How to file taxes on unemployment benefits - Washington ESD didn't send 1099-G form

You should definitely get your official 1099-G from Washington ESD rather than estimating. The form shows the exact amount of unemployment compensation you received and any federal taxes that were withheld. You can download it from your online account - look for the 'Tax Information' or 'Forms' section in your dashboard.

same thing happened to me last year, never got the 1099-G in the mail. had to call washington esd like 20 times before someone answered. they said they mail them in january but lots of people dont get them

I had major issues getting through to Washington ESD about my 1099-G too. After weeks of calling and getting nowhere, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to ESD agents without the endless wait times. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone about your tax forms.

For tax purposes, unemployment benefits are considered taxable income at the federal level. Washington state doesn't have income tax so you don't need to worry about state taxes on UI benefits. Make sure you report the full amount you received, not just what you have in your checking account - some people forget about any taxes that were withheld.

The Washington ESD website has a section for downloading tax documents but their system is TERRIBLE. Half the time the links don't work or the page times out. I swear they make it difficult on purpose so people don't bother getting their forms.

omg yes the 1099-G thing is such a pain!! i filed my taxes without it last year and got audited. DO NOT do that. you need the official form

If you absolutely can't get your 1099-G from Washington ESD, you can use your payment history to calculate the total. Add up all your weekly benefit payments from January 1 to December 31 of the tax year. But definitely try to get the official form first since it will also show any federal withholdings.

I'm a tax preparer and I see this issue with Washington ESD 1099-G forms every year. They're supposed to be mailed by January 31st but many people don't receive them. The forms are available online through your ESD account, but you have to dig around to find them. Look for 'Correspondence' or 'Documents' in your account menu.

update: i tried that claimyr thing someone mentioned and it actually worked! got through to an esd agent in like 15 minutes instead of hours. they were able to resend my 1099-G electronically right away

Just a heads up - if you received unemployment benefits, you might want to make quarterly estimated tax payments this year if you're still collecting. UI benefits don't have enough taxes withheld typically and you could end up owing a lot at tax time.

The 1099-G forms from Washington ESD are usually available in your online account by February 1st at the latest. If you're still having trouble accessing it, try logging out completely and logging back in. Sometimes there are session issues that prevent the forms from loading properly.

ugh this is bringing back memories of trying to get my 1099-G last year. spent literal WEEKS trying to get through to someone at washington esd about it. their phone system is absolutely broken

Don't forget that if you repaid any unemployment benefits during the year (like if you had an overpayment), that might affect your tax situation too. The 1099-G should show both what you received and what you repaid.

Pro tip: if you're having trouble with the Washington ESD website, try accessing it early in the morning or late at night. The system is less likely to crash when fewer people are using it.

I work in payroll and see this confusion every year. Your 1099-G from Washington ESD will show the total unemployment compensation in Box 1 and any federal income tax withheld in Box 4. You report the Box 1 amount as income on your tax return, and the Box 4 amount as taxes paid (if any).

just wanted to add that if you moved during the year, make sure your address is updated with washington esd or you might not get your 1099-G mailed to the right place. learned that the hard way

Another option if you're really stuck is to contact the IRS directly. They have a form you can use to report unemployment income even without the 1099-G, but you'll need to be very accurate about the amounts.

I had success getting my 1099-G by using that Claimyr service too. Honestly wish I'd known about it sooner - would have saved me so much time and frustration trying to reach ESD on my own. The agent was able to email me the form within minutes of getting connected.

Final update for anyone following this thread - the key is to log into your SecureAccess Washington account, go to 'eServices', then 'Unemployment Services', and look for 'Tax Information' or 'Forms and Correspondence'. The 1099-G should be there if it's been issued for your account.