Washington ESD how to calculate unemployment benefit amount - need help with the math

Washington ESD uses your highest quarter earnings divided by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. So if your highest quarter was $18,500, that would be $18,500 ÷ 26 = $711 per week. But there's also a maximum weekly benefit amount that changes each year - for 2025 I think it's around $999 per week.

wait i thought it was divided by 13 weeks not 26? that doesn't sound right to me

Just went through this calculation myself last month. The formula is correct - highest quarter divided by 26. But keep in mind Washington ESD also looks at your base period which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. If you haven't worked much recently, your base period might be different than you think.

I had so much trouble reaching Washington ESD to get my benefit calculation confirmed. Kept calling the main number and getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Worth checking out if you need to talk to someone about your specific calculation.

WASHINGTON ESD MAKES THIS SO COMPLICATED ON PURPOSE!!! Why can't they just put a simple calculator on their website like other states do?? I spent hours trying to figure this out and the online estimator they have barely works.

Here's another important thing - your total benefit amount is calculated differently than your weekly amount. Your total benefit amount is your highest quarter earnings divided by 4, up to a maximum of 26 times your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly is $711, your maximum total would be $711 × 26 = $18,486.

Don't forget about taxes! Washington unemployment benefits are subject to federal income tax. You can choose to have 10% withheld or pay at tax time.

what if you worked in multiple states? does that affect the calculation?

I'm confused about the quarters. Are we talking calendar quarters or some other kind of quarters?

Update: I tried calling Washington ESD to confirm my calculation and couldn't get through. Going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Will report back if it works.

One more thing to consider - if you had a really good quarter but then your income dropped significantly, make sure all your wages are properly reported to Washington ESD. Sometimes employers don't report quarterly wages correctly.

be careful about working part time while collecting benefits. they reduce your weekly amount dollar for dollar after the first $5 you earn

I went through this whole calculation process and then found out I didn't qualify because I was self-employed. Make sure you actually qualify for regular unemployment before doing all this math!

For anyone still confused about the base period calculation, Washington ESD has a specific chart on their website showing which quarters count depending on when you file. It's actually pretty helpful once you find it.

Just want to add that if your highest quarter calculation gives you less than the minimum weekly benefit ($295), you might not qualify at all. You need to have earned enough in your base period.

Update on the Claimyr service: It worked! Got through to a Washington ESD rep in about 20 minutes and she confirmed my calculation was correct. My weekly benefit amount will be $711. Definitely worth it after weeks of trying to call on my own.

don't forget you have to file your weekly claims every week even if you haven't heard back about your initial claim yet. learned that the hard way and lost 2 weeks of benefits

The calculation seems straightforward but Washington ESD's system is so slow. Took them 3 weeks to process my initial claim even though I had all my information correct.

Final tip for everyone: once you know your weekly benefit amount, you can estimate how long your benefits will last by dividing your total benefit amount by your weekly amount. Usually works out to about 26 weeks if you don't work at all during that time.

This thread was super helpful! I was completely confused about the calculation before reading through all these comments. Thanks everyone!