How to end my unemployment claim with Washington ESD - found full time work

Thank you! So I report the earnings from my first week of work and then I'm done? I don't need to formally 'close' my claim anywhere in the system?

Exactly - once you stop filing weekly claims, your claim will automatically become inactive. Washington ESD doesn't require you to formally close it.

You don't need to call to close it, but if you have specific questions about your situation it can help to talk to someone. I had luck using Claimyr.com to get through to an actual Washington ESD agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Interesting, I'll check that out. The phone lines are always busy when I try calling the regular number.

Oh no, what happened with the overpayment? That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

I forgot to report some part-time work from my last week and they caught it months later. Had to pay back like $800. Just be super careful about reporting everything accurately.

Thanks! Did you have any issues after you stopped filing? I'm probably overthinking this but want to make sure I do it right.

nope no issues at all. the system is pretty straightforward once you know what to do

Got it, so I report the earnings for the week I actually worked, not the week I'm filing the claim. That makes sense.

This is confusing to me. I thought you report earnings for the week you're filing for, not the week you actually worked?

You report earnings for the week the claim covers, which is the week ending on the Saturday before you file. So if you file on Sunday, you're reporting for the week that ended the day before.

Yes, you should continue filing weekly claims until you actually start working and earning money. Having a job offer doesn't disqualify you from benefits until you're actually working.

Perfect, thank you for clarifying that!

I agree, their website could be much clearer about this stuff. I spent forever trying to figure out the same thing.

This is exactly why I ended up using Claimyr to talk to someone directly. Sometimes you just need to hear it from an actual person to feel confident you're doing it right.

You can potentially reopen your existing claim if it's within the benefit year, but you'll need to meet the work requirements. If you worked enough hours at the new job, you might be able to file a new claim with higher benefits.

Good to know, hopefully I won't need that information but better to be prepared.

Yikes, that sounds stressful. I'll definitely file the final claim then. Better safe than sorry.

Exactly, it's not worth the hassle. Just do it properly from the start and you won't have to deal with any follow-up questions.

Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you first filed, regardless of whether you're actively filing weekly claims. So you could potentially reopen within that time frame.

That's helpful to know, thank you!

I hadn't thought about that. I'll mention it to HR when I do my paperwork.

It's worth asking about! Some companies get tax credits for hiring people who were on unemployment.

Same here! I was worried I'd mess something up and end up owing money back.

This is why I recommend people use Claimyr if they need to talk to Washington ESD directly. Takes the guesswork out of it when you can actually speak to an agent who knows the rules.

That's exactly why I posted here first. Better to get advice from people who've been through it than to wing it.

Smart move! This community has been really helpful for me too.

Good point! I was doing the job search requirements so I'll make sure to note that I'm no longer looking since I found employment.

Exactly, just helps keep your record clean and shows you followed through properly.

Thank you! Yeah, I'd rather ask a bunch of questions upfront than deal with problems later.

That's definitely the smart approach. Good luck with the new position!

That's reassuring to hear from someone on the employer side. Sounds like this is a common situation that most people navigate successfully.

Absolutely, it's very routine. Just follow the basic steps and you'll be fine.