Laid off from Microsoft: When to file ESD claim with severance and continued paychecks?
Just got laid off from Zenitech last week (7/16/2025) but my situation is a bit complicated. I'll keep getting regular paychecks until 9/12 plus there's a lump sum severance package hitting my account around 9/30. I'm totally confused about WHEN I should actually file my unemployment claim with ESD. Should I: 1) File now and report the paychecks as income each week? 2) Wait until my last regular paycheck (9/12)? 3) Wait until after the severance payment hits (9/30)? I've never been on unemployment before and I'm worried about messing up the timing. Does the severance count differently than regular paychecks? Will waiting to file mean I lose potential benefits? Any help from folks who've navigated this would be SUPER appreciated!
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GalaxyGlider
Sorry about the layoff. I went through this last year with Amazon. You should actually file your initial claim right away, but report your continued paychecks as income during your weekly claims. This establishes your claim earlier (important for your benefit year) but you likely won't receive payments until your regular paychecks stop. The severance will also need to be reported when you receive it, which might temporarily reduce your benefit amount for that week. DON'T wait to file - you could potentially lose money if you delay.
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Jamal Harris
•Thanks for the quick reply! So even though I won't get payments until my paychecks stop, there's a benefit to filing now? I'm worried about doing something wrong and then having to repay ESD later or something. Does severance impact eligibility differently than regular pay?
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Mei Wong
Adding to what the previous commenter said - yes, file your initial claim immediately! The system is designed to handle situations like yours. Your benefit year begins when you file, not when payments start. When reporting income on weekly claims, make sure you report the gross amount (before deductions). Regarding severance: ESD treats lump sum severance as income for the week you receive it. So when you get that payment on 9/30, you'll report it on that week's claim. If it exceeds your weekly benefit amount, you just won't get benefits that week, but your claim stays active. The UI handbook explains this pretty well, but their site can be confusing. And you're smart to ask now instead of waiting!
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Liam Sullivan
i got laid off from boeing in janiary and waited 2 file my claim. BIG MISTAKE!!!! lost out on like 3 weeks of benefets. file right away and just tell them what ur getting paid each week. the sevrance only counts for the week u get it.
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Jamal Harris
•Oh wow, that's good to know! I definitely don't want to lose weeks of benefits. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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Amara Okafor
This might be a dumb question, but does working at Microsoft (oops, you said Zenitech) affect unemployment differently? Like do tech workers get treated differently or have different rules? I've heard rumors that tech companies fight unemployment claims...
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Mei Wong
•Not a dumb question! No, tech workers don't have different unemployment rules - the same ESD regulations apply regardless of industry. And while companies can contest claims in cases where they believe the employee was fired for misconduct, layoffs are almost always qualifying events for unemployment benefits. Tech companies are no more likely to fight legitimate claims than any other type of employer.
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Giovanni Colombo
I'm going to disagree with everyone here. You should ABSOLUTELY wait until your severance ends to file anything with ESD. My brother-in-law filed while still getting severance and they denied his claim completely and said he had to reapply. The whole system is designed to deny you benefits - the less they pay out, the more they keep. Don't trust the system!!! Wait until all money stops flowing then file.
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GalaxyGlider
•That's not accurate information. Your brother-in-law's situation was likely unique or involved other issues. The official ESD guidance is to file as soon as you're laid off, even if you're receiving severance. Waiting can result in lost benefits because you can only backdate a claim by a limited amount of time. The system isn't perfect, but giving incorrect advice can cause people to lose money they're entitled to.
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Giovanni Colombo
•Well my BIL followed the "official guidance" and got DENIED. So explain that! ESD is just another govt agency designed to make things complicated. I stand by what I said.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
I used to work for ESD (quit last year), and I can tell you the official procedure: File your initial claim immediately after layoff. You establish your benefit year from that date. Report all earnings during weekly claims (including severance when you receive it). You won't receive benefits for weeks where your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, but your claim remains active. Waiting to file is almost NEVER the right move and could cost you money. If your BIL (referring to previous comment) was denied, it was likely for reasons other than receiving severance. Also, FYI - you'll need to complete three job search activities each week once you start claiming, even during weeks you're still receiving regular pay.
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Jamal Harris
•Thank you so much for this! It's really helpful to hear from someone who worked at ESD. Just to clarify - I need to do three job search activities even during weeks when I'm still getting regular paychecks? That seems odd since I technically won't be getting unemployment payments during those weeks, right?
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•Yes, you need to complete and document three job search activities for every week you claim, even if you won't receive benefits for those weeks due to your earnings. The system requires you to maintain eligibility by actively seeking work. If you skip the job search requirements, you could be disqualified when you would otherwise start receiving payments. It does seem counterintuitive, but that's how the system works!
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StarStrider
Has anyone had success actually REACHING ESD to ask these kinds of questions directly? I tried calling them about a similar situation last month and spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. Then tried their message system and never got a response. It's so frustrating!!
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Jamal Harris
•I haven't tried calling yet but was planning to... sounds like it might be a nightmare though!
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Dylan Campbell
•I had the same experience trying to get through to ESD about my claim last month - complete nightmare. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an ESD agent in about 25 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Totally worth it for me because I needed to ask specific questions about my situation that online info couldn't answer. The ESD agent I finally spoke with was actually really helpful once I got through!
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Jamal Harris
Thanks everyone for the advice! I think I'm going to file my initial claim this week and then report my ongoing paychecks. Seems like the consensus is that establishing the claim early is important even if I won't get benefits right away. And I'll make sure to start recording job search activities right away too.
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GalaxyGlider
•Smart decision! Just remember to report ALL income (gross, not net) on your weekly claims. And save documentation of your job search activities - ESD does random audits where they ask for proof of your job search efforts. Good luck with everything!
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Liam Sullivan
hey also dont 4get that u have to SKIP filing for the week when u get that lump severence if its more than ur weekly benefit. my friend did it wrong n now has to payback like $800 to esd!!!
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•That's not correct advice. You should NOT skip filing for any week - you always file your weekly claim and report ALL income received that week. If your income exceeds your benefit amount, the system will automatically not pay you benefits for that week, but your claim stays active. Skipping weeks can cause problems with your claim and potentially lead to gaps in your benefit eligibility.
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