How to get proof of unemployment online from Washington ESD - need it ASAP
I need to get proof of my unemployment benefits for a mortgage application and the lender wants it by Friday. I've been on UI for about 6 weeks now and getting my weekly payments but I can't figure out how to download or print any kind of official document from the Washington ESD website that shows I'm receiving benefits. I tried logging into my SecureAccess Washington account but I'm not seeing any option to generate a letter or proof document. Has anyone been able to get this online or do I have to call them? Really hoping I don't have to spend hours on hold.
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Zara Ahmed
You can get this through your online account! Log into SecureAccess Washington, go to your unemployment services section, and look for 'Correspondence' or 'Letters' in the menu. There should be an option to generate a benefit verification letter that shows your claim dates and payment amounts.
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Sean O'Donnell
•I'm logged in now but I don't see a Letters section anywhere. Is it maybe under a different name?
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Zara Ahmed
•Try looking under 'View and Maintain Account Information' - sometimes it's buried in there. The exact wording changes but it's usually something like 'Request Benefit Verification' or 'Print Benefit Letter'.
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StarStrider
Been trying to find this same thing for weeks. The Washington ESD website is so confusing, nothing is where you expect it to be. I ended up having to call but spent 3 hours on hold yesterday just to get disconnected.
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Luca Esposito
•ugh same problem here, their phone system is terrible
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Nia Thompson
•If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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Mateo Rodriguez
The official term you're looking for is a 'Monetary Determination' or 'Benefit Verification Letter.' This document shows your weekly benefit amount, claim dates, and total benefits paid. In your Washington ESD online account, navigate to: Unemployment Services > Correspondence > Request Letters > Benefit Verification. If that path doesn't exist in your account, the system might be updated - try searching for 'verification' or 'proof' in the search function.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Thank you! I found something called 'Benefit Payment History' but it doesn't look very official - just shows payment dates and amounts in a basic table. Is this what lenders usually accept?
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Mateo Rodriguez
•The payment history might work but the official letter is better since it has Washington ESD letterhead and looks more formal. Keep looking for the letter generation option - it should create a PDF that looks like official correspondence.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Most lenders want the official letter format, not just the payment history screen. The letter includes your SSN (partially masked), claim effective dates, and weekly benefit amount which is what they're looking for.
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Ethan Wilson
I needed this same thing last month for apartment rental application. Couldn't find it online either so I called Washington ESD and they mailed it to me but it took like 10 days to arrive. Definitely try to find the online option first.
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Sean O'Donnell
•10 days? I only have until Friday so that won't work. There has to be an online way to get this.
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NeonNova
•They can email it to you if you call and specifically request electronic delivery instead of mail. But good luck getting through on the phone.
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StarStrider
Just tried looking again after reading these comments. I'm seeing 'Account Statements' under my benefit information but when I click it nothing happens. Anyone else having technical issues with the Washington ESD site today?
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Luca Esposito
•yeah the site has been glitchy all week, keeps timing out when I try to file my weekly claim
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Zara Ahmed
•Try using a different browser or clearing your cache. The Washington ESD site doesn't work well with some browsers.
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Nia Thompson
For anyone still struggling to reach Washington ESD by phone about this, I had success using Claimyr to get through to an agent who was able to email me the benefit verification letter the same day. Worth checking out if you're on a tight deadline like the OP.
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Yuki Tanaka
•Never heard of that service before, is it legit? Sounds too good to be true.
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Nia Thompson
•Yeah it's real, they basically call Washington ESD for you and get you connected to an actual person instead of the busy signal. I was skeptical too but it worked when I needed to resolve an adjudication issue.
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Aisha Abdullah
UPDATE: I found the option! It's under 'Unemployment Services' then 'View and Maintain Account Information' then scroll down to 'Correspondence and Forms.' There's a link that says 'Request Benefit Verification Letter' - clicked it and got a PDF immediately that shows all my claim info with official Washington ESD letterhead.
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Sean O'Donnell
•THANK YOU! Just found it following your directions. The PDF looks perfect and has everything my lender asked for. You're a lifesaver!
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Ethan Wilson
•Wish I had known about this before I wasted time calling them. Thanks for sharing the exact steps!
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StarStrider
•Finally found it too! The menu structure is so confusing but once you know where to look it's easy.
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Carmen Diaz
Pro tip: if you need this document regularly, bookmark the direct link once you find it. I have to provide proof of benefits monthly for my housing assistance and this saves time.
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Andre Laurent
•good idea, the navigation on that site is terrible
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Luca Esposito
The benefit verification letter also shows your remaining balance if you're on regular UI, which some lenders want to see. Make sure the PDF includes all the info they requested.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Yes it shows my weekly amount, total benefits paid so far, and remaining balance. Exactly what they wanted.
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Emily Jackson
Just a heads up that if your claim is still in adjudication or has any pending issues, the verification letter might not generate properly. Had this problem when I tried to get mine while my eligibility was still being reviewed.
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Liam Mendez
•Good point, mine just shows 'pending' for everything when there's an adjudication issue
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Correct - the system won't generate a benefit verification letter if there are unresolved eligibility issues. In those cases you would need to call Washington ESD to get a different type of documentation.
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Sophia Nguyen
For future reference, you can also access this through the mobile app if you have it installed. Sometimes the mobile version works better than the desktop site.
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Jacob Smithson
•There's a mobile app? I had no idea Washington ESD had an app.
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Sophia Nguyen
•It's just the same SecureAccess Washington login but optimized for mobile. Not a separate app really.
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NeonNova
Make sure you save multiple copies of that PDF - I've had to provide it to different places and it's nice to have it ready instead of having to log back in every time.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Already saved it to my desktop and emailed it to myself as backup. Thanks for the tip!
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Isabella Brown
The verification letter is also useful for tax purposes at the end of the year since it summarizes all your benefit payments. Worth keeping a copy for your records.
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Maya Patel
•Good reminder, I forgot unemployment benefits are taxable income
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Aiden Rodríguez
Sometimes the letter takes a few minutes to generate if the system is busy. Don't panic if it doesn't appear immediately - just wait and try refreshing the page.
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Emma Garcia
•Mine took like 5 minutes to load but it eventually worked
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Andre Laurent
If anyone is still having trouble with this, calling early in the morning (like 8 AM) seems to be the best time to get through to Washington ESD if you absolutely need to speak to someone about getting this document.
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Ava Kim
•I've had better luck calling right after lunch around 1 PM actually
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Nia Thompson
•Or just use Claimyr and avoid the calling roulette altogether. That's what finally worked for me when I needed to talk to someone urgently.
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Ethan Anderson
Glad this got resolved! The Washington ESD website really needs better navigation - took me forever to find this same thing when I needed it for my loan application.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Agreed, they should make this more obvious since it's probably something a lot of people need. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Omar Farouk
Just want to add that if you're having trouble finding the "Request Benefit Verification Letter" option that others mentioned, make sure you're fully logged into your SecureAccess Washington account and have selected "Unemployment Services" from the main menu first. Sometimes the menu options don't show up properly if you're not in the right section. Also, if you're on PUA or PEUC instead of regular UI, the letter might be in a slightly different location but should still be available through the same general path.
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