Is there a cap on unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

Thanks! So if I qualify for the maximum weekly amount, I'd get around $25,974 total over 26 weeks?

That's correct, assuming you qualify for the maximum weekly benefit and collect for the full 26 weeks without any breaks or issues.

How do they calculate what you qualify for? I made good money but it was inconsistent month to month.

Washington ESD looks at your highest earning quarter from your base period and uses that to calculate your weekly benefit amount. Inconsistent income can sometimes work in your favor if you had one really good quarter.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to Washington ESD agents by handling the calling process. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) and it actually works - got connected to an agent within a day.

Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does it work exactly?

They basically call Washington ESD repeatedly until they reach an agent, then connect you. Saved me probably 20+ hours of calling myself.

Good to know. I hope the regular 26 weeks will be enough for me to find something.

Wait, what? I thought it was just based on your highest quarter. This is getting confusing.

It's both. They use your highest quarter to calculate the weekly amount, but you also need sufficient total base period wages to qualify for that full amount. Washington ESD has specific formulas for this.

Where can I find these formulas? The Washington ESD website is so hard to navigate.

The weekly benefit caps are the same regardless of whether you're on standby or regular unemployment. The difference is in the job search requirements and availability criteria.

That makes sense. I'm on standby status and was worried my benefits might be limited compared to regular UI.

So I might not get the full 26 weeks worth even if I qualify for benefits?

Exactly! If 30% of your total base period wages is less than 26 times your weekly benefit, you'll exhaust benefits early. This catches a lot of people off guard.

This happened to me! I only got 18 weeks because my base period wages weren't high enough, even though I qualified for a decent weekly amount.

How much can you earn before they start reducing your benefits?

I think it's around $5 per week that you can earn without any reduction, then they deduct dollar-for-dollar after that. But double-check this with Washington ESD since these amounts can change.

You're thinking of the wage threshold requirements. You need sufficient wages in your base period to qualify for benefits at all, but once you qualify, your weekly amount is capped at the state maximum regardless of how much you earned.

ok that makes more sense. so the cap is really about the state not paying out more than a certain amount per week to anyone

That's rough but at least you're getting something. I know people who don't qualify at all because they were contractors or didn't work enough quarters.

True, I'm grateful for what I'm getting. Just pointing out that the cap can be a reality check for high earners.

Yes, you can definitely appeal benefit calculations. I had to do this when they missed some of my wages from a previous employer. The appeals process took about 6 weeks but I got the correct amount backdated.

Good to know! I think they might have miscalculated mine based on incomplete wage information.

If you need to talk to someone about your calculation, that's another situation where Claimyr really helps. Getting through to discuss benefit calculations is nearly impossible otherwise.

Washington state doesn't provide dependent allowances for unemployment benefits. The weekly cap is the same whether you have kids or not. Some states do dependent allowances but not Washington.

Bummer, I was hoping that might help. Thanks for clarifying.

Do you know where they publish the official cap amounts each year?

Washington ESD usually publishes the annual benefit amounts on their website in late December or early January. They also send notices to active claimants.

That's good to know for future reference. Hopefully I won't need to use unemployment again after this claim.

Same here! But it's good to understand how the system works just in case.

Yeah, I've heard some states cap weekly benefits much lower. Washington is actually pretty generous comparatively.

True, though getting through to actually claim those benefits is still a nightmare. Thank goodness for services like Claimyr that help with the phone issues.

Glad this thread was helpful! One thing I'd add is to make sure you keep detailed records of your benefit calculations and any correspondence with Washington ESD. If there are discrepancies later, having documentation makes the appeals process much smoother. Also, don't forget to report any part-time work earnings promptly - even small amounts can affect your weekly benefits due to that earnings disregard threshold mentioned earlier.