How to determine your Washington ESD unemployment amount - confused about calculation

Thanks! That makes more sense. So they don't look at my most recent pay, just the base period quarters?

Exactly. The base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. So recent work might not even count yet.

How did you manage to get through to them? I've been trying to call for days.

honestly i used this service called claimyr that helped me get connected. found it at claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works

I'll check that out, thanks! Getting through to Washington ESD has been impossible.

This is really helpful! I definitely made more than $3,500 over the base period. Is there a minimum weekly amount too?

Yes, the minimum weekly benefit amount in Washington is currently $295. If your calculation comes out lower than that, you'd still get $295.

For a claim filed in January 2025, your base period would typically be January 2024 through December 2024. If you don't have enough wages in that period, they can use an alternate base period.

Oh okay that makes sense. I started working in March 2024 so I should be covered then.

How did you prove they made an error? I'm worried they might have done the same to me.

I had to gather all my pay stubs and tax documents to show them my actual earnings. Took forever but I eventually got it corrected and they paid me the difference.

Seriously try that Claimyr thing I mentioned. It actually worked for me when nothing else did.

I'll look into it, thanks. Getting hung up on after waiting an hour is getting old.

I got that letter but it just showed the final amount, not the actual calculation steps.

You can request a detailed breakdown from Washington ESD. They have to provide the specific quarters and amounts they used if you ask.

All wages count - regular pay, overtime, bonuses, commissions, everything that's subject to unemployment taxes.

Good to know! I worked a lot of OT last year so hopefully that helps my benefit amount.

Yes, if you worked in multiple states you might need to file an interstate claim or combine wages from different states. It's more complicated but can sometimes result in higher benefits.

That sounds like a nightmare to deal with honestly.

Only tips that were reported as wages to your employer and had taxes taken out count. Cash tips you didn't report won't be included in your base period wages.

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. I reported most of them but probably not all.

That's a good point. The timing of when you file can really affect which wages they look at.

Exactly. Sometimes it's worth waiting a few days if you're right at the end of a quarter and you had higher wages in the most recent quarter.

You can appeal the monetary determination if you think it's wrong. You have 30 days from the date of the determination letter to file an appeal with Washington ESD.

Good to know. I might need to do that because mine seems really off.

That's great! I'm definitely going to try that service. Did it take long to get connected?

Not too long, maybe 20 minutes total. Way better than spending hours on hold and getting disconnected.

Oh right, I forgot about taxes. How much do they typically take out?

i think its like 10% federal and 2% state but you can choose to have no taxes taken out and just pay when you file your return

That's true. Pre-tax deductions like health insurance premiums reduce your reportable wages, while post-tax deductions don't affect the unemployment calculation.

Exactly. So if you had a lot of pre-tax deductions, your UI wages might be lower than your gross pay.

There are some unofficial calculators online but they're not always accurate because the rules can be complex. Best bet is to get your actual determination from Washington ESD.

Yeah I guess you're right. I'll just wait for my determination letter and see what they calculated.

That's good to know. I might end up in that situation if I can only find part-time work.

Yeah, they have a formula for that too. You can usually earn up to about 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing it.

How would I know if they missed an employer?

Check your monetary determination letter. It should list all the employers and wages they counted. If something's missing, you can submit additional wage information.

Glad it helped! The UI system can be confusing but once you understand the basics it makes more sense.

Agreed! I feel much better about my calculation now and know what to look for in my determination letter.