Washington ESD: How long after quitting a job can you apply for unemployment benefits?

You can file for unemployment benefits in Washington at any time after becoming unemployed, there's no specific waiting period for when you can apply after quitting. However, the key issue is whether you have good cause for leaving. Reduced hours might qualify as good cause if it was a substantial reduction. You should file your claim as soon as possible though because benefits are only paid from the week you file your claim, not retroactively to when you became unemployed.

Just so you know the process can take a while especially if you quit. They'll probably put your claim into adjudication to review whether you had good cause. Mine took like 3 weeks to get resolved.

I had a similar situation last year and ended up using Claimyr to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD about my case. It was super helpful because trying to call them normally is impossible - you just get busy signals or hung up on. They have this service where they'll get you through to an actual agent, and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of stress because I could explain my situation directly instead of just waiting.

The Washington ESD website says you need to file within a reasonable time after becoming unemployed but they don't give a specific deadline. 6 weeks isn't too long, especially if you were looking for work during that time. Just make sure you have documentation about your hours being cut.

ugh the whole system is so confusing. I quit my job 2 months ago and still haven't figured out if I should even bother applying. seems like they make it impossible on purpose

File ASAP because like others said, you only get benefits from when you file, not when you became unemployed. I made the mistake of waiting a month to file and lost out on 4 weeks of benefits even though I was approved.

Washington ESD is pretty strict about voluntary quits. You'll need to prove the hour reduction made your job unsustainable. Calculate what your weekly pay was before vs after the cut - if it's below minimum wage equivalent for full time work that strengthens your case.

Just wanted to add that if your claim gets denied initially, don't give up! You can appeal and a lot of voluntary quit cases get overturned on appeal when people can explain their situation better. The initial reviewers sometimes just see 'quit' and automatically deny.

Make sure when you file that you emphasize this was a SUBSTANTIAL reduction in hours that made the job no longer viable. Washington ESD looks for specific language about why continuing employment was unreasonable.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I had issues with my adjudication taking forever. It actually worked really well - got connected to a Washington ESD rep who could look at my case and explain what was happening. Way better than just waiting and wondering.

Also FYI if you've been looking for work during these 6 weeks, make sure to mention that in your application. It shows you weren't just sitting around after quitting, you were actively trying to find new employment.

whatever you do don't mention anything about being fed up with the job or the manager when you file. stick to the facts about hours and pay reduction. they don't care about personality conflicts

Quick question - did your employer give any reason for cutting your hours or was it just sudden? If they said it was permanent vs temporary that might matter for your case.

Last thing - when you file make sure your reason for leaving is coded correctly. There should be an option for 'reduction in hours' or 'change in working conditions' rather than just 'voluntary quit'.

One more tip - if they do put your claim in adjudication and you need to talk to someone about the status, that Claimyr thing people mentioned actually works. I was skeptical at first but when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks, it was worth trying. Got answers about my case that I never would have gotten otherwise.

Just want to add that you should also keep records of any communications you had with your manager about the hour reduction - texts, emails, schedule changes, etc. Washington ESD will want to see a clear timeline of what happened. Also, when you file, be prepared for them to contact your former employer to verify your story, so make sure everything you report is accurate. The fact that you stuck it out for 2 months trying to make it work actually helps show you didn't just quit impulsively. Good luck with your application!