How would I qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

You might qualify for partial unemployment benefits since your hours were reduced. Washington ESD looks at your work history over the past 18 months and you need to have earned at least $1,320 in your base year. With 8 months of part-time work you should have enough quarters to qualify.

yeah you can definitely get partial benefits if your hours got cut. i did that when covid hit and my restaurant went to takeout only. just make sure you report your earnings each week when you file your weekly claim

The key requirements are: 1) You must have worked and earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base year 2) Total earnings must be at least $1,320 3) You must be able and available for work 4) You must be actively seeking work. Since your hours were involuntarily reduced, you'd likely qualify for partial UI benefits.

I was in a similar situation last year and spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at Washington ESD to ask questions about my eligibility. The phone system is absolutely broken - you'll get disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Saved me so much frustration.

The Washington ESD system is SO confusing. I tried to figure out if I qualified and gave up after reading their website for like 2 hours. Why can't they just have a simple calculator or something?

Update: I found the benefit calculator and it looks like I might qualify for around $180 per week. That would actually help a lot with my reduced hours.

I hate to be negative but just be prepared for the process to take FOREVER. My claim sat in adjudication for over a month and I never got a clear explanation why.

Pro tip: keep detailed records of everything. Save all your pay stubs, write down when your hours got cut and why, and keep track of any communication with your employer. You'll need this stuff if there are any questions about your claim.

Wait, if you're still working can you even get unemployment? I thought you had to be completely unemployed.

The work search requirement is what kills me. Like I get that they want to make sure people are actually looking for work, but having to apply for 3 jobs every week when you already have a job (even if it's reduced hours) seems excessive.

Just file online, it's really not that complicated. The worst part is waiting to hear back about whether you're approved. But if your hours got cut involuntarily you should be fine.

I'm dealing with the same thing right now. Filed my claim two weeks ago and still haven't heard anything. The waiting is the worst part because you don't know if you did something wrong or if it's just taking a while.

The income limits are pretty generous for partial claims. You can earn up to about $220 per week and still get some benefits. Anything over that and you won't get any unemployment for that week.

Don't overthink it, just apply. The worst they can do is say no, and from what you described you should qualify. I wish I had applied sooner when my hours got cut.

One thing to watch out for - make sure you report your earnings correctly each week. I accidentally put in gross instead of net earnings once and it messed up my whole claim.

The hardest part for me was figuring out the job search requirements. You have to log everything in WorkSource and it's not very user-friendly. But once you get the hang of it it's not too bad.

I used Claimyr when I couldn't get through to anyone about my job search requirements. The agent explained everything clearly and it only took about 15 minutes total. Way better than spending hours on hold.

Just remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can have taxes withheld automatically or pay them when you file your tax return. I always forget about this until tax season!

Overall the system works pretty well once you get everything set up. The initial application can be confusing but the weekly claims are straightforward. You got this!