Washington ESD unemployment benefit how much can I expect weekly?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months. They take that quarter's earnings, divide by 26, then you get about 60-70% of that amount. With your hours and wage, you're probably looking at somewhere between $280-380 per week, but it depends on your exact earnings history.

The maximum weekly benefit in Washington is $999 but most people don't get close to that. Restaurant workers typically get less because of the lower wages. I got about $320 when I was laid off from my server job last year.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to unemployment agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Basically they handle the calling for you and connect you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redialing.

Don't forget about the job search requirements! You have to apply for at least 3 jobs per week and keep a log. Washington ESD is pretty strict about that now. The benefit amount won't matter if you get disqualified for not meeting work search requirements.

i think its like 50% of your wages or something. not sure exactly but its not much tbh

Quick update - I filed my claim online yesterday and it says I should get a determination letter within 10 business days. The system estimated my weekly benefit at $340 which would be amazing if that's accurate.

The restaurant industry is so unstable right now. I've been laid off twice in the past year and unemployment barely covers my expenses. You might want to look into food assistance programs too while you're job hunting.

One more thing to keep in mind - your benefit amount is based on gross wages, not take-home pay. So if you were making $18/hour for 32 hours, that's $576 per week gross, which would put your UI benefit around $345-405 weekly range.

washington esd is so slow with everything. took them 3 weeks to approve my claim even though i had all my paperwork right. hope yours goes faster

If your claim gets stuck in adjudication for any reason, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier is actually really helpful. I used it when my claim was pending for a month and finally got answers about what was holding it up.

Make sure your employer doesn't contest your claim. Some restaurants try to fight unemployment claims to keep their rates low. If they do contest it, you'll have to go through an appeal process.

Don't forget to report any part-time work you might pick up while collecting unemployment. Even a few hours of work needs to be reported on your weekly claim or you could get in trouble for an overpayment later.

The system is so broken. I know people who've been waiting months for their claims to get resolved while others get approved in a week. It's completely random.

thanks for posting this question, i'm in a similar situation and this thread has been really helpful

I work in HR and can confirm that Washington ESD benefit calculations are based on your base period wages (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). The weekly benefit amount is roughly 3.85% of total base period wages, divided by 52, but there's a minimum and maximum.

Just wanted to follow up on the Claimyr mention - I ended up using their service again last week when I had questions about my work search requirements. Really straightforward process and saved me the headache of trying to get through on the phone myself.

For what it's worth, $340 weekly sounds realistic for your wage level. I was making about $20/hour and got $380 per week. The restaurant industry is tough but at least Washington has decent unemployment benefits compared to other states.

word of advice - set up direct deposit as soon as your claim is approved. the debit cards they send out have fees and are a pain to deal with

This whole thread is making me realize I should have filed for unemployment when I got laid off last month. I thought the amount would be too small to bother with, but $300+ per week would have made a huge difference.

The job market for restaurant workers is actually pretty good right now if you're willing to be flexible about location and hours. A lot of places are still short-staffed from the pandemic aftermath.