Washington ESD earnings disregard for unemployment - how much can I earn while collecting benefits?

The earnings disregard in Washington is pretty straightforward once you understand it. You can earn up to 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction to your unemployment benefits. In your case with a $350 weekly benefit, you can earn about $116 per week with zero impact. After that, for every dollar you earn above the disregard amount, your benefits are reduced dollar-for-dollar. So if you're earning $200-250 weekly, you'll still get some unemployment but it will be significantly reduced.

I've been dealing with partial unemployment for months and the earnings disregard has been a lifesaver. The key thing to remember is you MUST report all your earnings on your weekly claim filing, even if it's just $20. Washington ESD will calculate the disregard automatically. Don't try to do the math yourself and not report income - they cross-reference with employers and you'll get hit with an overpayment.

this is so complicated why cant they just let you work without all this paperwork!! ive been trying to call washington esd for weeks to ask about this exact thing but cant get through to anyone. the phone just rings and rings or says high call volume try again later

One more question - does the earnings disregard apply to all types of work income? What about freelance work or gig economy jobs like DoorDash or Uber?

I wish I had known about earnings disregard when I first started collecting unemployment. I turned down several part-time opportunities thinking ANY work would disqualify me completely. The Washington ESD really needs to explain this better during the initial claim process.

Here's something important - if your part-time earnings plus your reduced unemployment benefits end up being less than your full unemployment amount, you might want to reconsider the job. Sometimes it's not worth it financially, especially when you factor in work expenses like gas and childcare.

The earnings disregard formula hasn't changed in years but I think Washington should increase it. 1/3 of your benefit amount is pretty low considering how expensive everything is now. Other states have higher disregard amounts.

Quick tip for anyone doing the earnings disregard calculation - always round DOWN when calculating your disregard amount. If your weekly benefit is $347, your disregard is $115 (347/3 = 115.67 rounded down). Washington ESD is very specific about this rounding rule.

Does anyone know if there are any plans to change the earnings disregard rules? I heard some legislators were talking about modifying unemployment policies but I don't know if earnings disregard was included.

Just want to emphasize again how important it is to report earnings accurately. I know someone who got a $5000 overpayment notice because they miscalculated their earnings disregard for several weeks. Washington ESD doesn't mess around with unreported income.

For anyone still struggling to reach Washington ESD about earnings questions, I second the recommendation for Claimyr. I used them last month when I had a complex earnings disregard situation and needed to speak with someone who understood the rules. Much better than spending entire days on hold.

The earnings disregard is actually pretty generous compared to other benefit programs. With SNAP you lose benefits much faster when you start working. At least with unemployment you get to keep some income protection while transitioning back to full employment.

One thing to watch out for - if you're getting close to exhausting your unemployment benefits, working part-time won't extend your benefit year. You'll still run out of benefits on the same date even if you're only collecting partial payments due to the earnings disregard.

Thanks everyone for all this information! I feel much more confident about starting my part-time job now. The earnings disregard rules make way more sense after reading through all these explanations.

Just to add another perspective - I've been using the earnings disregard for about 6 months now and it's been a game changer. Started with a small retail job making around $150/week while collecting $400 in unemployment benefits. The extra income really helps with groceries and gas while I continue looking for full-time work. The key is being consistent with reporting - I set a reminder on my phone every Sunday to file my weekly claim and always double-check my earnings calculation. It's become routine now and gives me peace of mind knowing I'm doing everything by the book.