Washington ESD unemployment form confusion - how to fill out sections correctly?

For temp work through agencies, list the staffing agency as your employer with the total time period you were registered with them. In the job duties section, you can mention you worked various temporary assignments. For separation reason, 'lack of work' is usually the right choice for layoffs even if the wording seems different than what happened to you.

ugh the washington esd forms are so confusing! i had the same problem with the benefit calculator not working. just put $0 for now and they'll calculate it for you during processing

I struggled with reaching Washington ESD when I had form questions too. After getting nowhere with their phone system for days, I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. The agent was able to walk me through the tricky parts of my application over the phone.

The employment history section tripped me up too because I had overlapping part-time jobs. Here's what I learned - list your most recent employer first, then work backwards chronologically. If you had multiple jobs at the same time, list them separately with their respective date ranges. For the reason codes, Washington ESD uses pretty specific categories so sometimes you have to pick the closest match rather than expecting a perfect description.

Be super careful with the separation dates! I put the wrong date by one day and it messed up my whole claim. Had to go through an appeals process to fix it.

also make sure you have your social security card and ID ready to upload photos of them. the system is picky about image quality

One more thing about the wage information - if you're not sure about exact amounts, you can estimate based on your paystubs but be as accurate as possible. Washington ESD will verify everything with your employers anyway, but big discrepancies can trigger additional review.

The hardest part for me was the 'available for work' questions. Some of them seem like trick questions - like asking if you'd accept part-time work when you're looking for full-time.

Just submitted mine last week after struggling with it for hours. The interface isn't very intuitive compared to other government websites I've used.

If you get really stuck, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier has helped several people I know get their applications sorted out properly. They can stay on the line with you while you fill it out if needed.

Don't forget to print or save a copy of your completed application before submitting! The system doesn't always let you go back and view what you entered.

also heads up that after you submit you might not hear anything for a few days. don't panic, that's normal

Final tip - make sure your contact information is current and check your email regularly after submitting. Washington ESD sends important updates electronically and missing them can delay your claim.

I made the mistake of not having all my employer information ready before starting. Had to stop halfway through to find old paystubs and the session timed out.

The system saved my progress when I had to stop, but I lost some of the information I had entered. Definitely recommend completing it in one sitting if possible.

One thing that confused me was whether to include jobs from other states. Turns out you should include all work from the past 18 months regardless of location.

Looking back, I wish I had called that Claimyr number mentioned earlier when I was struggling. Would have saved me a lot of stress and second-guessing.

Just remember that minor mistakes won't necessarily disqualify you, but they can slow down processing. The adjudication team will contact you if they need clarification on anything.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I feel much more confident about tackling this form now. Going to gather all my documents first and then set aside a couple hours to complete it properly.

This thread has been super helpful for me too. I was dreading starting my application but now I know what to expect.