Washington ESD unemployment benefits - does unemployment stop when you get a job?
I've been on unemployment for about 8 weeks now and just got offered a part-time job that starts Monday. Do I need to immediately stop filing my weekly claims with Washington ESD or can I still get partial benefits? The job is only 25 hours a week so I'm not sure if this completely disqualifies me from UI benefits. Also worried about messing something up with my claim status if I report it wrong.
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Mateo Rodriguez
You don't automatically lose all benefits when you start working part-time. Washington ESD has a partial benefit system where you can still receive some UI if your weekly earnings are below a certain threshold. You MUST report all earnings on your weekly claim though, even if it's just one day of work.
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Nia Thompson
•Thank you! Do you know what the earnings threshold is? I'm supposed to make about $400/week at this new job.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•It depends on your weekly benefit amount. Generally if you earn less than 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount, you can still get partial benefits. So if your WBA is $300, you could earn up to $450 and still get something.
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GalaxyGuardian
just keep filing your weekly claims and report the work. the system will calculate if you get partial benefits automatically. dont stop filing unless you're working full time
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Nia Thompson
•Got it, I'll keep filing then. Just nervous about doing something wrong and having to deal with an overpayment later.
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Aisha Abdullah
I was in a similar situation last year and had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to clarify the partial benefit rules. After weeks of trying to call during their busiest hours, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really saved me from the constant busy signals.
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Ethan Wilson
•How much did that cost you? I've been trying to reach them for two weeks about my job search requirements.
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Aisha Abdullah
•It was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain the partial benefit calculations properly. Much better than guessing and potentially causing problems with my claim.
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Yuki Tanaka
WAIT - be really careful about this! I started a part-time job last year and kept filing weekly claims but somehow ended up with an overpayment notice for $2,100. Washington ESD said I didn't report my earnings correctly even though I thought I did everything right. The appeals process took forever.
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Nia Thompson
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about! What did you do wrong with reporting the earnings?
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Yuki Tanaka
•Honestly I'm still not sure. They said I reported my gross earnings when I should have reported something else, but their instructions weren't clear. That's why I'm paranoid about this stuff now.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•You report gross earnings before taxes and deductions. Some people get confused and report net pay, which can cause issues.
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Carmen Diaz
The key thing is to keep filing your weekly claims and be completely honest about all work and earnings. Washington ESD will reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn, but you might still qualify for partial benefits. Don't just stop filing because you got a job unless it's full-time work that pays more than your benefit amount.
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Andre Laurent
•What counts as full-time for Washington ESD purposes? Is it 40 hours or 32 hours or what?
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Carmen Diaz
•It's not really about hours, it's about whether you're able and available for full-time work. If you're working part-time and still looking for additional work, you can potentially keep getting partial benefits.
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AstroAce
I've been doing this for months - working 20-30 hours a week at a temp job and still getting partial UI benefits. Just report everything accurately on your weekly claim. The system calculates it automatically and you'll see your benefit amount adjust based on what you earned that week.
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Nia Thompson
•That's reassuring to hear someone doing it successfully. Do you have to keep doing job searches even with the part-time work?
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AstroAce
•Yes, you still need to meet the job search requirements unless your part-time work meets certain criteria. I think if it's considered 'suitable work' in your field you might be able to reduce the search requirements but check with Washington ESD.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
Ugh the Washington ESD system is so confusing about this stuff. I wish they made it clearer on their website what happens when you start working part-time. I spent hours trying to figure this out when I got a consulting gig.
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Jamal Brown
•Right? And good luck getting through on the phone to ask questions. The hold times are insane.
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Aisha Abdullah
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr - saved me from sitting on hold for hours just to ask a simple question about partial benefits.
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Mei Zhang
Pro tip: Keep detailed records of all your work hours and earnings. Screenshot your weekly claims showing what you reported. If there's ever a question or audit, you'll have documentation. Also print out the confirmation pages after you submit each weekly claim.
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Nia Thompson
•Good advice! I'll start keeping better records. Better safe than sorry with Washington ESD.
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Liam McConnell
•This is smart. I had to appeal an overpayment determination and having all my records organized made a huge difference in the hearing.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
Just remember that even if you only work one day in a week, you need to report it. Some people think if they work less than a certain amount they don't need to report it, but that's wrong. Report ALL work, even if it's just a few hours.
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CosmicCaptain
•What about if you do odd jobs or gig work? Like driving for Uber or doing handyman work?
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•All of that needs to be reported too. Self-employment income, gig work, everything. Washington ESD considers it all work that needs to be reported on your weekly claim.
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Giovanni Rossi
I'm in a similar boat - got a part-time retail job but it's only 3 days a week. Been filing partial claims for 6 weeks now with no issues. The key is being accurate and consistent with your reporting. Don't try to hide anything or fudge the numbers.
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Nia Thompson
•Have your benefit amounts been consistent or do they vary a lot week to week?
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Giovanni Rossi
•They vary based on how many hours I work each week. Some weeks I get my full benefit amount if I work less, other weeks it's reduced. The calculation seems to work correctly though.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
Question about the job search requirements - if you're working part-time do you still have to apply to 3 jobs per week? Or does that change?
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Carmen Diaz
•You generally still need to meet the job search requirements unless your part-time work qualifies for an exemption. Check your WorkSourceWA account or call Washington ESD to confirm your specific situation.
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Dylan Mitchell
•I think if you're working more than 20 hours per week the job search requirements might be reduced, but don't quote me on that. Best to verify with Washington ESD directly.
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Sofia Gutierrez
Whatever you do, don't just stop filing claims without confirming with Washington ESD first. I made that mistake when I got a temporary job and it created all sorts of problems when I tried to restart my claim later.
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Nia Thompson
•Good point. I'll definitely keep filing and reporting the work rather than just stopping. Thanks for the warning!
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Dmitry Petrov
•Yeah, once you stop filing it can be a pain to reactivate your claim if the job doesn't work out. Better to keep the claim active and report the work.
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StarSurfer
Has anyone dealt with Washington ESD questioning part-time work arrangements? I'm worried they might think I'm trying to game the system even though everything I'm doing is legitimate.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•As long as you're reporting everything accurately and honestly, you should be fine. The partial benefit system exists specifically for situations like yours where people are working part-time while looking for full-time employment.
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Ava Martinez
•I had them ask me some questions about my part-time job during a phone interview, but it was just to verify that I was still available for full-time work. Nothing adversarial.
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Miguel Castro
Make sure you understand the difference between gross and net pay when reporting earnings. Report the gross amount (before taxes and deductions). This trips up a lot of people and can cause overpayment issues later.
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Nia Thompson
•Thanks for clarifying that! I was wondering which number to use. So it's the total before any deductions?
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Miguel Castro
•Exactly. Before taxes, before insurance deductions, before anything else comes out. The full gross amount you earned that week.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
One thing to watch out for - if your part-time job turns into full-time hours (even temporarily), you need to stop filing claims for those weeks. I worked 40+ hours for two weeks and had to skip filing those claims even though it was still technically a part-time position.
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Connor Byrne
•How do you know when you've crossed the line into 'too many hours' to file a claim?
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•I think the general rule is if you work full-time hours (35-40+) in a week, you're not considered 'unemployed' for that week and shouldn't file. But the earnings test matters too.
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Yara Elias
Just wanted to add that if you're unsure about anything, it's better to call Washington ESD and ask rather than guess. I know the wait times are horrible, but getting wrong information from random internet forums could cost you money in overpayments.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Absolutely agree about calling, but since the wait times are so bad, that's why services like Claimyr are helpful. Gets you connected to an actual Washington ESD representative without sitting on hold forever.
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QuantumQuasar
•How much does Claimyr charge though? Is it worth the cost just to ask a quick question?
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Keisha Jackson
Final advice from someone who's been through this - keep filing your weekly claims, report ALL earnings accurately (gross amounts), maintain your job search activities unless told otherwise, and keep good records of everything. The partial benefit system works well if you follow the rules.
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Nia Thompson
•Perfect summary! Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I feel much more confident about handling this correctly now.
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Paolo Moretti
•Good luck with the new job! Hope it works out and leads to something full-time soon.
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Liam Fitzgerald
I went through this exact same situation last month! You definitely want to keep filing your weekly claims and report the part-time work. Washington ESD has a formula where they subtract a portion of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount, so you'll likely still get some partial benefits with a 25-hour/week job. The most important thing is to be completely transparent about your hours and gross earnings on each weekly claim. Don't worry about "messing up" your claim status - as long as you're honest about the work, the system will handle the calculations automatically. Congrats on getting the job offer!
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