How to back-date unemployment weeks after successful adjudication with ESD?
Just had my ESD adjudication hearing yesterday and got approved this morning! Such a relief after waiting so long. Here's my situation - I was laid off from my marketing job in January but didn't file for unemployment right away because I had three promising interviews lined up. Fast forward three months, and I'm still job hunting with nothing panning out (Seattle job market is brutal right now). During my adjudication call, the ESD rep mentioned I could back-date my claim to get benefits for those weeks I missed filing. My anxiety kicked in and I completely forgot to ask HOW to actually do that! I've been clicking around eServices for an hour and can't find any clear instructions. Has anyone successfully back-dated their claim after approval? What's the process look like? Do I need to call again or is there a form somewhere on the website I'm missing?
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Jay Lincoln
Congrats on getting through adjudication! For backdating weeks, you need to call the ESD claims center directly. Unfortunately there's no way to request this online through eServices. When you call, specifically ask for "missed week filing" or "backdating previously eligible weeks" - using those exact terms helps the rep understand what you need. Have your employment separation date ready as they'll verify you were eligible during those missed weeks. They'll manually add those weeks to your claim.
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Brooklyn Foley
AuthorThank you! That's exactly what I needed to know. Ugh, calling again... I was on hold for almost 2 hours for my adjudication appointment. Is there any specific day/time that's better to call for shorter wait times?
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Jessica Suarez
thye wont let u backdate unless u have a REALLY good reason why u didnt file. i tried this last yr and they denied me bcuz "not knowing you could file" isnt good enough for them. maybe u'll have better luck tho since the lady already told u it was possible
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Brooklyn Foley
AuthorOh that's concerning. She definitely told me I could back-date but didn't go into details. I was actively job searching during those weeks, just thought I'd get hired quickly. Hopefully that's a valid enough reason!
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Marcus Williams
I went through something similar in Feb. You absolutely CAN backdate, but you MUST have a good reason. "Looking for work" usually counts as valid. Call the claims center and explain your situation exactly like you did here. They'll have you complete a form for each backdated week separately (it's annoying). You'll need to document your job search activities for those weeks too, so start gathering that info now!
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Lily Young
This is correct - and to add: make sure you have documentation of at least 3 job search activities for EACH WEEK you're trying to backdate. ESD is much stricter about this for backdated claims than regular weekly claims. They'll likely request proof before approving the backdated weeks.
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Kennedy Morrison
SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!!! Got approved after adjucation but missed 6 weeks of benefits. Called ESD literally 47 times and either got hung up on or was on hold until they closed for the day. HORRIBLE SYSTEM!!!
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Wesley Hallow
I had the same frustrating experience trying to reach ESD last month about my backdating request. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it got me through to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending all day getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Totally saved me from having to redial for days. The agent was able to process my backdated weeks right there during the call.
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Justin Chang
I think everyone's making this more complicated than it is. Just go to your weekly claim section and there should be an option for "claim previous weeks" or something similar. That's how I did it when I missed filing for 2 weeks when I was sick last year. No phone calls needed.
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Jay Lincoln
That option only appears if you've missed filing for 1-2 weeks very recently (like the previous couple of weeks). If the OP is trying to backdate several months, they absolutely need to call. The system won't allow self-service backdating beyond a very short period. The "claim previous weeks" option disappears after about 4 weeks.
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Brooklyn Foley
Update: I called ESD this morning (took forever) and finally got through. For anyone who needs this info in the future: YES you can backdate if you were eligible during those weeks, but you MUST provide a "good cause" reason for not filing. The agent said job searching is considered good cause. They're sending me a form for each week I missed, and I'll need to provide 3 job search activities per week. Once approved, they'll issue payments for those weeks. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
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Marcus Williams
Awesome! Glad it worked out! Make sure to get those forms back ASAP because there's a processing time for backdated weeks too.
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Oliver Schulz
This is such helpful information! I'm in a similar situation where I was laid off in December but didn't file right away because I had some freelance work lined up that fell through. I've been putting off calling ESD because the wait times are so brutal, but seeing that you actually got through and they were able to help gives me hope. Quick question - when you say they're sending you forms for each week, do they mail those or send them through eServices? And roughly how long did they say the processing would take once you submit everything back? I'm looking at potentially 8-10 weeks to backdate so I want to make sure I'm prepared for the timeline. Thanks for sharing your experience and congrats on getting through the whole process!
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