Washington ESD fractional unemployment benefits - how does partial work affect my claim?

Wait, so I can earn $487 AND still get some unemployment? That seems too good to be true. Are you sure about this?

Yes, but you still need to report ALL earnings on your weekly claim. Washington ESD will calculate the reduction automatically in their system.

What happens if you forget to report earnings one week? I'm scared I'll mess something up and have to pay back benefits.

If you forget to report earnings, you could end up with an overpayment. Always better to report everything and let Washington ESD do the calculations.

Same here! The phone system is absolutely terrible. I needed to talk to someone about my fractional benefits calculation and couldn't get through for weeks.

I actually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to a Washington ESD agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Finally got my questions answered about partial benefits.

That's not accurate at all. Fractional unemployment is designed to encourage people to take part-time work while still providing some financial support. It's actually a good program when you understand how it works.

I disagree with the previous comment. Fractional benefits helped me transition back to full-time work gradually. It made a huge difference in my finances.

Do I need to tell my new employer that I'm collecting partial unemployment benefits? I don't want them to think I'm taking advantage of the system.

You don't have to tell them about your unemployment benefits, but they will be reporting your wages to Washington ESD anyway through their quarterly reporting.

You report earnings for the week you actually worked, not when you get paid. So if you worked Monday-Wednesday, report those earnings on the weekly claim for that week.

This is super important! I reported my earnings on the wrong week once and it created a huge mess with my benefits calculation.

That's smart about keeping screenshots. I lost track of what I reported one week and couldn't figure out why my benefit amount was different than expected.

Exactly! Washington ESD's online system doesn't always make it easy to go back and see what you reported previously.

Yes, each week you claim partial benefits counts toward your benefit year, regardless of how much you receive. So if you're entitled to 26 weeks of benefits, working part-time for 10 weeks means you have 16 weeks left.

That seems unfair but I guess it makes sense. You're still receiving some benefits during those weeks.

I feel this so much! My retail job gives me different hours every week and my partial benefits are all over the place.

Have you tried asking for more consistent hours? Some employers are willing to work with you if they know you're trying to manage unemployment benefits.

Temp agencies are the worst for this! Mine took 3 weeks to report my wages and Washington ESD flagged my account for a potential overpayment.

When I had issues with wage reporting delays, I used Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD and explain the situation. The agent was able to make notes on my account about the temp agency delay.

Generally yes, you still need to meet job search requirements unless your part-time work is expected to lead to full-time employment with the same employer. Check with Washington ESD about your specific situation.

I was told by a Washington ESD agent that if you're working more than 20 hours per week, you might not need to do job searches, but definitely confirm this for your situation.

This is so true! I got my current full-time job partially because I had been working part-time while on unemployment. Showed I was motivated and had recent experience.

Great point. Plus you're keeping your skills sharp instead of sitting at home for months.

Ugh, taxes. I didn't think about this. Should I be setting aside money for taxes on both the unemployment benefits and the part-time work?

Definitely set aside money for taxes, especially if you're not having taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits. It can add up quickly.

Yes, you need to report all gig work earnings, but it can be more complicated since the income varies so much. You report gross earnings before expenses.

Gig work with unemployment benefits is tricky. I had to call Washington ESD multiple times to get clarification on how to report my Instacart earnings properly.

This happened to me! Turned out there was an issue with how my employer reported my wages. Took weeks to sort out because I couldn't get through to Washington ESD by phone.

When I couldn't reach Washington ESD about my stopped benefits, I used Claimyr to get through to an agent. Found out there was a wage discrepancy that needed to be resolved. The service saved me weeks of trying to call.

Good point! Health insurance through a part-time job might be worth more than the extra unemployment benefits you'd get from working fewer hours.

This is exactly the kind of calculation I needed help with. Wish there was better guidance from Washington ESD on how to evaluate these decisions.

Thanks everyone for all the advice! I feel much more confident about taking this part-time job now. Going to report everything accurately and see how it goes.

Best of luck! Fractional unemployment really can be a good bridge back to full-time employment when used properly.