How to stop unemployment benefits - Washington ESD voluntary termination process?

You should stop filing your weekly claims immediately once you start working. There's no formal termination process - just don't submit another weekly claim. Make sure you report your last day of unemployment accurately on your final claim.

congrats on the job! yeah just stop filing, thats all you need to do

Important note - if you worked any hours during your last benefit week, make sure you report those earnings on your final weekly claim. Even if it's just training or orientation hours, report them to avoid overpayment issues later.

I had to stop mine last year when I got hired and it was super confusing trying to reach someone at Washington ESD to confirm I was doing it right. Spent hours on hold just to be told to stop filing. Actually found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to ESD agents faster - check out claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Make sure you keep records of when you stopped filing and when you started work. I stopped filing but didn't document it well and had issues later when they questioned my claim history.

the system is so confusing!! why cant they just make it clear what youre supposed to do when you get a job. i was terrified i was going to mess something up when i started working again

One thing to be aware of - if this is a temporary job or contract work, you might want to ask Washington ESD about keeping your claim open instead of letting it go inactive. Depends on your situation though.

This happened to me too and I panicked thinking I needed to call them. Turns out you literally just stop filing weekly claims and that's it. The Washington ESD system will show your claim as inactive after a few weeks of not filing.

Don't forget you might be able to reopen your claim later if needed. I had to do that when my new job didn't work out after 6 months. Just make sure you file within a year of your benefit year ending.

Washington ESD really should send some kind of confirmation when you stop filing claims. Other states do that but Washington just leaves you wondering if you did it right.

I used Claimyr when I had questions about ending my benefits properly. Super helpful to actually talk to an ESD rep instead of guessing. Worth checking out if you want peace of mind.

make sure your last weekly claim is accurate about your work search activities too. dont want them coming back later saying you didnt meet requirements on your final claim

Congratulations on the new job! The process is simple - just stop filing when you start working. I went through the same thing last year and was overthinking it. Washington ESD makes it seem complicated but it's really straightforward.

I tried calling Washington ESD about this same question and gave up after 2 hours on hold. Ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through in like 10 minutes. Definitely recommend if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD about stopping benefits.

Just remember to file your final weekly claim for the week you were still unemployed. Don't skip that one thinking you're done - you earned those benefits for that week.