Washington ESD unemployment benefit calculation for $1,000 weekly wages - how much will I get?

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months. With $1000/week you're looking at around $13,000 per quarter. The weekly benefit formula is roughly 3.85% of your highest quarter divided by 13 weeks, but there's a cap.

i make similar and got $394/week when i was laid off last year. took forever to get approved though, was stuck in adjudication for like 6 weeks

The benefit calculation is based on your base period wages. Washington ESD looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. With consistent $1000/week earnings, you should qualify for close to the maximum weekly benefit amount.

If you're struggling to get through to Washington ESD when you need to file or check your claim status, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have this system that calls repeatedly until they get you connected to an actual agent. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!! I've been trying to get my claim sorted for MONTHS and they just keep giving me the runaround. $1000/week and you'll be lucky to see $300 after they find some excuse to deny or delay your claim.

just a heads up the job search requirements are pretty strict now. you have to log 3 job search activities per week and they actually check

One thing to keep in mind - you'll also need to factor in taxes. Washington doesn't tax unemployment benefits but federal taxes still apply. You can have 10% withheld automatically or pay quarterly.

My brother makes about the same and got $384/week when his company downsized. But it took 3 weeks to get his first payment because of some verification process.

To be more specific about the calculation: Washington ESD takes your two highest earning quarters from your base period, adds them together, then divides by 2 to get your average quarterly wages. Your weekly benefit is roughly 3.85% of that average divided by 13.

i think the actual formula is more complicated than anyone here is saying. there's also minimum and maximum amounts that affect the calculation

When I needed to get clarification on my benefit calculation, I used Claimyr again to get through to someone at Washington ESD who could explain it properly. Much easier than trying to decipher their website or wait on hold for hours.

From what I remember when I filed, the weekly benefit amount is calculated as the average of your two highest quarters divided by 26, but there might be some other factors involved.

whatever the amount is, just make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week or you'll lose benefits for those weeks

My experience was similar to others - made about $1000/week and got $389 weekly benefit. The calculation seemed fair but getting approved took almost a month.

pro tip: start gathering all your employment documentation now (pay stubs, tax forms, etc) so you have everything ready if you do need to file

The uncertainty is the worst part. When I was facing layoffs I stressed about money constantly. Even knowing the rough benefit amount, there's always delays and complications with Washington ESD.

Based on everyone's real experiences here, sounds like you'd get somewhere in the $350-400 range weekly. Not great but better than nothing.

One more thing - if your company offers severance, that might affect when you can start collecting unemployment benefits. Something to ask about if layoffs happen.

The whole system is designed to be confusing and make you give up. Hang in there and don't let them discourage you from getting the benefits you're entitled to.

Final thought - if you do end up needing to file and have trouble reaching Washington ESD for any reason, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier really does work. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get through on my own.