How to close your Washington ESD unemployment claim when you find work
I just got hired for a full-time position and need to figure out how to properly close my unemployment claim with Washington ESD. I don't want to accidentally keep receiving benefits or mess up my record. Do I need to call them or can I do it online through my account? I'm worried about doing something wrong and having to pay back money later.
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Mateo Silva
Congratulations on the new job! You can close your claim online through your SecureAccess Washington account. Just log in and look for the option to report that you're returning to work. Make sure you file your final weekly claim for any days you were unemployed before starting the new job.
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Michael Green
•Thanks! Do I need to report my last day of unemployment or my first day of work?
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Mateo Silva
•Report your last day of unemployment. So if you start work on Monday, your last day of unemployment would be the previous Sunday.
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Victoria Jones
Just went through this myself last month. You'll want to file one final weekly claim for the week you started work, but only claim the days before you began working. After that, you don't need to file anymore and your claim will automatically close.
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Cameron Black
•Wait, I thought you had to specifically close it? Mine just stopped automatically when I didn't file for a few weeks.
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Victoria Jones
•Yeah, Washington ESD will automatically close your claim if you don't file for several weeks, but it's better to properly report your return to work on your final claim.
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Jessica Nguyen
I had trouble reaching Washington ESD when I needed to clarify this same thing. Kept getting busy signals and getting disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really saved me hours of calling.
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Michael Green
•How much does that cost? I'm trying to avoid spending money if I can handle this myself.
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Jessica Nguyen
•I'd rather pay a small fee than waste entire days trying to get through. But honestly, for closing a claim you probably don't need to call - the online system should handle it fine.
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Isaiah Thompson
•Never heard of Claimyr but might be worth checking out. I've wasted so many hours on hold with Washington ESD.
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Ruby Garcia
Make sure you keep records of when you reported returning to work. I had an issue where Washington ESD said I didn't report it properly and tried to say I was overpaid. Had to appeal and prove I did everything right.
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Michael Green
•That's scary! How do you prove you reported it correctly?
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Ruby Garcia
•Take screenshots of your final weekly claim submission and any confirmation pages. Also keep notes of the dates you worked vs. days you claimed.
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Alexander Evans
honestly just stop filing your weekly claims and it closes itself lol. been there done that
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Mateo Silva
•That's not the right way to do it. You should properly report your return to work on your final claim to avoid any potential issues later.
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Alexander Evans
•worked fine for me but whatever
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Evelyn Martinez
I'm in a similar situation but I'm starting a part-time job. Do I close my claim completely or can I still file weekly claims for the reduced hours?
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Mateo Silva
•With part-time work, you can usually continue filing weekly claims but you need to report all your hours and wages. Washington ESD will reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn.
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Evelyn Martinez
•Thanks, that makes sense. I'll keep my claim open then and just report the part-time work each week.
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Benjamin Carter
The Washington ESD website has a section about this under 'Returning to Work' but it's not super clear. I think the main thing is just to file your final weekly claim correctly and then stop filing after that.
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Michael Green
•I'll check that section out. Hopefully it has step-by-step instructions.
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Maya Lewis
Whatever you do, don't keep filing claims after you start working full-time! My friend did that by accident and had to pay back like $2000. Washington ESD doesn't mess around with overpayments.
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Michael Green
•Yikes, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Thanks for the warning.
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Isaac Wright
•Yeah the overpayment notices are no joke. They want their money back with interest too.
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Lucy Taylor
I tried to close mine online but couldn't find the right option. Ended up having to call Washington ESD multiple times before getting through. The agent was helpful once I finally reached someone.
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Jessica Nguyen
•That's exactly why I used Claimyr - saves all that time trying to get through on the phone.
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Lucy Taylor
•I'll have to remember that service if I need to call Washington ESD again in the future.
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Connor Murphy
Question - if I close my claim now but get laid off again in a few months, can I reopen the same claim or do I have to file a new one?
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Mateo Silva
•If it's within your benefit year, you can usually reopen your existing claim. If it's been more than a year, you'd need to file a new claim.
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Connor Murphy
•Good to know, thanks. Hopefully I won't need it but it's nice to have that option.
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KhalilStar
Just want to echo what others said about keeping records. I take screenshots of everything now after having issues with Washington ESD in the past. Better safe than sorry.
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Michael Green
•Good advice. I'll make sure to document everything when I file my final claim.
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Amelia Dietrich
The key thing is timing. Make sure you know exactly when your last day of unemployment was vs when you started work. I messed this up and had to call to fix it, which was a nightmare.
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Kaiya Rivera
•How long did it take to get through when you called?
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Amelia Dietrich
•Took me like 3 hours of calling over two days before I finally got through to someone who could help.
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Katherine Ziminski
Does anyone know if there's a deadline for reporting that you returned to work? Like do I have to do it within a certain number of days?
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Mateo Silva
•You should report it on your next weekly claim after returning to work. Don't wait too long or you might accidentally receive benefits you're not entitled to.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Makes sense. I'll do it this weekend when I file my weekly claim.
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Noah Irving
I had a temp job that ended and I reopened my claim, but then I got a permanent job. The process for closing it was the same - just report return to work on your final weekly claim filing.
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Michael Green
•That's reassuring. Sounds like the process is pretty straightforward as long as you do it right.
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Vanessa Chang
Pro tip: if you're nervous about doing it wrong, you can always call Washington ESD to confirm after you submit your final claim. Better to double-check than have problems later.
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Jessica Nguyen
•Good luck getting through on the phone though. That's where Claimyr really helps - they can get you connected to an agent much faster.
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Vanessa Chang
•True, the phone lines are always busy. Online is definitely the way to go if you can manage it.
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Madison King
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I feel much more confident about closing my claim properly now. Congrats to the OP on the new job!
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Michael Green
•Thank you! This thread has been super helpful. I'll file my final claim this weekend and make sure to document everything.
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Diego Chavez
Congratulations on your new job! I just went through this same process a few weeks ago. The key is to log into your SecureAccess Washington account and file one final weekly claim for the week you started work - but only claim benefits for the days BEFORE you began working. Make sure to answer "yes" when it asks if you returned to work and provide your start date. After that, don't file any more weekly claims and your claim will close automatically. I'd also recommend taking screenshots of your final submission for your records, just in case there are any questions later. The whole process was actually much easier than I expected!
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Jacinda Yu
•This is really helpful, thanks! I was worried about messing up the timing but your explanation makes it clear. Did you get any confirmation from Washington ESD that your claim was properly closed, or did you just stop receiving communications from them?
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StarSurfer
•@Diego Chavez This is exactly what I needed to hear! I was overthinking it but your step-by-step explanation makes it sound straightforward. Did you have any issues with the system recognizing your return to work date, or did it process everything smoothly once you submitted that final claim?
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NebulaNinja
I went through this exact same situation last year when I landed a new position! The process is actually pretty straightforward once you know what to do. Here's what worked for me: Log into your SecureAccess Washington account and file your final weekly claim for the week you started your new job. The key is to only claim unemployment benefits for the days BEFORE your first day of work. So if you started on a Wednesday, you'd claim Monday and Tuesday of that week. When you're filling out the weekly claim, there will be a question asking if you returned to work - make sure to answer yes and provide your actual start date. After you submit that final claim, you're done! Don't file any more weekly claims and your unemployment claim will automatically close. I also highly recommend taking screenshots of your final submission and keeping records of your start date, just in case there are any questions down the road. The whole thing took me maybe 10 minutes online, way easier than trying to call their busy phone lines. Good luck with the new job!
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