about my situation now.

Good advice! I learned this the hard way trying to remember exact dates from jobs 2 years ago.

I keep a simple spreadsheet with employer names, dates, and total wages earned. Takes 5 minutes to update but saves hours later.

Really? I was worried about applying if I wasn't sure I qualified.

Yep, they'll just deny the claim if you don't meet the requirements. No harm in trying as long as you're honest about your work history.

The job search requirements are definitely more flexible than they used to be, especially with all the online options now.

True, though you still need to do 3 job search activities per week and keep a log of everything.

Perfect summary! Thanks again everyone for all the helpful information.

This thread should be pinned somewhere - lots of good info that people need to know!