How to cancel unemployment benefits with Washington ESD - need to stop my claim

Congratulations on the new job! You don't technically 'cancel' your claim - you just report your return to work on your next weekly claim filing. When you file this week, report your start date and hours worked. Washington ESD will automatically close your claim once you're working full-time.

Make sure you report the EXACT date you start work, not just the week. I made the mistake of being vague about my start date and it caused confusion with my claim status later.

You'll want to keep filing weekly claims until Washington ESD officially closes your claim. Even if you're working full-time, continue reporting your hours and wages. The system needs this information to properly end your benefit year. Don't just stop filing or you might have issues if you need to reopen your claim later.

If you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about this, I'd recommend trying claimyr.com - they help you get through to an actual agent without waiting on hold forever. I used them when I had questions about reporting work and it was super helpful. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh why is this so complicated?? shouldn't there just be a cancel button somewhere in the online system? every other service has a way to cancel easily

Pro tip: when you file your final weekly claim, make sure you answer 'yes' to the question about being able and available for work UNTIL your actual start date. If you start work on Wednesday, you were still unemployed Monday and Tuesday of that week and eligible for partial benefits for those days.

I had to do this last year when I got hired suddenly. Just report everything honestly on your weekly claim - your last day of unemployment, first day of work, and any wages. The system handled everything automatically after that.

Whatever you do, don't just ignore your claim or stop filing without reporting your work. I know someone who did that and Washington ESD kept their claim open for months, then tried to say they owed money back because they should have been reporting work.

Congratulations on the job! Make sure you keep all your documentation about your last day of unemployment and first day of work. If any issues come up later, you'll want to have proof of the exact dates.

The Washington ESD website actually has a section about returning to work, but it's kind of buried in their help pages. Basically says the same thing everyone here is telling you - keep filing and report your work status accurately.

One more thing - if your new job doesn't work out within the first few weeks, you might be able to reopen your claim without having to start completely over. But you need to have properly closed it first by reporting your work.

If you end up needing to call Washington ESD about this, try calling right at 8am when they open. That's usually the best time to get through, though it's still pretty hit or miss.

Just curious - did you have to do the work search requirements while you were job hunting? I'm wondering if those stop immediately when you report starting work or if there's a delay.

This thread is super helpful! I'm starting a new job next week too and was wondering about the same thing. Sounds like the key is just to be honest and thorough when filing that final weekly claim.

Make sure your employer doesn't delay your start date after you've already reported it to Washington ESD. I had that happen and it created a mess with my claim status that took weeks to sort out.

Does anyone know if you can file your weekly claim early if you're starting work mid-week? Like if I normally file on Sunday but start work Wednesday, can I file Wednesday to report the work immediately?

The most important thing is getting your final payment calculation right. If you worked part of the week, you might still be eligible for some benefits for the days you were unemployed. Don't accidentally leave money on the table by reporting incorrectly.

I used that Claimyr service mentioned earlier when I had questions about closing my claim. Really worth it if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD but don't want to spend hours on hold. Made the whole process much less stressful.

Just want to echo what others have said - definitely keep filing weekly claims until Washington ESD officially closes your claim. I stopped filing too early once and it caused problems when I needed to reopen my claim months later.

Remember to keep all your records of when you reported your work and when your claim was closed. If Washington ESD ever questions anything later, you'll want documentation of what you reported and when.

Congratulations on the new job! I went through this exact same situation last year. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly claims and report your work status accurately. When you file your next weekly claim, make sure to report your exact start date and any hours/wages earned that week. Washington ESD will automatically adjust your benefits and eventually close your claim once they see you're working full-time consistently. Don't worry about "canceling" - just be honest about your work status and let the system handle the rest. The process is actually pretty straightforward once you know what to do!