How to file a new claim for unemployment - Washington ESD process questions

You can file your initial claim starting the Sunday of the week you become unemployed or have your hours reduced. Don't file before your last day of work though - that can cause issues with your claim. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment information for the last 18 months including employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation.

The online system at esd.wa.gov is pretty straightforward once you get started. Just make sure you have all your employer info accurate - any mistakes can delay your claim approval.

If you run into issues with the Washington ESD phone system when trying to get help with your claim, I found Claimyr really helpful. It's a service that helps you actually reach ESD agents without sitting on hold forever. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Made my life so much easier when I had questions about my initial filing.

MAKE SURE you file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still being processed! I made the mistake of waiting and lost out on benefits for those weeks.

The job search requirement means you need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. You can do this through WorkSourceWA or track it yourself, but Washington ESD can audit your job search activities.

Adjudication just means they need to review something about your claim before approving it. Could be anything from verifying your employment to checking if you were fired for misconduct. Most claims go through some level of adjudication.

whatever you do dont lie about anything on the application. they will find out and then you'll owe back everything plus penalties. learned that the hard way

One more tip - create your SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account before you need it if you haven't already. That's how you'll access your unemployment account and file weekly claims.

The whole system is honestly a mess but you'll get through it. Just be patient and keep detailed records of everything you submit.

I filed my claim last month and it was approved within 10 days. The key is having all your employer information accurate and complete when you file initially.

If your claim gets denied for any reason, don't panic - you have 30 days to file an appeal. I had to appeal mine because of a clerical error and eventually got it sorted out.

Pro tip: if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD and can't get through the regular way, try using Claimyr. It's been a lifesaver for me when I needed help with my weekly claims. Way better than calling 800 times and never getting through.

Make sure you understand the difference between being able and available for work vs being on standby. If you're expecting to be recalled soon, standby might be better but you need to meet specific criteria.

Don't forget you might owe taxes on your unemployment benefits. They don't automatically withhold federal taxes unless you ask them to.

The benefit amount is based on your highest earning quarter in your base period, so don't stress too much if you had some lower-paying periods recently.

Keep checking your account regularly after filing. Sometimes they need additional information and you won't get notified right away.

If you have any military service or federal employment in the last 18 months, make sure to mention that - they handle those wages differently.

The system can be glitchy sometimes, especially on Sunday nights when everyone's filing their weekly claims. If you get error messages, try again later rather than submitting multiple times.

One thing that helped me was reading through all the FAQs on the Washington ESD website before filing. Answered a lot of questions I didn't even know I had.

Last piece of advice - if you need to reach ESD and the regular phone system isn't working, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. Used it myself when I had questions about my benefit calculation.