Washington ESD deadline - how long do you have to file unemployment after termination?

You technically have up to one year from when you became unemployed to file your initial claim, but you should definitely file as soon as possible. The reason is that your benefit year starts from the date you file, not from when you were terminated. So if you wait weeks to file, you're essentially losing those weeks of potential benefits.

File ASAP! I made the mistake of waiting 2 weeks after my termination thinking I needed to get all my paperwork together first. Turns out Washington ESD doesn't backdate claims except in very specific circumstances. Those 2 weeks of benefits were just gone.

The one-year deadline is correct, but there's also a practical consideration - your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on wages from a specific base period. If you wait too long to file, you might end up in a different base period that could result in lower benefits. Plus, you have to file weekly claims to get paid, so delaying your initial claim just delays everything.

I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for days to ask about this exact question but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a way to actually get through to talk to someone? I've called like 50 times this week.

Just want to add that even though you have up to a year, if you're claiming benefits for a week, you need to file your weekly claim within 4 weeks of that week ending. So if you file your initial claim late, you can't go back and claim benefits for weeks that are more than 4 weeks old.

I waited 6 months to file because I thought I'd find another job quickly. Big mistake. Not only did I lose all those weeks of potential benefits, but when I finally did file, my claim got held up in adjudication for weeks because they had to verify my employment history from so long ago.

The Washington ESD website says to file within the first week after becoming unemployed for best results. I filed the day after I got laid off and my claim was processed pretty quickly - took about 10 days to get my first payment.

wait can someone clarify something for me? i got fired last month but i thought i had to wait for my final paycheck and stuff before filing. was that wrong??

Pro tip: file online at esd.wa.gov rather than trying to call. The online system is available 24/7 and you can get your claim started immediately. I filed at like 2am when I couldn't sleep after getting laid off.

I'm a little confused about something - if you file right away but you got severance pay, do you still get unemployment benefits? I got 2 weeks severance and I'm not sure how that affects things.

This thread is really helpful. I got terminated 3 days ago and was stressing about when to file. Sounds like the answer is 'immediately' - wish I had known this sooner!

One thing nobody mentioned - make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history ready when you file. The online application asks for a lot of information about your previous employers. Having everything ready makes the process much smoother.

THE SYSTEM IS SO MESSED UP! Why don't they make this information clearer on their website? I've been unemployed for a month thinking I had to wait for some kind of paperwork from my employer. This is ridiculous!

For anyone reading this who just got laid off - seriously, file your claim TODAY. Don't wait, don't overthink it, just do it. I learned this the hard way by waiting 2 weeks and losing those benefits forever.

Quick question - if you get fired on a Friday, do you wait until Monday to file or can you file over the weekend? Does it matter?

I had to use Claimyr to get through to ESD when I had questions about my claim timing. The wait times to talk to someone are insane otherwise. Really glad I found that service when someone mentioned it in a thread like this.

Thanks for all this info everyone. I feel much better about filing my claim now. Going to do it today and stop worrying about whether I'm doing it at the right time.

PSA for anyone else who finds this thread: the key takeaway is FILE IMMEDIATELY after job loss. Don't wait for paperwork, don't wait for severance, don't wait for anything. The sooner you file, the sooner you can start receiving benefits.

Update: I filed my claim right after reading this thread and got confirmation that it's been submitted. Feeling much better now that I didn't wait any longer. Thanks everyone for the advice!

This was super helpful. I'm sharing this thread with my friend who just got laid off yesterday. She was planning to wait until next week to file but now she knows better!