How to fill out Washington ESD unemployment application - need help with the forms

The Washington ESD application can definitely be overwhelming at first! For your work history, yes you need to list ALL employers from the past 18 months, including part-time jobs. The system uses this to calculate your benefit amount. For separation reason, just be honest - if you were laid off, select 'lack of work' or 'layoff.' The initial claim establishes your benefit year, then you file weekly claims every week to actually get paid.

I just went through this process last month. The trick is to have all your employment info ready before you start - dates of employment, gross wages, reason you left each job. Take your time filling it out because you can't easily change answers once submitted.

Pro tip - if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone to ask questions while filling out your application, I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you through to live agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

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. You can't go back and claim them later.

ugh the washington esd website is such garbage, it kicked me out 3 times while i was filling out my application and i had to start over each time

For the earnings section, make sure you report gross wages (before taxes) not net wages. Common mistake that can mess up your benefit calculation. Also if you had any vacation payout or severance, that goes in a separate section.

Whatever you do, don't lie on the application. Washington ESD will find out eventually and you'll have to pay back benefits plus penalties. Not worth it!

One more important thing - after you submit your initial claim, you'll get a monetary determination letter showing your weekly benefit amount. Review it carefully and appeal within 30 days if anything looks wrong. It's much harder to fix errors later.

I worked for a temp agency last year and that was confusing to report. Turns out you list the temp agency as the employer, not the companies where you actually worked. Might save someone else the headache.

The job search requirements section confused me too. You don't have to start job searching immediately but you do need to register with WorkSource within a certain timeframe. The application should tell you the deadline.

If you worked in another state recently, that makes the application more complicated. You might need to file an interstate claim. The Washington ESD website has info about that but honestly it's confusing enough that I'd call them.

Just a heads up that if you were fired (not laid off), you'll probably have to go through adjudication where they investigate whether you qualify for benefits. Be prepared for that to take several weeks.

The hardest part for me was calculating my hours worked at each job. Some places I was salary, others hourly. For salary jobs I just divided my weekly salary by minimum wage to estimate hours, seemed to work fine.

Make sure you answer the availability questions correctly. If you say you're not available for full-time work or can't work certain days, it might affect your benefits.

Does anyone know if you can save a partially completed application and come back to it later? I started mine but realized I need to gather more documents.

For anyone still struggling with the application or having questions they can't find answers to online, seriously consider using Claimyr to talk to an actual Washington ESD person. Sometimes you just need to talk through your specific situation with someone who knows the system.

The application asks about union membership too. If you were in a union, make sure to report that accurately as it might affect your benefit calculation.

Remember that Washington ESD can take up to 6 weeks to process your claim if there are any complications. File as soon as possible after becoming unemployed, don't wait!

The biggest thing is just being thorough and honest. I know it's tempting to rush through it but taking your time on the initial application can save you weeks of headaches later.

Good luck with your application! Remember to file your weekly claims every Sunday once you submit it, and don't hesitate to reach out if you run into issues during the process.