How to get back pay unemployment from Washington ESD - retroactive benefits?

Thanks! I'll check again tomorrow. Just worried because I really need those back payments to catch up on bills.

same situation here, took about a week for all my back pay to hit my account after approval

I filed every single week like they told me to, even though it kept saying $0 payment. So frustrating to wait this long.

Good, then you should definitely get all that back pay. The system just takes time to process everything retroactively.

How much does that cost? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment.

It's worth it when you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD. Way better than spending hours on hold just to get disconnected.

Never heard of this but might try it if my back pay doesn't show up soon

I understand the frustration but the system is processing thousands of claims. Have you checked if there are any outstanding issues on your account?

No issues showing anywhere. Just says approved but no back payments. This whole system is broken.

I've been checking there every day. Still just shows the recent payments, nothing for the 6 weeks I was in adjudication.

Give it a few more days. The back pay usually processes in batches and can take up to a week after approval.

I've tried calling but can never get through. Either busy signal or I get disconnected after waiting forever.

That's why services like Claimyr exist. They handle the calling nightmare for you so you can actually reach a human at Washington ESD.

It's been 6 business days now. Should I be worried something went wrong?

I'd definitely contact them at that point. Sometimes there are processing delays but 6 days is pushing it for retroactive payments.

Same thing happened to me last month. Had to get an agent involved to release the back pay manually.

It's automatic as long as you filed your weekly claims during the waiting period. You don't need to make a separate request for retroactive benefits.

OK good, I was getting worried I missed some step. Thanks for clarifying!

My direct deposit is the same as always and the recent payments went through fine. Just missing the back pay portion.

Then it's probably just a processing delay. Washington ESD handles retroactive payments differently than regular weekly benefits.

Oh wow, I didn't think about that. How do you see the breakdown of what was deducted?

There should be a detailed payment history that shows gross vs net for each week. Check under your account information.

No, I was completely unemployed the whole time. Haven't worked since I got laid off 2 months ago.

Then you should definitely get full back pay for all those weeks. Keep checking your account.

That's helpful to know. I'm at day 6 so maybe I need to be more patient.

Yeah don't panic yet. The back pay will come, Washington ESD just moves slowly on everything.

I'm seriously considering trying that service. This waiting game is killing me financially.

It's worth it when you really need answers. Way better than the endless phone tag with their regular number.

I'm skeptical of paying for something that should be free but if it actually works...

Will do! Hoping to see something in my account by Monday.

Same here, been waiting 4 days for my retroactive benefits

Yes, I filed religiously every week even though it was depressing seeing $0 every time.

Good, then you did everything right. The back pay should process soon.

3 months?! That's terrifying. What was the holdup in your case?

they kept saying there were 'system issues' but really i think they just hoped i'd give up. finally got an agent who manually processed everything

That could be it. I'll watch for multiple deposits over the next few days instead of expecting one big payment.

Exactly. Each week of back pay might process separately even though they're all retroactive.

I'll give it until Friday then try to get someone on the phone. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

Good luck! Hope you get all your back pay soon.

I don't have any dependents so it should just be the regular weekly amount times 6 weeks.

Then it should be straightforward to calculate. Hope it shows up soon!

That's a good tip. My regular payments come on Tuesday so I'll watch for back pay then.

Yeah, they try to keep the same payment schedule for consistency.

Thanks Maya, this gives me so much hope! 8 business days isn't too bad considering how long the whole adjudication process took. I was starting to worry something went wrong since everyone else seemed to be getting their back pay faster. Good to know the separate batch system is normal - that explains why my regular payments are coming through but not the retroactive ones yet. I'll keep checking daily and try to be patient for another week or so before panicking.