How to determine unemployment pay amount in Washington - confused about benefit calculation

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) based on your highest earning quarter from your base period, not your most recent wages. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then multiply by 0.0385. There's also a minimum and maximum weekly benefit amount that changes each year.

I had the same confusion when I got my determination! The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd look at quarters from early 2024 probably.

You should call Washington ESD to verify your wage information is correct. I've seen cases where employers didn't report wages properly and it affected the benefit calculation. The problem is actually getting through to someone at ESD - their phone lines are constantly busy and you get disconnected all the time.

The monetary determination letter should show your quarterly wages they used for the calculation. Look for a section that breaks down each quarter's earnings - that's what they based your $487 on.

this happened to me too!! i was making $18/hr at my new job but they calculated based on when i was only making $12/hr. called esd a million times, finally got through and they said i could request alternate base period but had to provide paystubs and stuff

For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit in Washington is $999 and minimum is $295. Your $487 falls right in the middle range. But definitely verify your wage information is accurate before accepting that amount.

The whole system is designed to screw over workers. They use your old lower wages instead of what you were actually making when you got laid off. It's ridiculous.

I had a similar situation where my benefit amount seemed wrong. Turns out one of my employers never reported my wages to Washington ESD properly. Had to submit wage protest with paystubs to get it corrected.

Check your determination letter for the 'weekly benefit amount' and 'maximum benefit amount' - those are the key numbers. The maximum is usually 26 times your weekly amount.

Definitely worth calling to verify everything is correct. I used that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier and got through to an ESD agent in about 10 minutes instead of spending hours trying. They were able to explain exactly how my benefit was calculated and confirmed everything was accurate.

Also make sure you understand that your weekly benefit amount is before taxes. If you elect to have taxes withheld, your actual payment will be 10% less.

The calculation seems about right for your situation. $487 weekly is actually pretty decent for Washington unemployment. Some states pay way less.

I'm dealing with this exact same thing right now! Got laid off from my $22/hr job but they're calculating based on when I made $16/hr. So frustrating trying to get through to ESD to ask about it.

Bottom line - if you think your wage information is wrong or your benefit calculation is incorrect, you need to contact Washington ESD ASAP. There are time limits on when you can request corrections.