How to get laid off and collect unemployment - Washington ESD eligibility requirements?

You need to be laid off involuntarily to qualify for Washington ESD benefits. Voluntary resignation typically disqualifies you unless it's for good cause like unsafe working conditions or major changes to your job. If your company offers voluntary layoffs, those usually still count as involuntary separations for UI purposes since the company initiated it.

been through this twice in the last 5 years. washington esd takes forever to process claims now. filed in november and didnt get first payment until january. the whole system is backed up

If you're struggling to reach Washington ESD by phone about eligibility questions, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to actual agents. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself when I had questions about my claim status.

BE VERY CAREFUL about trying to get yourself laid off. Washington ESD investigates claims and if they find out you manipulated the situation to get fired, they'll deny your benefits and you could face fraud charges. They look at your work performance, attendance, and any communications leading up to termination.

honestly the whole unemployment system is set up to screw working people. they make it as hard as possible to get benefits you already paid for through taxes

You also need to meet the work history requirements - they look at your wages from the last 18 months. Need to have earned at least $3,850 in your base year and worked in at least two quarters. Plus you have to be able and available for work and actively searching.

whatever you do dont quit thinking you can claim unemployment. has to be involuntary termination or you're screwed. learned this the hard way

One more thing about getting help with Washington ESD - if you do end up filing and run into issues, Claimyr is really useful for getting through to resolve problems. I had an adjudication issue that dragged on for weeks until I used their service to actually talk to someone who could fix it.

I went through a voluntary layoff situation last year. Company offered packages and I took one. Washington ESD approved my claim no problem because it was still considered an employer-initiated separation even though I volunteered for it.

Don't forget you'll have to do job searches every week and report them. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and they do audit these sometimes.

The waiting period is the worst part. Even if everything goes perfectly you're looking at 2-4 weeks minimum before seeing any money. Make sure you have some savings to bridge that gap.

Also worth mentioning - if you get severance pay, Washington ESD might delay your benefits until that period ends. They consider it wages in lieu of notice.

My advice is start preparing now - gather your employment docs, create your WorkSourceWA account, and have all your info ready to file immediately if you do get laid off. The sooner you file, the sooner you start getting paid.

Used Claimyr when I had issues with my weekly claim not going through. Got connected to a Washington ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of calling all day. Definitely recommend if you run into problems.

One last thing - make sure you understand the difference between being laid off vs being fired for cause. Layoffs are due to business reasons (budget cuts, restructuring, etc.) and qualify for UI. Getting fired for misconduct usually disqualifies you.