How to calculate your unemployment benefits in Washington - need help with WBA formula
I'm trying to figure out how much I'll get from Washington ESD before I file my claim. I made about $52,000 last year but had some gaps in employment. Does anyone know the actual formula they use to calculate your weekly benefit amount? I've looked at the Washington ESD website but it's confusing with all the base periods and quarterly stuff. Just want to get an idea of what to expect.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
Washington ESD uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). They take that amount, divide by 26, then multiply by 0.0385. That gives you your weekly benefit amount, up to the maximum which is $999 right now.
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Rosie Harper
•So if my highest quarter was $15,000, that would be about $577 per week? That seems higher than I expected.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Actually, let me correct that - it's your highest quarter divided by 26, then that amount is your WBA. The 0.0385 formula is different. So $15,000 divided by 26 would be about $577, but that's above the current max.
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Demi Hall
You also have to meet the earnings requirement - you need at least $7,900 in your base year and your highest two quarters have to equal 1.5 times your highest single quarter. It's not just about the calculation.
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Rosie Harper
•What happens if you don't meet that second part? I had one really good quarter but the others were lower.
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Demi Hall
•Then you might not qualify for regular UI benefits. Washington ESD is pretty strict about the earnings distribution requirement.
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Mateusius Townsend
I spent 3 hours on hold with Washington ESD trying to get someone to explain this to me last month. Finally used claimyr.com to get through faster - they have this calling service that automatically redials until you get connected. Worth checking out their demo video: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ if you need to talk to someone at ESD.
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Rosie Harper
•How much does that cost? I'm already broke waiting for benefits to start.
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Mateusius Townsend
•It's worth it when you consider how much time you save not sitting on hold for hours. Plus they guarantee you'll get through to an actual person at Washington ESD.
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Kara Yoshida
•I used Claimyr too after reading about it here. Took maybe 20 minutes total to get through and talk to someone who walked me through the whole calculation.
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Philip Cowan
The easiest way is to look at your wage statement from Washington ESD once you file. They break down all your quarterly earnings and show you exactly how they calculated your WBA. But if you want to estimate beforehand, you need your W2s or pay stubs from the last 18 months.
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Rosie Harper
•Do they count bonuses and overtime in the calculation?
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Philip Cowan
•Yes, any wages reported to Washington ESD count including bonuses, overtime, commissions, etc. It's all taxable income from covered employment.
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Caesar Grant
just use the calculator on the esd website its not that hard
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Rosie Harper
•I tried that but it keeps giving me different numbers depending on what I put in. That's why I'm asking here.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•The online calculator is pretty basic. It doesn't account for all the eligibility requirements, just gives you a rough estimate based on simple income.
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Lena Schultz
Washington ESD also looks at your total base year earnings to determine how many weeks of benefits you can get, not just the weekly amount. Maximum is usually 26 weeks unless there are extended benefits available.
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Rosie Harper
•How do they calculate the number of weeks?
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Lena Schultz
•It's your total base year wages divided by your weekly benefit amount. So if you made $40,000 in your base year and your WBA is $500, you'd get 80 weeks maximum. But it's capped at 26 weeks normally.
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Demi Hall
•That math doesn't work out right. It's more complicated than that with minimum earnings requirements per quarter.
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Kara Yoshida
I had the same confusion when I filed. My advice is don't stress too much about calculating it perfectly beforehand. Washington ESD will tell you exactly what you qualify for once you submit your application. The important thing is making sure you have all your employment history ready.
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Rosie Harper
•Did you have any issues with employers not reporting your wages correctly?
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Kara Yoshida
•Yeah, one of my previous employers had the wrong quarterly breakdown. Had to contact them to get it fixed before Washington ESD would approve my claim. That delayed everything by two weeks.
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Gemma Andrews
The calculation is straightforward but Washington ESD's base period timing can be tricky. If you file in January-March, they use October-September from the previous year. If you file April-June, they use January-December, and so on. Make sure you're looking at the right quarters.
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Rosie Harper
•That explains why I was getting confused numbers! I was looking at the wrong time period.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Exactly. The lag time is because employers have time to report wages to Washington ESD. That's why they can't use the most recent quarter usually.
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Pedro Sawyer
if you made 52k you should get close to the maximum unless it was all in one quarter. washington esd tries to make sure you had steady work not just one big payout
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Rosie Harper
•It was pretty steady, just had a couple months off between jobs. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my calculation.
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Philip Cowan
One thing people forget is that your WBA also determines your job search requirements. Higher benefit amounts mean you might have more restrictions on what jobs you have to apply for. Washington ESD expects you to look for work that pays at least 2/3 of your previous wage initially.
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Rosie Harper
•Good point. I didn't think about how the benefit amount affects the job search part.
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Lena Schultz
•The job search log is a pain but you have to do 3 job search activities per week minimum. Keep good records because they do audit them.
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Mateusius Townsend
For what it's worth, when I used Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD, the rep was able to give me my exact calculation over the phone before I even finished filing online. Saved me a lot of guessing and worry about whether I'd qualify.
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Mae Bennett
•Did they tell you right away or did you have to wait for them to look it up?
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Mateusius Townsend
•They had to pull up my wage records but it only took a couple minutes. Much faster than trying to figure it out myself with incomplete information.
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Beatrice Marshall
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE! I spent weeks trying to calculate mine and it was completely wrong. Just file and let them tell you what you get, don't waste your time trying to figure out their complicated formulas.
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Rosie Harper
•I get that, but I just want to know if it's worth filing or if I should look for work instead.
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Beatrice Marshall
•File anyway! Even if the amount is low, you might qualify for other programs or extended benefits. Don't leave money on the table because of their confusing website.
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Melina Haruko
My sister went through this last year and Washington ESD initially calculated her benefits wrong. She had to appeal and it took months to get the correct amount. Make sure you understand the calculation so you can catch any errors.
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Rosie Harper
•How did she know it was wrong?
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Melina Haruko
•She kept her own records and when the numbers didn't match up, she knew something was off. Always keep your own documentation.
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Philip Cowan
•This is why it's important to request your wage statement from Washington ESD and review it carefully. Errors do happen.
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Demi Hall
Don't forget about the waiting week either. Even if you qualify for benefits, you won't get paid for your first week. That's built into Washington's system and not related to your calculation.
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Rosie Harper
•So I have to wait two weeks total before getting anything?
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Demi Hall
•Usually yes - one week for the waiting week requirement and another week for processing. Sometimes longer if there are issues with your claim.
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Dallas Villalobos
i tried calling washington esd so many times to ask about this and never got through. their phone system is awful. might try that claimyr thing someone mentioned
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Rosie Harper
•Let me know if it works for you. I'm considering it too.
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Kara Yoshida
•It definitely works. I was skeptical at first but it got me through when I needed help with my adjudication issue.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
Just to clarify the formula since there was some confusion earlier: Washington ESD takes your highest quarter earnings, divides that by 26 weeks. That's your weekly benefit amount, subject to the minimum ($295) and maximum ($999) limits. The earnings test I mentioned is separate from the calculation.
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Rosie Harper
•Thank you! That makes much more sense than what I was reading online.
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Reina Salazar
•Is that $999 maximum going up this year? I thought I read something about benefit increases.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•The maximum gets adjusted annually based on average wages in Washington. It went up from $929 to $999 at the beginning of 2025.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
Something else to consider - if your calculation comes out really low, you might want to see if you qualify under the alternate base period. That uses more recent wages and might give you a higher benefit amount.
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Rosie Harper
•How do you request the alternate base period?
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Washington ESD will automatically check it if you don't qualify under the regular base period. You can also request it specifically when you file your initial claim.
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Demi Lagos
Been getting unemployment for 8 weeks now and I can tell you the calculation was exactly what someone earlier said - highest quarter divided by 26. Mine came out to $684 per week which is way more than I expected based on my annual salary.
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Rosie Harper
•That's encouraging! Sounds like I might qualify for more than I thought.
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Demi Lagos
•Yeah, don't let the complicated explanations scare you. The basic calculation is pretty straightforward once you have the right quarters identified.
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Rosie Harper
Thanks everyone for all the help! I think I have a much better understanding now. Going to gather my wage info and file this week. Really appreciate all the detailed explanations and tips about getting through to Washington ESD if I need help.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Good luck with your claim! Feel free to post back here if you run into any issues during the application process.
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Mateusius Townsend
•Definitely keep that Claimyr option in mind if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD. Their phone system is notorious for being impossible to get through otherwise.
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