How to calculate unemployment benefit amount in Washington ESD - need help with formula

Washington ESD uses your highest quarter wages in the base period to calculate your weekly benefit. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then multiply by a percentage based on your total base period wages. For most people it's around 3.85% of your highest quarter divided by the number of weeks in that quarter.

The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be January 2024 through December 2024. Washington ESD looks at all wages earned during those four quarters.

I was struggling with getting through to Washington ESD to verify my wage calculation and found claimyr.com - they help you actually reach an agent instead of getting the busy signal or hung up on. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made it so much easier to get my questions answered about my benefit calculation.

Here's the actual Washington ESD formula: Your weekly benefit is calculated as 3.85% of your average quarterly wages during your base period, but it can't exceed about $999 per week (the maximum changes yearly). They also require you to have earned at least $4,840 total in your base period to qualify.

ugh this is so complicated why cant they just make it simple like other states... i've been trying to figure this out for days

There's also something called the alternate base period if you don't qualify under the regular base period. That uses the most recent four completed quarters instead of skipping one.

I just want to add that your weekly benefit amount also determines how many weeks you can collect. The maximum is usually 26 weeks, but it depends on your total base period wages compared to your weekly benefit amount.

Does anyone know if bonuses and overtime count toward the wage calculation? I got a pretty big bonus last year.

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool, but honestly it's pretty basic and doesn't explain the methodology well. I ended up calling to get the exact breakdown of my calculation.

Just want to mention that if you're filing for standby or shared work benefits, the calculation might be different. Those have their own formulas.

One thing to keep in mind is that Washington ESD rounds down to the nearest dollar for your weekly benefit amount. So if your calculation comes out to $387.63, you'd get $387 per week.

I had a similar situation and used Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD to verify my benefit calculation. The agent was able to walk me through exactly how they calculated my weekly amount and confirmed which quarters they used for my base period. Definitely worth it if you want to understand the details.

Don't forget that your benefit calculation is also subject to the weekly earnings deduction if you work part-time while collecting. They subtract your weekly earnings from your benefit amount after allowing for a small deduction.

Another thing to consider is that Washington state doesn't tax unemployment benefits at the state level, but you'll still owe federal taxes on them. This doesn't affect your weekly calculation but impacts your take-home amount.

I've gone through this calculation process twice now and the key is making sure Washington ESD has all your wage information. Sometimes employers are slow to report wages and it can affect your base period calculation.

The monetary determination notice you get after filing will show the exact calculation Washington ESD used for your benefits. That's the official breakdown you can use to verify everything is correct.

If your calculation doesn't seem right when you get your determination, you can appeal it. I had to do that once when they missed wages from a previous employer.

One last tip - keep all your pay stubs and employment records handy when you file. Even though employers report wages to Washington ESD, having your own records helps if there are any discrepancies.

This thread has been super helpful! I was also confused about the calculation but now I understand the process much better. Thanks to everyone who contributed detailed explanations.