How to delete unemployment claim - Washington ESD won't let me cancel
I accidentally filed for unemployment benefits last week and now I want to delete or cancel my claim completely. I don't actually need the benefits and I'm worried this will cause problems later. I've looked everywhere on the Washington ESD website but can't find any option to delete or withdraw my claim. Has anyone successfully cancelled their unemployment claim after filing? What's the process?
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Jamal Carter
You can't actually 'delete' a claim once it's filed with Washington ESD. The system doesn't work that way. What you can do is stop filing your weekly claims and the claim will eventually become inactive.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Will this cause any issues on my record? I'm worried it might affect future employment or benefits.
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Jamal Carter
•No, having an inactive claim won't hurt you. Lots of people file then decide they don't need it.
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Mei Liu
why would you want to delete it? just dont file weekly claims and it goes away on its own
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•I got a new job and don't want any complications with my employer finding out I filed.
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Liam O'Donnell
•Your employer won't know unless you actually collect benefits. Filing a claim doesn't notify them automatically.
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Amara Nwosu
I had a similar situation last year. You should call Washington ESD directly and ask them to close your claim officially. I tried calling for weeks but couldn't get through to anyone. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you connected to an actual ESD agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. The agent was able to officially close my claim in like 5 minutes.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•How much does that service cost? I'm trying to avoid spending money on this.
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AstroExplorer
•Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach ESD.
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Amara Nwosu
•It's totally legit. I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Giovanni Moretti
Just stop filing weekly claims!! The claim will automatically close after 4 weeks of not filing. This is basic stuff people.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Some people want it officially closed for their own peace of mind. Nothing wrong with that.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Yeah I'd rather have it officially closed than just leaving it hanging there.
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Liam O'Donnell
The proper way to handle this is to contact Washington ESD and request to withdraw your claim. You'll need to speak with a claims specialist who can mark it as withdrawn rather than just inactive. This creates a cleaner record.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•That's exactly what I want to do but I can't get through on the phone. Any tips for reaching them?
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Liam O'Donnell
•Try calling right when they open at 8am. Lines are usually less busy then.
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Dylan Cooper
•Good luck with that. I've been trying to reach them for 2 months about my adjudication.
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Sofia Perez
Wait, why can't you just let it sit there? I thought unused claims just expire automatically.
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Jamal Carter
•They do expire but some people prefer having it officially withdrawn for record-keeping purposes.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Exactly. I want a clean record showing I withdrew it, not that it just went inactive.
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Dmitry Smirnov
THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS SUCH A MESS!!! You can file a claim in 5 minutes but try to undo it and suddenly there's no option anywhere. Makes no sense.
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ElectricDreamer
•Tell me about it. Everything with ESD is backwards and confusing.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Yeah it's really frustrating. Should be a simple button to cancel.
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Ava Johnson
I worked for ESD before and yes, you need to call to officially withdraw a claim. There's no online option for this. The reason is they want to make sure you understand what you're doing since some people withdraw claims they actually need.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•That makes sense I guess. Any insider tips on getting through to someone?
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Ava Johnson
•Honestly the phone system is overloaded. That Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier might be your best bet.
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Miguel Diaz
•Former ESD employee here too. Can confirm you need to speak with someone to withdraw properly.
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Zainab Ahmed
just curious - what happens if you file weekly claims but report that you worked full time? would that close the claim?
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Liam O'Donnell
•That would make your weekly claim $0 but wouldn't close the claim. You'd still have an active claim on your record.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•I don't want to file any weekly claims at all. I just want the whole thing gone.
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Connor Byrne
My cousin had this same problem. She used some calling service to get through to ESD and they closed her claim same day. Wish I remembered the name of it.
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Amara Nwosu
•Probably Claimyr. That's what I used and it worked great.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Yeah I'm thinking I might need to try that service. Regular calling isn't working.
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Yara Abboud
honestly you're overthinking this. just dont file weekly claims and forget about it. claim will die on its own
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•I get that but I really want it officially closed for my own records.
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PixelPioneer
•Nothing wrong with wanting clean records. I'd want the same thing.
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Keisha Williams
Washington ESD makes everything so complicated. In other states you can cancel online but here you have to jump through hoops just to close a claim you don't want.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Right? It should be as easy to close as it was to open.
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Paolo Rizzo
•ESD's website is stuck in 2005. Nothing is user-friendly.
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Amina Sy
UPDATE: I tried the Claimyr service and it actually worked! Got connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes and she officially withdrew my claim. Said it would show as 'withdrawn by claimant' in their system. Definitely worth it if you can't get through on your own.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•That's great to hear! I'm definitely going to try that service now.
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Oliver Fischer
•Good to know it actually works. Might use it for my own ESD issues.
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Amara Nwosu
•Glad it worked for you too! That service is a lifesaver for ESD problems.
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Natasha Ivanova
For anyone else reading this - you can also try sending a secure message through your ESD account requesting to withdraw your claim. Sometimes they respond to those faster than phone calls.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•I didn't know you could do that. I'll try that first before using the calling service.
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NebulaNomad
•Secure messages can take weeks to get a response though. Phone is usually faster if you can get through.
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Javier Garcia
Wow this thread is helpful. I had no idea you couldn't just delete a claim online. Thanks for all the info everyone!
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Yeah I learned a lot too. At least there are options even if they're not obvious.
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Emma Taylor
The fact that Washington ESD makes it so hard to close an unwanted claim is probably intentional. They want to make it easier to get benefits than to give them up.
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Malik Robinson
•Makes sense from their perspective I guess. Better to have people keep claims open than close them by mistake.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•I can understand that logic but it's still frustrating when you legitimately want to close it.
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Isabella Silva
Thanks for posting this question OP. I've been wondering the same thing about my own claim that I don't need anymore.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Glad this helped! Sounds like calling ESD directly or using that Claimyr service are the best options.
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Ravi Choudhury
Final tip - if you do get through to ESD, make sure to ask for confirmation that your claim is officially withdrawn. Get a reference number if possible for your records.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Great advice. I'll make sure to get documentation when I call.
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CosmosCaptain
•Yes, always get reference numbers with ESD. Learned that the hard way.
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