Should I stop filing for ESD after getting part-time job that pays less than my benefits?
I finally landed a part-time position after months of searching (small victory!). Problem is, I'm actually earning less per week at this job than what I get from my unemployment benefits. I'm sticking with the job anyway because I'm hoping it turns into full-time work soon. My question is: Do I need to formally close my unemployment claim somehow, or can I just stop filing my weekly claims? Is there an official process for ending benefits when you get work, even if it's part-time? I don't want to create problems with ESD later by doing this wrong.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
Don't just stop filing! You need to report your part-time earnings each week and let the system calculate if you're still eligible for partial benefits. Log into your eServices account, file your weekly claim, and report ALL hours worked and wages earned (even if you haven't been paid yet). The system will automatically determine if you're eligible for partial benefits based on your earnings. This is called "partial unemployment" and many people don't realize they might still qualify for some benefits while working part-time.
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Melody Miles
•Oh wow, I had no idea I could still get partial benefits. So I should just keep filing my weekly claims and report my new income? How do they calculate how much I'll still get?
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Eva St. Cyr
congrats on the new job! i think u just stop filing weekly claims when u don't need benefits anymore. that's what i did
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Kristian Bishop
•Actually, this isn't the best approach. You should properly report your new employment rather than just stop filing. If you simply stop filing without explanation, ESD might flag your account for investigation later, especially if you need to reopen your claim in the future. It's always better to properly close things out with ESD.
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Kaitlyn Otto
I was in EXACTLY your situation last year! You definitely need to report your part-time income each week. ESD uses a formula where they deduct a percentage of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. If your part-time job pays significantly less than your benefits, you'll probably still get some money from ESD! The formula is something like: If you earn less than 75% of your weekly benefit amount, you get the difference (after some calculations). KEEP FILING! Don't leave free money on the table!
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Axel Far
•yeah but sometimes its a pain to keep filing just for a small amount. my weekly benefit was $650 and when i started working part time i was only getting like $150 from esd after deductions. was almost not worth the hassle
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Jasmine Hernandez
I tried calling ESD last month about this exact same situation but got stuck in their phone system for 2 hours before getting disconnected. So frustrating! Anyone know a better way to reach an actual human at ESD? I have questions about my specific situation that the website doesn't answer.
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Luis Johnson
•I was having the same problem getting through to ESD until I tried using Claimyr. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an ESD agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It was totally worth it for getting my partial benefits questions answered since the online info was confusing for my situation.
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Kaitlyn Otto
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you start working full-time (even if it pays less than your benefits), you'll become ineligible for ANY unemployment, so at that point you should indicate that on your last weekly claim. The system will ask if you're working full-time now, and you'd select "yes" which will end your claim properly. But for part-time work, definitely keep filing and reporting your earnings! The formula ESD uses is: They subtract 75% of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $500 and you earn $300, they deduct $225 (75% of $300) from your $500, leaving you with $275 in partial unemployment benefits!
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Melody Miles
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! This makes perfect sense now. I'll definitely keep filing my weekly claims and report my part-time income accurately. My weekly benefit is $650 and I'm only making about $400 at the part-time job, so sounds like I'll still get some help while I work toward full-time.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
One more thing to be aware of - make sure you're still doing your required job search activities each week (3 job search activities) even while working part-time. Many people forget this step and end up having benefits denied. You're still required to look for full-time work while collecting partial benefits.
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Melody Miles
•Thank you for the reminder! I'll make sure to keep doing my 3 job search activities each week. I'm actually already applying to full-time positions at the same company, so I guess those would count toward my job search requirements.
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