Is unemployment based on income in Washington state?

So they don't just average all four quarters? That's good to know since my income varied a lot.

Wait I thought they used all four quarters? I'm so confused about this whole process.

Oh wow, I didn't know about the 680 hours option. That might actually work better for me since I worked a lot of hours at lower wages.

Yeah the earnings vs hours thing trips people up. If you're part-time but worked consistently, the hours route might qualify you even with lower total earnings.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's this service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much time!

Really? How does that work exactly? I'm desperate at this point.

Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you. When they get an agent on the line, they connect you. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on.

So with $28k total, I'm probably looking at the lower end of that range?

Probably around $400-500 weekly if that was spread across two good quarters, but it depends on how your earnings were distributed throughout the year.

Yes, that's about eligibility though, not the benefit amount calculation. If you're disqualified for quitting without good cause, you won't get benefits regardless of your earnings.

oh yeah true forgot about that part

How do you request that? My income was really low in the standard base period but I got a much better job recently.

You have to specifically ask for it when you file your claim. The alternate base period uses the most recent four quarters instead of leaving out the most recent one.

The idea is that unemployment partially replaces your lost wages, so it's proportional to what you were earning. It's insurance, not welfare.

I get that but it still feels unfair when you're struggling to pay rent

Yeah I feel you. My benefit barely covers my mortgage payment.

That's good to know! So if I get some part-time work I won't necessarily lose everything?

Right, but you have to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim. They'll reduce your benefit dollar for dollar for anything over that threshold.

How much did that service cost? I'm tempted to try it but money's tight.

It was worth it for me to finally get answers instead of wasting more time calling. They connected me within like 20 minutes.

Oh I only worked in Washington so that shouldn't be an issue for me.

Yeah the interstate thing is a whole other headache. Takes forever to get wage records from other states.

Good point, I should check that. One of my jobs was pretty disorganized with payroll.

Yeah if there are missing wages you can contact Washington ESD to get them corrected, but it takes time so better to catch it early.

There are some unofficial calculators online but they're not always accurate because the formulas can be complex with different scenarios.

I tried one of those calculators and it was way off from what I actually got approved for.

Ugh I forgot about taxes. So even unemployment gets taxed?

Yep, it's considered income by the IRS. You can have 10% withheld automatically when you set up your claim.

Glad we could help! The Washington ESD system is confusing but once you understand the basics it makes more sense.

Yeah this was really informative. I learned some things I didn't know about the calculation.