How soon do you have to file for unemployment in Washington - missed deadline?

You should file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Washington ESD recommends filing within the first week, but you haven't necessarily missed your chance. The key thing is that your benefit year starts the week you file your initial claim, not when you lost your job. So you're potentially losing out on benefits for those two weeks you waited.

yeah i waited like 3 weeks before filing and still got approved, you just lose those weeks of pay which is annoying but not the end of the world

Actually there are some situations where you can get backdated benefits if you had good cause for the delay in filing. Things like serious illness, lack of access to filing methods, or being given incorrect information by an employer. You'd need to call Washington ESD to request backdating and provide documentation of your good cause.

I had the same problem trying to reach Washington ESD about backdating my claim. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting so you don't have to sit on hold forever. Check out claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your specific situation.

THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN! Why should anyone have to jump through hoops just to get benefits they're entitled to?? I filed the DAY I got laid off and my claim STILL took 6 weeks to get approved because of some bogus adjudication issue. Two weeks delay is nothing compared to what some of us have been through!

File online at esd.wa.gov if you haven't already. The sooner the better but two weeks isn't terrible. I know people who waited months before filing.

Just to clarify some confusion I see in these threads sometimes - there's no hard deadline where you become completely ineligible for unemployment benefits. The issue is that Washington ESD can only pay benefits for weeks you actually file a claim. So if you wait 6 months to file, you can still get approved but you won't get those 6 months of back pay unless you have documented good cause for the delay.

I waited almost a month before filing because I thought I might get called back to work quickly. Ended up being unemployed for 4 months. Really wish I had filed right away since those first few weeks were the hardest financially.

Construction worker here too. Filed the day after my last day of work and it was the right call. Benefits kicked in after the one-week waiting period and helped bridge the gap until my next job. Don't overthink it - just file ASAP.

Wait, there's a one week waiting period? Nobody mentioned that yet. So even if I file today I won't get paid for this week?

My sister used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when she couldn't get through to resolve an issue with her weekly claim. She said it was a lifesaver because she was about to miss her filing deadline trying to get help from Washington ESD directly.

Pro tip: gather all your employment information before you start the application. You'll need dates of employment, wages, and employer contact info for every job in the last 18 months. Having it ready makes the process much smoother.

am i the only one who thinks 2 weeks isnt that bad?? ive seen people on here who waited months lol

The important thing now is to file immediately and then make sure you file your weekly claims on time going forward. Missing weekly claim deadlines is a much bigger problem than filing your initial claim late.

This whole thread is making me anxious about my own claim. I filed 3 weeks ago and it's still pending. Should I be worried?

Update for anyone else in this situation - I used Claimyr yesterday to finally get through to Washington ESD about a similar timing question. The agent confirmed that you lose benefits for weeks you don't file, but there's no penalty beyond that. Just file as soon as you can and move forward.

For what it's worth, I know someone who filed 6 months after losing their job and still got approved. They didn't get back pay for those 6 months obviously, but they were able to collect going forward. So it's never too late to try.

Just echoing what others have said - file now, don't wait any longer. Every week you delay is money you're leaving on the table. The application isn't as bad as it seems once you get started.