Washington ESD - how much is unemployment benefits weekly payment amount?

That's way more than I expected! So if I made around $50k last year I could get close to $1000 a week?

Yeah, the weekly max keeps going up each year. You might qualify for the full amount depending on when you worked and your quarterly breakdown.

Different how? Higher or lower than the calculator predicted?

lower by about $80 a week, think it had to do with some part time work i did that messed up the calculation

This is super helpful, thank you! So recent income doesn't matter as much as what I made over a year ago?

Exactly. That's why some people are surprised when their benefit amount doesn't match their most recent paycheck. The base year calculation can work for or against you depending on your earnings pattern.

this is why i got screwed, was making good money recently but my base year was when i was working part time in college

I had the same frustration until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents by calling for you. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

I mean $999 a week is almost $52k a year, that's not terrible for temporary assistance

Try paying Seattle rent, car payment, insurance, groceries on that. It disappears fast.

better than nothing though, at least washington state has decent benefits compared to some places

Good point! So it's really about finding work within those 26 weeks.

Exactly. And you have to meet the job search requirements every week to keep getting benefits.

I tried that but wasn't sure which quarters to use. The base year thing is confusing.

Yeah the base year definition trips people up. It's not the most recent year, it's a specific 4-quarter period that ends before your claim starts.

Oh right, I forgot about taxes. Can you have them withhold federal taxes automatically?

yeah there's an option to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you certify weekly

I did get 2 weeks severance pay. Will that affect my claim?

Probably. They'll ask about any separation pay when you file. It might just delay your first payment rather than reduce the weekly amount.

How do you update your claim for the new maximum? Do you have to refile?

No, Washington ESD should automatically adjust existing claims to the new maximum if you qualify. But sometimes you need to contact them to make sure it gets updated.

How do you request a redetermination? Through the website or do you have to call?

You can do it online through your Washington ESD account or by phone. I had to provide pay stubs to prove the missing wages.

Did Claimyr actually help you get through? I'm considering trying it.

yeah it worked, took them about 2 hours but they got me connected to an agent who could look up my wage records

This is exactly the kind of example I needed! So it really depends on how your income was distributed throughout the year.

Right. Someone who made $50k but earned $20k in one quarter would get around $770 per week instead of $481.

The minimum helps people who had very low wages or limited work history in their base year.

Good to know there's a floor. Sounds like the system tries to be fair to different income levels.

So even if I qualify for $800/week, I might not get the full 26 weeks if my total base year wages weren't high enough?

Exactly. The weekly amount and total entitlement are calculated separately. Most people who qualify for high weekly amounts also have enough total entitlement for the full 26 weeks, but not always.

How long is adjudication taking these days? I'm worried about the wait time.

From what I've read on here, seems like 2-4 weeks is typical right now. Hopefully not longer.

If adjudication is taking too long, that's another good time to use something like Claimyr to reach an agent and check on status

That's good to know. So you can do some gig work or part-time and still collect most of your benefits?

Yeah, they encourage people to work part-time while job searching. Just have to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim.