How to know if I'm eligible for Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

The basic eligibility requirements for Washington ESD unemployment are: you must have earned at least $3,850 in your base period, be unemployed through no fault of your own, be able and available to work, and actively seek work. Since you worked full-time for 8 months at $16/hour, you should easily meet the wage requirement.

You should definitely apply! At $16/hour full-time for 8 months you'll qualify. The Washington ESD eligibility calculator on their website can give you an estimate of your weekly benefit amount too. Just make sure you were laid off and didn't quit or get fired for misconduct.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check your eligibility or get help with your application, you might want to try Claimyr. It's a service that helps people get connected to ESD agents without sitting on hold forever. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

wait do you have to have worked for a certain amount of time?? i only worked 3 months at my last job before getting laid off

Another question - do they check if you're actually looking for work? Like how do they verify that?

I've been on unemployment for 2 months now and the process isn't too bad once you get started. The hardest part was the initial application and waiting for it to get approved. Make sure you have all your employment history ready when you apply.

The Washington ESD website has a good breakdown of all the eligibility requirements. Just go to esd.wa.gov and look under unemployment benefits. They explain everything including the monetary and non-monetary requirements.

One thing to watch out for - if you have any separation from work that wasn't a layoff, they'll investigate that during adjudication. Even if your most recent job was a layoff, they look at all separations in your base period.

UGH the Washington ESD phone system is THE WORST. I've been trying to get someone on the phone for WEEKS to ask about my eligibility and I either get disconnected or the line is busy. It's so frustrating when you just need a simple answer!

Don't overthink it too much. If you worked and earned wages in Washington, got laid off, and can work, you probably qualify. The worst thing that happens is they say no and you're in the same position you're in now.

Just to add - you also need to be a US citizen or have work authorization, and you need to register with WorkSource within 4 weeks of filing your claim unless you're union or have a specific return-to-work date.

i applied last week and still haven't heard anything back. is that normal?? starting to worry they lost my application or something

The eligibility rules are pretty straightforward but the system itself is confusing. I had to call multiple times just to understand what documents I needed to upload. Pro tip: keep copies of everything you submit.

Been through this process twice now. The key things are: earned enough wages (which you did), unemployed through no fault of your own (layoff counts), able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work. You sound like you meet all the criteria.

If you do apply and run into issues or need to talk to someone at Washington ESD, I had success with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Way better than trying to call the regular number and getting hung up on constantly.

Make sure you apply soon after your layoff. There's no waiting period to apply and benefits are retroactive to when you file, not when you were laid off.

The system will calculate your benefit amount automatically based on your wages once you're approved. At $16/hour full-time you should get a decent weekly amount, probably around $400-500 depending on your exact earnings.

Don't let the application intimidate you. It's mostly just entering your work history and contact information. The hardest part is gathering all your employment dates and wages, but if you have old pay stubs or tax documents it's not too bad.

One last thing - even if you're not 100% sure about your eligibility, it's worth applying. The worst they can do is deny you, and then you'll know for sure. Plus if you wait too long you might miss out on benefits you could have gotten.

Good luck with your application! The process gets easier once you get started and understand how it all works.