Washington ESD - How to get max unemployment benefits amount?
I'm filing for unemployment for the first time after getting laid off from my tech job last month. I was making $95k annually and I want to make sure I'm getting the maximum weekly benefit amount possible from Washington ESD. I've heard there's a formula they use but I can't figure out how it works exactly. Does anyone know what the current max weekly benefit is and what salary you need to qualify for it? Also wondering if there are any strategies to maximize what you can get - like should I include bonuses or overtime in my base period earnings?
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Butch Sledgehammer
The maximum weekly benefit amount for Washington ESD in 2025 is $999 per week. To qualify for the max, you need to have earned at least $25,974 in your highest quarter during your base period. The formula is pretty straightforward - they take your two highest quarters from your base period, divide by 26, and that's your weekly benefit amount up to the maximum.
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Sara Unger
•Thanks! So if I made $95k last year, I should definitely qualify for the max then right? Do I need to do anything special when filing to make sure they calculate it correctly?
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Butch Sledgehammer
•Yeah you should easily qualify. Just make sure all your employers are correctly listed in your claim and that your wages show up properly in the system. Washington ESD pulls this info automatically from employer reports.
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Freya Ross
I had the same question when I filed last year. One thing to keep in mind is that bonuses and overtime DO count toward your base period earnings, so make sure those are included. Also, if you worked for multiple employers during your base period, all of those wages get combined for the calculation.
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Sara Unger
•Good to know about bonuses! I got a pretty big year-end bonus in December that should help boost my quarterly earnings.
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Leslie Parker
•Wait, I thought bonuses were taxed differently - does that affect how they count for unemployment?
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Freya Ross
•Doesn't matter how they're taxed, it's all reported as wages to Washington ESD by your employer.
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Sergio Neal
You might want to use Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD if you have questions about your benefit calculation. I used it last month when my weekly amount seemed wrong and was able to talk to someone within an hour instead of spending days trying to call. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and their website is claimyr.com. Really saved me a lot of frustration.
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Savanna Franklin
•Never heard of this service before - is it legit? How much does it cost?
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Sergio Neal
•Yeah it's totally legit, they just help you get through the phone queue faster. I don't remember the exact cost but it was worth it to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD without waiting on hold for hours.
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Juan Moreno
MAKE SURE your base period is calculated correctly!!! I almost got screwed because Washington ESD was missing wages from one of my employers. Had to file a wage protest and provide pay stubs to get it fixed. Check your monetary determination letter carefully when you get it.
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Sara Unger
•How do I know if wages are missing? Is there a way to check before I file?
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Juan Moreno
•Log into your SecureAccess Washington account and look at your wage history. It should show all your employers and quarterly wages. If something's missing, contact them ASAP.
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Amy Fleming
•This happened to my friend too. Took like 3 weeks to get it sorted out and delayed her first payment.
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Leslie Parker
Just curious - what happens if you made more than $95k? Like if someone was making $150k, do they still only get the $999 max or is there some other calculation?
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Butch Sledgehammer
•$999 is the absolute maximum no matter how much you made. That's the cap set by state law.
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Leslie Parker
•Damn, that seems pretty low for high earners. $999 a week is only like $52k annually.
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Alice Pierce
•Yeah unemployment isn't meant to replace your full salary, just provide temporary assistance while you look for work.
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Savanna Franklin
One thing nobody mentioned - your base period matters a lot. It's not just your last year of work, it's the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file. So depending on when you file, you might be missing your most recent high-earning quarter.
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Sara Unger
•Wait what? So if I file now in January, does that mean my Q4 2024 earnings wouldn't count?
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Savanna Franklin
•Exactly. Your base period would be Q3 2023 through Q2 2024. There's something called alternate base period that might include more recent quarters but you have to qualify for that separately.
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Esteban Tate
•This is so confusing... why can't they just use your last 12 months of earnings?
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Ivanna St. Pierre
I'm dealing with this exact issue right now. My benefit amount was way lower than expected and when I called Washington ESD (after trying Claimyr to get through), they told me I could request alternate base period calculation. Apparently if your regular base period doesn't give you enough to qualify or gives you a lower amount, they can use the last four completed quarters instead.
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Sara Unger
•How do you request that? Is it something you do when you first file or after?
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•I had to call and specifically ask for it. They don't automatically check if you'd qualify for a higher amount with alternate base period.
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Elin Robinson
Also keep in mind that even if you qualify for max benefits, you still have to meet all the other requirements - available for work, actively seeking work, etc. The job search requirements are pretty strict now.
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Sara Unger
•Yeah I heard about that. How many job contacts do you need per week?
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Elin Robinson
•Minimum 3 per week, but they have to be actual applications or interviews, not just browsing job sites.
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Atticus Domingo
•And you have to keep a detailed log of all your job search activities in case they audit you.
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Beth Ford
Pro tip: if you're getting severance pay, that might affect when you can start collecting benefits. Washington ESD considers severance as wages so you might have a waiting period before your benefits kick in.
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Sara Unger
•I am getting severance... it's spread over 8 weeks. Does that mean I can't collect unemployment for 8 weeks?
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Beth Ford
•It depends on how much the weekly severance amount is. If it's more than your weekly benefit amount, then yeah you'd have to wait. You should definitely call Washington ESD to clarify your specific situation.
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Sergio Neal
This is exactly why I recommend Claimyr for these kinds of questions. The Washington ESD website doesn't explain all these nuances very well and getting through on the phone normally is such a pain. When I had questions about my severance affecting my benefits, I used their service and got answers the same day.
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Morita Montoya
•I'm skeptical of paying for a service to call a government agency... isn't that what our tax dollars are supposed to cover?
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Sergio Neal
•I mean yeah ideally, but when you can't get through for days or weeks, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. At least with Claimyr I actually got to talk to a real Washington ESD person.
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Kingston Bellamy
Don't forget you can also check if you qualify for the additional $25 per week if you have dependents. It's not much but every little bit helps when you're unemployed.
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Sara Unger
•I don't have kids but I do help support my elderly mom. Would that qualify as a dependent?
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Kingston Bellamy
•I think it has to be dependent children under 18 or disabled adult children. Supporting parents doesn't count unfortunately.
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Joy Olmedo
Just wanted to add that your weekly benefit amount stays the same for your entire benefit year, even if you get a part-time job or something changes. So it's worth making sure it's calculated correctly from the start.
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Isaiah Cross
•What if you work part-time while collecting? Do they reduce your benefits?
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Joy Olmedo
•Yeah, they reduce it dollar for dollar for any amount over $5. So if you make $200 in a week, they'd subtract $195 from your weekly benefit.
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Kiara Greene
•That seems harsh... you'd think they'd want to encourage people to take some work.
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Evelyn Kelly
The whole system is set up to be confusing honestly. I've been through this twice now and both times I had to fight to get the correct benefit amount. First time they miscalculated my base period, second time they didn't include my commission earnings properly.
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Sara Unger
•How did you get it fixed? Did you have to appeal or just call them?
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Evelyn Kelly
•First time I had to file a formal wage protest with documentation. Second time I got lucky and the person I talked to was able to fix it over the phone. That's when I learned about services like Claimyr - would have saved me hours of trying to get through.
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Paloma Clark
Make sure you file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. There's no waiting period to file and you can't get benefits for weeks before you file, even if you were eligible.
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Sara Unger
•I was laid off December 15th but didn't file until this week. Did I lose out on benefits for those weeks?
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Paloma Clark
•Unfortunately yes, you can't get retroactive benefits for weeks before you filed your initial claim.
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Heather Tyson
•Ouch, that's gotta hurt during the holidays when money's already tight.
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