How often do you receive unemployment checks from Washington ESD?

Thanks! So I need to file every week to get paid? What happens if I miss filing one week?

Yes, you must file weekly even if you didn't work or earn any money that week. If you miss filing, you won't get paid for that week and you'll need to contact Washington ESD to potentially backdate it.

What kind of issues cause delays? My payment was 2 days late last week and I'm worried something's wrong with my claim.

could be anything - reporting work hours, job search verification, random audit, system glitches. usually resolves itself but sometimes you gotta call

Never heard of Claimyr but honestly anything is better than spending 4 hours on hold just to get disconnected. Does it actually work?

Yeah it worked for me. I was able to talk to someone within 30 minutes instead of the usual nightmare of calling Washington ESD directly. They helped me understand why my payments were delayed due to a job search requirement issue I didn't know about.

Is there a specific time on Sunday I should file? I've been doing it Sunday morning but wondering if timing matters.

Timing doesn't matter as long as it's between Sunday 12:01 AM and Saturday 11:59 PM for that claim week. Most people file Sunday to stay consistent.

I always file Sunday night after 6pm because the system is less busy then and loads faster

What do you mean by accurate reporting? I'm new to this and don't want to mess anything up.

Report any work you did that week, any money you earned, and complete your job search activities honestly. Don't try to hide work or income because they'll find out anyway and then you'll have overpayment issues.

Same here! My payments have been all over the place. Sometimes Wednesday, sometimes Friday, once it was the following Monday with no explanation.

At least you're getting paid. I've been in adjudication for 5 weeks with no updates and can't reach anyone at Washington ESD to find out what's happening.

How much does Claimyr cost? I'm on unemployment so money is tight but I really need to talk to someone about my claim.

It's worth it if you need to reach an agent quickly. Check out their demo video to see how it works - much more reliable than trying to call Washington ESD yourself.

How much can you earn before they reduce your payment? I might pick up some gig work but don't want to lose my benefits.

In Washington, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing your UI payment. Anything over that gets deducted dollar for dollar from your benefit.

Be careful with gig work though - make sure you report it accurately on your weekly claim or you could face overpayment issues later

Lucky! Mine comes on different days each week and it's driving me crazy trying to budget.

Direct deposit is usually more consistent than the debit card from what I've heard

This is important info! I just filed my initial claim and was expecting payment right away. Good to know it takes a few weeks to get started.

Yeah the waiting period is rough, especially if you weren't expecting it. Make sure you file your weekly claims even during those first few weeks before your first payment.

What's standby status? My employer mentioned something about that when they laid me off but I didn't understand what it meant.

Standby means you have a definite return-to-work date within 4 months. You don't have to do job search activities but you also can't take other work without affecting your benefits.

Job search verification flag? What does that mean and how do you fix it?

They randomly audit claimants to verify you're actually doing the required job search activities. You have to provide documentation of your job applications and contacts. The agent I reached through Claimyr walked me through exactly what documentation they needed.

Interstate claims are a nightmare! I'm dealing with the same thing moving from Oregon. The two states keep passing my claim back and forth.

Does vacation pay count as income that would reduce your benefits? I'm getting a vacation payout from my former employer.

Yes, vacation pay counts as wages and needs to be reported. It will reduce your unemployment payment for the week(s) it covers based on when your employer says the vacation time was supposed to be taken.

How many job search activities do you need in Washington? I keep seeing different numbers online.

It's 3 job search activities per week unless you're in an approved training program or on standby status. Activities include applying for jobs, attending job fairs, or networking events.