Unexpected $700 ESD deposit after overpayment waiver - can't log in to see why

This happened to me back in January! The $700 is likely a refund of money you already paid toward your overpayment. When they approve a waiver, they not only forgive the remaining balance but also refund any amounts you've already paid on it. You should receive an official determination letter in the mail within a week explaining the waiver approval and refund. The timing sounds about right - waivers are taking 10-12 months to process right now. Congratulations, this is good news!

lucky! i applied for a waiver 14 months ago and havent heard anything. still paying $50 a month on my overpaymnet. how much was ur original overpayment amount if u dont mind me asking?

The login issue is probably unrelated to your waiver approval. ESD's system regularly has maintenance periods and technical issues. Try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then attempt to log in using a different browser. If that doesn't work, you can also check if your SAW (SecureAccess Washington) account is working properly - sometimes the issue is with SAW rather than the ESD portal itself. Regarding the deposit - this is standard procedure when a waiver is approved. They refund any payments you've made toward the overpayment. The actual determination letter explaining this is often delayed by 1-2 weeks after the refund is processed. I recommend not spending it until you receive official confirmation, but it's very likely legitimate based on your timeline.

thats weird they didnt send u a letter first... i got my waiver approved and got a letter 2 weeks before any $$ showed up. maybe check ur mail carefully? sometimes those ESD letters look like junk mail lol

I've had multiple issues with ESD's payment systems over the years and I'm convinced their whole process is designed to be confusing! The overpayment waiver system specifically is COMPLETELY broken. Some people hear back in 3 months, others wait 18+ months with no explanation for the difference. And don't get me started on their online account system - it's constantly breaking or showing incorrect information. My advice? CALL THEM immediately to get an explanation in writing about what this payment is for. Otherwise they might come back in 6 months claiming it was sent in error and demand it back with interest! I've seen it happen to others!!!

If you need to reach an ESD agent quickly to confirm what this payment is for, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was in a similar situation with an unexplained deposit and couldn't get through on the regular phone lines for weeks. Claimyr got me connected to an ESD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It was definitely worth it to get a clear explanation about my funds rather than stressing for weeks.

just fyi the ESD website has a message saying theyre doing system maintenance this week which might explain ur login issues. try again next monday maybe?

One more thing to check - log into your bank account and look at the ACH deposit details. Sometimes there's additional transaction information that can give you clues. My ESD refund had a transaction code that included "WAIVER" and a claim ID number in the details. Your bank might show similar information that could confirm what type of payment it is.

I tried using that Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked really well. Got through to ESD in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. The agent confirmed my waiver was approved and explained the whole refund process. Just wanted to update in case anyone else is struggling to get answers from ESD.

I'd recommend checking your spam folder for emails from ESD as well. They sometimes send electronic notifications about important account changes that get filtered out. Also, when you do receive your official determination letter, make sure to keep it in a safe place indefinitely. Overpayment waivers can sometimes be revisited years later during audits, so having documentation of the approval is important for your records.