Washington ESD unemployment benefit amounts - how much can I expect?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from the past year. It's roughly 3.85% of your total wages in that quarter, but there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week as of 2025. At $19/hour full time you'd probably get somewhere around $450-550 weekly depending on your exact earnings history.

i got like $380 a week when i was making $16 an hour so you should get more than that. took forever to get my first payment though, like 3 weeks after filing

The exact formula is complicated but Washington ESD looks at your four highest-earning quarters in your base year period. If you're having trouble getting through to them by phone to ask specific questions about your benefit calculation, I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made a huge difference when I needed to get clarification on my benefit amount.

DON'T expect to get paid right away!!! I filed 6 weeks ago and I'm STILL waiting for my first payment. They put my claim in adjudication for no reason and won't tell me what's wrong. The whole system is a joke and they don't care if people can't pay rent.

The weekly benefit calculator on Washington ESD's website is pretty accurate if you want to estimate before filing. You just need your wage info from the past 5 quarters. Keep in mind you also have to do job search activities to keep getting paid - 3 job contacts per week minimum.

my cousin got $750/week but she was making like $25/hour as a manager before getting laid off. really depends on your wages

One thing to remember is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them later, but don't forget about that when budgeting. Also, if you have any part-time work while collecting, it affects your weekly payment amount.

Just file ASAP because there's a waiting week before you can get paid anyway. The sooner you file the sooner that week starts counting down.

I was making $22/hour and get $612 per week. Took about 2 weeks to get my first payment which wasn't too bad. The hardest part is remembering to file your weekly claim every Sunday - if you miss it you lose that week's payment.

The benefit amount isn't the only thing to consider - you also get help with job training and career services through WorkSourceWA. Some people don't know about those resources.

whatever you do dont mess up your weekly claims or lie about anything. they audit randomly and if they catch you doing something wrong they make you pay everything back plus penalties

I've been on unemployment twice and the benefit amount was pretty much what the online calculator predicted both times. Washington ESD is actually pretty straightforward with the math, it's just getting through to talk to someone that's nearly impossible when you have questions.

One more thing - if you qualify for the maximum benefit of $999/week, you were probably making good money and might want to consider whether unemployment is enough to cover your expenses or if you need to find work faster.

File online at secure.esd.wa.gov if you haven't already. Way easier than trying to call in your claim. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months.

just remember unemployment is temporary help while you look for work, not a long term solution. in washington you can collect for up to 26 weeks max

The amount varies but for most people it's about 40-50% of what you were making before. Better than nothing but definitely not enough to maintain the same lifestyle.

Good luck with your claim! The whole process can be stressful but once you get into the routine of filing weekly claims it becomes pretty automatic.