Washington ESD unemployment benefit amounts for 2025 - how much is unemployment worth now?

That's way more than I expected! So it's based on what I earned over the whole year, not just my last paycheck?

Exactly - they look at your highest earning quarter from your base year and use that to calculate your weekly benefit amount. It's not just your final salary.

OMG yes! I've been trying to call Washington ESD for three days straight and can't get through to a human. The automated system just hangs up on me after being on hold forever.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually get you connected to ESD agents without all the runaround. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration.

Wait, I thought it was only 24 weeks? Did they extend it again?

No, standard unemployment insurance in Washington has always been up to 26 weeks. You might be thinking of some other state or a different benefit program.

Good to know I have half a year to find something new. That takes some pressure off.

What counts as a job search activity? Just applying for jobs or other stuff too?

Applying for jobs, networking events, career fairs, even creating or updating your resume counts. You log it all in the WorkSourceWA system.

The calculator gives you an estimate but your actual benefit depends on your specific wage history. If your friend had gaps in employment or lower wages in their base year, that would affect their amount.

That makes sense. I guess I won't know for sure until I actually file the claim.

Wow, that's actually decent money. How long did it take for your first payment after you filed?

About 3 weeks total. Had to wait the one week waiting period, then it took another couple weeks for them to process everything.

Good tip! I'll file tomorrow then. My last day was Friday.

Yeah don't wait around thinking about it. The sooner you file the sooner you can start getting paid.

How do I know if my employer will contest it? It was a clear layoff due to budget cuts.

If it was a legitimate layoff you should be fine. Problems usually happen when there's confusion about whether someone quit or was fired.

If you do run into adjudication issues, that's another time when Claimyr can help you get through to ESD to check on the status. Way better than trying to call on your own.

Ugh I didn't think about taxes. Can I have them automatically deduct it?

Yes, you can elect to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claims. It's optional but saves you from a big tax bill later.

Yeah but cost of living here is also higher than most places, so it balances out somewhat.

True, rent alone eats up most of what you'd get from unemployment.

Yes, there's a one-week waiting period for regular unemployment insurance. You file for that first week but don't get paid for it.

OK so really it's more like 25 weeks of actual payments then.

Ha! I've been trying for days. Their phone system is a nightmare.

This is exactly why services like Claimyr exist. They handle all the calling hassle and get you connected to actual ESD staff when you need answers about your claim.

Might have to look into that if I can't get through the regular way.

Thanks everyone! This has been super helpful. Filing my claim first thing tomorrow morning.

Good luck! The process is pretty straightforward once you get started.