How to file weekly claim for unemployment - Washington ESD website confusing
I'm totally lost trying to figure out how to file my weekly claim on the Washington ESD website. I got approved for unemployment last week but now I can't find where to actually submit my weekly claim. The SecureAccess Washington portal is so confusing - there's like 10 different links and I don't know which one is for filing my weekly claim. I tried clicking on 'file weekly claim' but it just takes me to some general info page. Has anyone else had trouble with this? I'm worried I'm going to miss the deadline and lose my benefits.
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Gianni Serpent
You need to log into your SecureAccess Washington account first, then look for the 'File Weekly Claim' option on your dashboard. It should be pretty prominent once you're logged in. Make sure you're filing for the correct week - it's usually the week that just ended, not the current week.
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Ryder Ross
•I am logged in but I still don't see it clearly marked. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong section?
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Henry Delgado
•Sometimes the site is down for maintenance on Sundays, that might be why you can't access it
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Olivia Kay
The Washington ESD weekly claim filing can be tricky at first. After logging into SecureAccess Washington, go to the 'Unemployment Benefits' section, then look for 'Weekly Claim Filing' or 'File Your Weekly Claim.' You'll need to answer questions about your work search activities and any work you did that week. Remember you have to file every week to keep getting benefits, even if you worked some hours.
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Ryder Ross
•Thank you! I found the unemployment benefits section. Do I need to report job applications every week?
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Olivia Kay
•Yes, you need to make at least 3 job search activities per week and keep a log. You don't have to upload it with your weekly claim but keep records in case they audit you.
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Joshua Hellan
I had the same problem when I first started filing! The Washington ESD website is definitely not user-friendly. What helped me was using Claimyr to get through to an actual person at Washington ESD who walked me through it over the phone. You can check out their service at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way easier than trying to figure it out yourself.
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Jibriel Kohn
•Is that service legit? I'm always suspicious of third-party services for government stuff
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Joshua Hellan
•Yeah it's real, they just help you get connected to Washington ESD phone lines. I was skeptical too but it actually worked and saved me hours of calling
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Edison Estevez
weekly claims are due by midnight saturday i think? or is it sunday? i always forget and file mine last minute lol
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Gianni Serpent
•It's usually Sunday at midnight, but check your account to be sure. The deadline should be shown when you log in.
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Ryder Ross
•I see it now - says I have until 11:59 PM on Sunday to file for last week
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
THE WASHINGTON ESD WEBSITE IS GARBAGE!!! I've been trying to file my weekly claim for 3 days and it keeps timing out or giving me error messages. This is how people lose their benefits - because the system doesn't work properly. It's like they WANT to make it impossible to get help.
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Henry Delgado
•I feel your frustration. Try using Chrome browser and clearing your cache, that sometimes helps with the timeout issues
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Edison Estevez
•ya the site crashes a lot especially on weekends when everyone is trying to file
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Olivia Kay
For anyone still having trouble finding it: Log into SecureAccess Washington → Click 'Unemployment Benefits' → Click 'File Weekly Claim' → Answer all the questions honestly about work search and any income. The key questions are usually about whether you were able and available to work, if you looked for work, and if you earned any money that week.
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Ryder Ross
•Perfect, I found it! Just filed my first weekly claim. Thanks everyone for the help
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James Johnson
•What if I worked a few hours that week? Do I still file?
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Olivia Kay
•Yes, you still file and report the hours worked and gross earnings. Washington ESD will calculate your partial benefits automatically.
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Jibriel Kohn
I'm worried about messing up the work search requirements. Do I need to upload proof of my job applications when I file my weekly claim? The instructions aren't very clear about this.
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Gianni Serpent
•No, you don't upload proof with your weekly claim. Just answer 'yes' that you did your work search activities and keep your own records. They might ask for documentation later if they audit your claim.
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Jibriel Kohn
•That's a relief. I was spending forever trying to figure out where to upload everything
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Henry Delgado
Quick tip - file your weekly claim early in the week if possible. The website gets really slow on weekends when everyone is trying to file at the last minute. I usually file mine on Monday or Tuesday for the previous week.
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Edison Estevez
•good advice, i should stop procrastinating and file earlier
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Ryder Ross
•Can you file early in the week? I thought you had to wait until the week was over
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Henry Delgado
•You can file for the previous week as soon as Sunday night/Monday morning. So if the week ended Saturday, you can file as early as Sunday.
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Joshua Hellan
Another thing that helped me when I was struggling with the Washington ESD website - I used Claimyr again to get through to someone who could check that my weekly claims were being processed correctly. Sometimes the website says your claim was submitted but there are actually errors that prevent payment. Having an agent verify everything was working properly gave me peace of mind.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•How much does that cost? I'm already broke from being unemployed
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Joshua Hellan
•It's not expensive and way cheaper than losing weeks of benefits because of website problems. Check their site for current pricing.
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James Johnson
What happens if I forget to file my weekly claim? Like if I miss the Sunday deadline?
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Olivia Kay
•You can sometimes file a late weekly claim but you need to have a good reason for being late. You'd need to call Washington ESD to explain why you missed the deadline. It's better to just set a reminder and file on time.
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James Johnson
•Good to know, I'll set up a weekly reminder on my phone
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Sophia Rodriguez
Is anyone else having trouble with the job search log? I keep all my records but I'm not sure if I'm tracking the right information for each application.
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Gianni Serpent
•You need to track: employer name, position applied for, date of application, and method of contact (online, phone, in-person). That's the basic info Washington ESD requires.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Thanks! I was also writing down like contact person names and stuff but sounds like that's not necessary
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Edison Estevez
does anyone know if networking events count as job search activities? went to a job fair last week
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Olivia Kay
•Yes, job fairs and networking events count as work search activities. Make sure to document which employers you spoke with at the event.
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Edison Estevez
•cool thanks, got business cards from like 5 companies so i have proof
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Mia Green
The weekly claim questions always stress me out. Especially the one about being 'able and available' to work. What if I had a doctor's appointment that week?
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Gianni Serpent
•A doctor's appointment doesn't make you unavailable for work. As long as you were generally able to accept work that week, answer yes. If you were sick for multiple days and couldn't work, that's different.
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Mia Green
•OK that makes sense, I was overthinking it
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Ryder Ross
Update: I successfully filed my weekly claim! Took about 10 minutes once I found the right section. The questions were pretty straightforward - just about job search activities, any work done, and availability. Thanks everyone for pointing me in the right direction.
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Henry Delgado
•Glad you got it figured out! Gets easier after the first few times
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Emma Bianchi
•Congrats! First weekly claim is always the hardest
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Emma Bianchi
One more tip for newbies - keep a screenshot or confirmation number after you file your weekly claim. Sometimes the website glitches and you want proof that you submitted it on time.
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Ryder Ross
•Smart idea, I'll do that from now on
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James Johnson
•Yeah I learned that the hard way when Washington ESD said they never got my claim but I had no way to prove I filed it
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Lucas Kowalski
My weekly claim got stuck in 'processing' status for like 2 weeks. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get through to Washington ESD and they fixed it immediately. Turns out there was some kind of flag on my account that needed manual review. Would never have known if I hadn't talked to an actual person.
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Jibriel Kohn
•How long did it take to get through using that service?
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Lucas Kowalski
•Way faster than calling myself. They got me connected within like 30 minutes instead of spending all day redialing busy signals
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Olivia Martinez
Remember you can file weekly claims by phone too if the website isn't working. The number is on the Washington ESD website, though good luck getting through during peak hours.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•I tried calling once and was on hold for 3 hours before giving up. The website sucks but it's still better than phone hell
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Joshua Hellan
•That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist - to help you actually reach someone without wasting your whole day on hold
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Charlie Yang
PSA: Don't file multiple weekly claims for the same week if the first one seems to not go through. I did that once and it created a whole mess that took weeks to sort out with Washington ESD.
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Ryder Ross
•Good to know! I was wondering about that since the website was so slow when I filed
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Charlie Yang
•Yeah if you're not sure if it went through, just wait and check your claim status the next day. Don't file again unless you're 100% sure the first one failed
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Grace Patel
Also make sure your work search activities are real and legitimate. Washington ESD does audit claims and they will contact employers to verify. Don't make stuff up just to meet the requirement.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•That's scary, I didn't realize they actually called employers
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Olivia Kay
•They don't call for every claim, but they do random audits. Just be honest and keep good records and you'll be fine.
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ApolloJackson
I've been filing weekly claims for 6 months now and it definitely gets routine. The hardest part is remembering to do it every week and keeping track of all your job applications. Set up a system that works for you.
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Ryder Ross
•Any suggestions for tracking job applications? I'm already getting overwhelmed
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ApolloJackson
•I use a simple Excel spreadsheet with columns for date, company, position, how I applied, and any follow-up. Nothing fancy but it works.
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Isabella Russo
Last thing - make sure your address and contact info is updated in your Washington ESD account. If they need to reach you about your weekly claim and can't, it can delay your benefits.
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Emma Bianchi
•Good point, I moved last month and forgot to update my address
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Ryder Ross
•Thanks for all the tips everyone, this has been super helpful for a newbie like me
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