Washington ESD employment requirements - how long must you be employed to qualify for unemployment?

Washington ESD uses what's called a 'base period' to determine eligibility. You need to have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period. For most people filing now, that would be looking at your work history from April 2023 through March 2024. If you've only been working 4 months, you might not meet the minimum requirements yet.

I was in a similar situation last year. You need to have earned at least $1,500 in your highest quarter and have total earnings of at least $2,500 in the base period. The work history requirement is more about earnings than just time employed.

Honestly, trying to get through to Washington ESD to ask these questions is nearly impossible. I spent weeks trying to call them about my eligibility before I found out about Claimyr. It's a service that helps you actually get through to Washington ESD agents by phone - check out claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made all the difference for me when I needed to verify my work history.

The base period thing is confusing AF. I still don't really understand how they calculate it but I got approved after working for like 6 months at my previous job.

Before you apply, you should really understand the requirements. Washington ESD looks at your work history over a specific time period, not just how long you've been at your current job. The alternate base period uses the last four completed quarters instead of the first four of the last five. This can help people who started working more recently.

Wait, you might still qualify! If your hours are being cut to 10 per week, that could be considered a constructive dismissal or partial unemployment. Washington ESD has provisions for people whose hours get drastically reduced.

I'm dealing with something similar right now and I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. It really did help me get through to an actual Washington ESD representative instead of just getting busy signals all day. They were able to explain my specific situation and help me understand if I qualified.

The Washington ESD website has a tool where you can estimate your benefits eligibility before you apply. Might be worth checking that out first to see if you even qualify.

Ugh, I hate how complicated they make this whole process. Like, you lose your job or your hours get cut and then you have to figure out all these rules and calculations just to see if you can get help. It's ridiculous.

Just to clarify for OP - you need wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period AND you need to have earned at least $1,500 in your highest quarter. If you've only been working since September 2024, you likely only have wages in Q4 2024, which wouldn't meet the 2-quarter requirement.

Actually, wait - did you work anywhere else before this retail job? Even if it was a different type of work or just temporary, those wages might count toward your base period.

Here's another option - if your hours are being cut that drastically, you might want to look for another job first and then if you can't find one, you'll have more work history to qualify for UI later. Sometimes it's better to be proactive.

I went through this exact situation about a year ago. Started a job in August, hours got cut in December, and I didn't qualify for unemployment yet. Had to just tough it out until I had enough work history. It sucks but that's how the system works.

Don't give up yet! I'd still recommend trying to get through to Washington ESD to ask about your specific situation. Sometimes there are exceptions or special circumstances they can consider. That Claimyr thing people mentioned might actually be worth looking into if you're serious about getting answers.

Quick question - when you say your hours are being cut to 10 per week, is that permanent or temporary? If it's just a temporary reduction, you might want to wait it out before making any big decisions about applying for benefits.

The bottom line is that Washington ESD's eligibility requirements are pretty strict about work history. Four months of work probably isn't enough unless you had other qualifying employment before that. But definitely get official confirmation rather than just assuming.

One more thing to consider - if you do decide to apply for UI benefits later when you have more work history, make sure to keep good records of all your employment and wages. It makes the process much smoother.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. Sounds like I probably don't qualify yet but at least now I know what I need to work toward. I think I'll try that Claimyr service to get official confirmation from Washington ESD and then focus on finding additional work to build up my employment history.