Washington ESD: How long can you collect unemployment for maximum benefit period?

In Washington state, regular unemployment insurance (UI) provides up to 26 weeks of benefits. This is standard for most people who qualify. The duration doesn't change based on how long you worked - as long as you meet the minimum earnings requirements, you get the full 26 weeks. However, you do need to actively search for work and file your weekly claims on time.

The 26 weeks is correct for regular UI benefits. But there can be extensions during high unemployment periods - these are called Extended Benefits (EB) and they're triggered when the state's unemployment rate hits certain thresholds. Right now there aren't any active extensions in Washington, but that could change if economic conditions worsen.

Just went through this myself. If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to ask questions about your claim duration or anything else, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.

ugh i've been on unemployment for like 20 weeks already and starting to panic about what happens when it runs out. the job market is still pretty rough in my field (hospitality). does anyone know if there's anything else after the 26 weeks?

Important thing to remember is that the 26 weeks starts from when you first filed your claim, not when you started receiving payments. So if you had any delays in processing or adjudication, that time still counts against your benefit year.

Let me clarify the timing: You have a 52-week benefit year from when you first filed. Within that year, you can collect up to 26 weeks of benefits. If you find work and then lose it again within that same benefit year, you can collect the remaining weeks (if any) without filing a new claim.

Pro tip: if you're getting close to exhausting your 26 weeks, make sure you're taking advantage of any training programs through WorkSourceWA. Some programs can help extend your benefits while you're learning new skills.

Just FYI the whole system is a mess. I've been trying to get answers about my benefit duration for weeks and can't get through to anyone at Washington ESD. The website is confusing and the phone lines are always busy. This is people's livelihoods we're talking about!

Does anyone know what happens if you move to another state while collecting Washington unemployment? Do you still get the full 26 weeks or does it transfer somehow?

Something to watch out for - if you work part-time while collecting unemployment, those earnings get deducted from your weekly benefit amount. But you can still collect for the full 26 weeks as long as you're earning less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5.

been collecting for 24 weeks now and getting nervous about the end. has anyone here actually hit the 26 week limit? what happens on week 27 - do they just cut you off or is there some kind of notice?

Quick question - if I used up 26 weeks of unemployment last year, can I file a new claim now that I'm laid off again? Or do I have to wait a certain amount of time?

For anyone wondering about the exact weekly amounts - the maximum weekly benefit in Washington is $999 per week in 2025, but most people get less than that. The 26 weeks applies regardless of how much your weekly amount is.

One thing that tripped me up was thinking vacation pay would extend my benefits. Nope - if your employer pays out vacation or severance, that gets deducted from your unemployment. The 26 weeks starts from your actual separation date, not when the vacation pay runs out.

Just want to add that if you're on standby and expecting to be called back to work, you still get the same 26 weeks. But if you turn down the callback, you could lose your benefits entirely.

This thread has been super helpful! I was stressing about only having 12 weeks left on my benefits, but now I understand the system better. Going to focus on the job search and maybe look into some of those training programs mentioned earlier.

Last thing - make sure you're filing your weekly claims on time even if you're not getting paid due to earnings. Missing a week can mess up your claim and you might lose that week permanently.