How to find out when my Washington ESD unemployment benefits end - benefit year expiration

You can find your benefit year end date in your monetary determination letter that Washington ESD sent when your claim was first approved. It should show both your weekly benefit amount and the dates your benefit year covers. If you can't find that letter, log into your eServices account and look under 'Payment Information' - it should show your remaining balance and benefit year dates.

Your benefit year is exactly 52 weeks from when you first filed your claim. So if you filed in March 2024, your benefits would end in March 2025. Most people get 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits unless you qualified for extended benefits. You can also call Washington ESD to ask about your specific dates, though good luck getting through on the phone.

I had the same question last month and spent forever trying to reach someone at Washington ESD. Finally found out about Claimyr - it's a service that helps you actually get through to ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com, they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Used it myself and got connected to an agent who explained exactly when my benefits end and what happens next.

ugh the Washington ESD website is so confusing!! why cant they just put this info somewhere obvious instead of making us hunt for it

Make sure you understand the difference between your benefit year ending and exhausting your weeks. Your benefit year gives you a 52-week window to use up to 26 weeks of benefits. If you find work and stop claiming for a while, you can come back and restart claims within that same benefit year until you've used all 26 weeks OR the benefit year expires, whichever comes first.

I'm in a similar situation - been on unemployment since August and getting nervous about running out. The whole system is so stressful when you don't know what to expect.

Pro tip: when you log into eServices, look for a section called 'Claim Summary' or 'Benefit Information.' It should show your maximum benefit amount, how much you've already received, and your remaining balance. That remaining balance divided by your weekly benefit amount tells you approximately how many weeks you have left.

I remember getting a letter from Washington ESD at some point that told me when my benefit year would end, but that was months ago. Maybe they send another one closer to the end date?

Washington ESD's phone system is absolutely terrible. I've been trying to get through for weeks to ask questions about my claim. Finally someone recommended this Claimyr service and it actually worked - got connected to an agent within minutes instead of hours of busy signals.

Another thing to keep in mind - if your benefit year is ending but you still haven't found work, you might be able to file a new claim. The requirements have changed over the years though, so you'd need to check if you have enough work history since your last claim.

Just want to add - make sure you're keeping up with your job search requirements even as your benefits are ending. Washington ESD can audit your job search log at any time, and you don't want to owe money back because you weren't meeting the requirements.

The uncertainty is the worst part of all this. I wish Washington ESD would just send clearer communication about benefit timelines instead of making us figure it out ourselves.

UPDATE: Found my benefit year info! For anyone else looking, in eServices go to 'Claim & Payment Status' then click on 'View Claim Details.' It shows benefit year begin and end dates right at the top. Mine ends in April so I have about 4 months left in my benefit year but only 6 weeks of actual benefits remaining.