Washington ESD unemployment approved when do i get paid - how long does it take?

Usually takes 2-3 business days for direct deposit once it shows 'paid' status. If you filed on paper it can take up to a week. Check your payment history section to see if there's a date listed.

Thanks! I see the payment date is listed as today so hopefully it hits my account by Wednesday.

mine took 4 days last time even with direct deposit, don't panic if it's not there Wednesday

Did you get paid for all the weeks you were waiting or just going forward? I'm worried about back pay from when my claim was stuck.

Good question - I see payments for 3 of the 4 weeks I was waiting but one week is missing. Not sure what happened there.

You might need to call Washington ESD about the missing week. Sometimes they require additional verification for certain weeks during adjudication periods.

Ugh I've been trying to call them about my claim for WEEKS and can never get through. The phone system is absolutely terrible - either busy signal or it hangs up on you after waiting forever.

I had the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr that calls for you. You just give them your info and they get you connected to an actual person at Washington ESD. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Really? That sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?

I used claimyr.com and it was worth every penny. Got through to Washington ESD in like 20 minutes instead of spending hours trying myself.

Make sure your bank account information is correct in your Washington ESD profile. I had to update mine after switching banks and it delayed my first payment by a week.

Good point - I double checked and my routing number is right. Hopefully that's not the issue.

How do you update bank info? I need to change mine but can't find where to do it in the online system.

Log into your SecureAccess Washington account, go to Unemployment Services, then look for 'Change Payment Method' under account settings.

I'm still waiting for my approval after 6 weeks in adjudication. This is ridiculous. Did you have to do anything special to get yours approved?

Nothing special - it just randomly changed status yesterday. I think they're just really backed up right now.

6 weeks is crazy long even for Washington ESD. You should definitely call them or file an inquiry.

I've tried calling so many times but never get through. Maybe I'll try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned above.

For future reference, Washington ESD typically processes payments on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So if your claim was approved on a Wednesday, you might not see payment until the following Tuesday processing cycle.

I didn't know they had specific processing days. That explains why my payment seemed to take forever when I got approved on a Friday.

That makes sense since mine was approved Tuesday and shows paid same day. Hopefully it processes in tomorrow's cycle.

Does anyone know if the payment includes the waiting week? I'm confused about whether I get paid for that first week or not.

No, you don't get paid for the waiting week. That's standard for Washington unemployment - first week is unpaid but subsequent weeks are covered.

Thanks for clarifying! I was wondering why my payment amount seemed lower than expected.

just got my payment this morning after it showed paid yesterday so yeah about 24 hours for direct deposit in my experience

Awesome! That gives me hope I'll see mine today or tomorrow.

Lucky you - I'm still waiting for my claim to even get out of adjudication. This whole system is so frustrating.

Pro tip: set up text alerts in your Washington ESD account so you get notified when payments are processed. Saves you from constantly checking the website.

How do you set that up? I don't see text alert options in my account.

Go to account preferences and look for notification settings. You can choose email or text for various updates including payment notifications.

Mine took 3 business days with direct deposit but my friend who uses the debit card got hers the next day. Might be worth switching to the WA Way2Go card if you need faster access.

I thought about the debit card but heard there are fees associated with it?

Yeah there are some fees but if you need the money faster it might be worth it. Plus you get one free withdrawal per payment.

Direct deposit is usually the most cost-effective option even if it takes an extra day or two.

Does the payment show up as Washington ESD on your bank statement? Trying to figure out what to look for.

mine shows up as 'WA UNEMPLOYMENT' on my bank statement

Good to know what to watch for. I'll keep checking my account for that.

Wait, do you have to keep filing weekly claims even after you're approved? I'm confused about what happens next.

Yes, you must continue filing weekly claims every week to receive payments. Being approved just means you're eligible - you still need to certify each week that you're able, available, and actively seeking work.

Oh okay that makes sense. I was wondering why I got an email reminder to file this week.

My cousin went through this same thing last month and had to wait 5 days for direct deposit. She was freaking out thinking something went wrong but it eventually showed up.

That's reassuring to hear. I'm trying not to panic but really need this money soon.

At least yours is approved! Still waiting for any movement on mine.

UPDATE: I tried that Claimyr service and actually got through to Washington ESD! The agent was able to explain why my claim was taking so long and what documents I still needed to submit. Definitely recommend it if you're stuck.

Glad it worked for you! It's such a relief when you can actually talk to a real person instead of being stuck in phone hell.

I'm definitely going to try this. Six weeks of waiting is insane.

Check your junk/spam folder too - sometimes the payment notification emails end up there

Good thinking! I don't see any emails yet but I'll keep checking.

Quick question - does the payment amount include state taxes taken out or is that separate?

You can choose to have taxes withheld when you set up your claim. If you elected tax withholding, it's already deducted from your payment amount. If not, you'll owe taxes when you file your return.

Thanks! I think I chose to have taxes taken out so the amount I see should be what I actually receive.

Banks have different processing times too. My credit union posts direct deposits at midnight but my friend's big bank doesn't post until like 6am.

That's a good point - I'm with a smaller bank so maybe they'll post it faster.

update: OP did you get your payment yet? just curious since we had similar timing

Not yet but it's only been one business day. I'll give it until tomorrow before I start worrying.

Make sure you didn't miss any identity verification steps. Sometimes they approve the claim but hold payment for additional verification.

I don't see any pending actions in my account and no messages about verification, so I think I'm all set.

If there were ID verification issues, it would show up in your to-do list on the Washington ESD website.

Congrats on getting approved! The waiting is the worst part but once you're in the system payments are usually pretty reliable.

Thank you! Yeah the waiting was stressful but I'm hopeful things will be smoother going forward.

Final update: Used Claimyr and got connected to Washington ESD within 30 minutes. Turns out they needed an additional form from my employer that I didn't know about. Agent said my claim should be approved within a week now that they have everything. Thanks for the recommendation!

Awesome! So glad it worked out for you too. Amazing what a difference it makes when you can actually talk to someone who knows what's going on.

That's exactly what happened to me - there was some missing paperwork I had no idea about. Claimyr definitely earned their fee by getting me connected.

For anyone still waiting on payments, I just wanted to share that mine finally hit my account this morning - exactly 48 hours after showing "paid" status. So the 2-3 business day timeline seems pretty accurate for direct deposit. Also got the missing week payment too after calling Washington ESD yesterday (used that Claimyr service everyone mentioned and it really does work). Hang in there everyone!