Washington ESD unemployment benefits amount - how much can I expect weekly?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from your base year. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999 plus a $25 dependency allowance if you have dependents. Your benefit will be roughly 3.85% of your total base year wages divided by 52 weeks, but it can't exceed that maximum.

just filed mine last week and got approved for $445/week, was making about $55k before losing my job in december

You should know that you can only collect benefits for up to 26 weeks in Washington state, and you have to actively search for work and report your job search activities. The amount also gets reduced if you do any part-time work while collecting. Make sure you understand all the requirements before filing.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation because something seems wrong with my amount. Their phone system is absolutely terrible - either busy signals or you wait forever and get hung up on. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?

The benefit amounts are calculated using something called the 'benefit year base period' which looks at the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. It's confusing but basically they take your highest quarter earnings and use that to determine your weekly amount. You can find your wage history in your Washington ESD account once you set it up.

Keep in mind that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay them when you file your tax return. I learned this the hard way and owed a bunch at tax time.

Been collecting unemployment for 8 weeks now and still confused about how they calculate the amounts lol. Sometimes my payment is different from week to week even though I'm not working. Anyone know why that happens?

also remember you have to file your weekly claim every week even if you haven't heard anything about your initial application. missing a week can cause problems with your benefits

If you qualify for the maximum benefit amount of $999/week, that's actually pretty decent. But most people don't get the max because you need to have been earning really high wages consistently. The formula is designed to replace about 50% of your average weekly wage up to the maximum.

Don't forget about the dependency allowance if you have kids or other dependents. It's an extra $25 per week for each dependent up to 5 dependents. Not a huge amount but every bit helps when you're unemployed.

Has anyone dealt with Washington ESD questioning their benefit amount? My calculation seems low compared to what I should be getting based on my wages, but I can't get through on the phone to ask about it. This is so frustrating!

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool but it's not very accurate in my experience. It gave me an estimate that was way off from what I actually received. Your actual benefit letter will have the exact amount and how they calculated it.

One thing to watch out for - if you had any severance pay or vacation payout when you left your job, that might affect when your benefits start. Washington ESD considers that as wages which can delay your first payment.

make sure when you file that all your employers from the last 18 months are listed correctly. if theres missing wages it will mess up your benefit calculation and then youll have to deal with getting it corrected which takes forever

The whole system is set up to be confusing on purpose if you ask me. They don't want to make it easy to understand how much you'll get or what you qualify for. But once you get approved and start receiving benefits, at least the weekly filing process is pretty straightforward.

I've been getting $523 per week and that's been consistent for the past 12 weeks. I was making about $65k before getting laid off. The amount seems fair compared to what I was earning, though obviously it's still a big pay cut.

If you end up having issues with your benefit calculation or need to speak with Washington ESD about your claim, I highly recommend trying Claimyr. I wasted so much time calling the regular number before someone told me about it. The service actually works and you can see exactly how it works in their demo video.

Bottom line - your weekly benefit amount will be somewhere between $295 (minimum) and $999 (maximum) depending on your wage history. Most people fall somewhere in the $350-600 range. You'll know your exact amount once Washington ESD processes your claim and sends you the determination letter.