Washington ESD how long do I have to work to get unemployment benefits?

Thanks! So it's not really about how many months but about earning enough wages in different quarters?

Exactly. It's about having sufficient wage history across multiple quarters, not just working a certain number of months consecutively.

No, you need wages in at least two different quarters. If you only worked 3 months in one quarter, that wouldn't meet the requirement even if you made decent money.

oh man that sucks... guess i better keep this job longer than i planned

I had luck using claimyr.com when I needed to speak with someone at Washington ESD. They have a service that helps you get through to an actual agent instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Interesting, never heard of that before. Did it actually work for you?

Yeah, got connected within like 20 minutes instead of spending hours trying to call myself. Super helpful when you have specific questions about your eligibility.

Good point. I should probably look into what the job search requirements are too.

Yeah, you need to do at least 3 job search activities per week and keep a log of them. Washington ESD is pretty strict about that.

That's correct - you need total base period earnings of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter earnings. So if you made $4,000 in your best quarter, you'd need at least $6,000 total across all quarters in your base period.

Thanks for clarifying that! The Washington ESD eligibility rules are more complex than I initially thought.

Part-time work absolutely counts! It's all about the wages you earned, not how many hours per week you worked. As long as you meet the wage requirements across multiple quarters, you can qualify.

That's a relief. I've been working two part-time jobs for the past year so hopefully that adds up.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about. If I lose this job in like June, would I even qualify?

If you started in February 2025 and lost your job in June 2025, your base period would likely be Q4 2023 through Q3 2024. You'd need wages from previous employment during that timeframe to qualify.

Oh I see, so it's not about my current job but jobs I had before this one during that base period.

Tell me about it! And good luck getting someone on the phone to explain it to you.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I had eligibility questions. Way easier than trying to navigate the Washington ESD phone system myself.

Right, I wasn't planning to quit. Just want to know my options in case something happens.

Smart to plan ahead. There are some exceptions where you can quit and still get benefits, but they're pretty specific situations.

But don't file unless you're actually unemployed! Filing a fraudulent claim can get you in serious trouble.

Oh absolutely, I meant if and when you actually lose your job. Never file while you're still employed.

How do you figure out which quarters count for your base period?

When you file your claim, Washington ESD automatically calculates your base period. It's usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim effective date.

Yeah, and if you don't qualify under the regular base period, they might check an alternate base period using more recent quarters.

It's $1,096 in your highest quarter for 2025. That amount gets adjusted annually.

Close enough! Thanks for the exact number.

Good tip. I'll make sure to keep all my pay stubs organized.

Yeah, and keep track of any 1099 work too. That can count toward your wage requirements in some cases.

How much does something like that cost though?

It's worth it when you consider how much time you'd spend trying to call yourself. Plus they have that demo video so you can see exactly how it works before deciding.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! This gives me a much better understanding of how it all works.

Good luck with your new job! Hopefully you won't need to use any of this information.