How to calculate unemployment benefits in Washington - confused about weekly benefit amount

That makes more sense! I was only looking at my highest single quarter. So they use the top two quarters combined?

Exactly. And your base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. So if you filed in January 2025, your base period would be quarters from January 2024 through September 2024.

That 3.85% is the minimum calculation - Washington ESD uses whichever gives you the higher benefit amount. So they calculate both ways and give you the better one.

Oh that's actually pretty generous of them to use the higher calculation!

I had the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that handles the calling for you. They have this demo video https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they keep calling Washington ESD until they get through, then connect you to the agent. I was able to get my benefit calculation verified within a day instead of spending weeks trying to call myself.

That sounds too good to be true but at this point I'm desperate. The regular calling methods just aren't working.

I used Claimyr too and it's legit. Got connected to an Washington ESD agent in about 4 hours instead of the weeks I'd been trying on my own.

How can I check if my wages were reported correctly? Should I compare it to my W-2?

Yes, compare your monetary determination to your W-2s and pay stubs from the base period quarters. If there's a discrepancy, you can request a wage investigation through Washington ESD.

The complexity exists to prevent fraud and ensure benefits are based on sustained work history rather than just recent earnings. It protects both claimants and the system.

i guess that makes sense but its still annoying when youre stressed about money and cant figure out basic stuff

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want to get an overpayment notice down the road.

Good to hear a success story with that service. I've been skeptical about paying for something like that but the regular phone system is just broken.

I was skeptical too but the time savings alone made it worth it. Plus now I have the peace of mind knowing my benefits are calculated correctly.

Overtime counts the same as regular wages for benefit calculations. It's all just wages to Washington ESD.

Perfect, that should help my benefit amount then!

That does seem low for $48k annual. Check your monetary determination carefully - make sure all your employers from the base period are listed and the wage amounts are correct.

I'll double check against my tax documents. If there's an error, how do I get it corrected?

You can request a redetermination if you find missing or incorrect wages. Contact Washington ESD with your documentation.

The online calculator is just an estimate. The actual calculation done by Washington ESD uses your specific wage records and can account for factors the calculator doesn't include.

That's a good point. Even if my calculation looks right, I should probably verify all my wages are included correctly.

Always worth double-checking. Errors happen and it's better to catch them early than deal with corrections later.

This is the clearest explanation I've seen. Thank you!

What are the minimum wage requirements to qualify?

You need at least $5,265 in wages during your base period, with at least $3,510 outside your highest quarter.

Exactly - that's why Washington uses this method instead of averaging all four quarters. It helps seasonal and irregular workers.

Yes, but you need to provide documentation like pay stubs or W-2s. Washington ESD can do wage investigations that go back and get missing wage reports from employers.

If you need to talk to someone about wage corrections, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier is really helpful for getting through to the right department quickly.

Agreed. The benefit calculation is actually pretty reasonable but the communication and access issues are frustrating.

Same here! This thread was super helpful. I'm going to verify my wage records just to be sure but at least now I understand how they got to my benefit amount.