Washington ESD unemployment how long does it take to get approved and start receiving benefits?

It usually takes about 2-3 weeks for Washington ESD to process your initial claim if there are no issues. Then you have to file your first weekly claim and wait for that payment cycle. So realistically you're looking at 3-4 weeks total before seeing money.

Mine took 5 weeks because it went into adjudication. They had to verify my work history with my previous employer. If your separation is straightforward it should be faster.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when my claim was taking forever. Spent hours calling and either got busy signals or hung up on. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

The timing also depends on when you file your weekly claims. Make sure you file them every Sunday for the previous week. If you miss filing a weekly claim it can delay everything.

Washington ESD is so slow its ridiculous. I waited 6 weeks last year and they never even told me why it was delayed. Had to keep calling and calling.

One thing that can speed it up is making sure all your information is accurate when you file. Double check your SSN, employment dates, wages, everything. Mistakes cause delays.

If you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your claim status, good luck getting through. I must have called 200 times over two weeks. Someone mentioned that Claimyr service earlier - I actually used them too and it worked great. Worth checking out if you get desperate.

Just to set expectations - even after your claim is approved the payments aren't immediate. It's usually 2-3 business days after you file your weekly claim before the money hits your account.

Make sure you're also doing your job search activities. Washington ESD requires 3 job contacts per week and if you don't meet that requirement they can delay or deny your benefits.

The whole process is designed to discourage people from claiming benefits. They make it as difficult and slow as possible hoping you'll just give up and find work instead.

For what it's worth my claim went through in exactly 3 weeks with no issues. Filed on a Tuesday, got approved the following Tuesday, filed my first weekly claim that Sunday, got paid the following Wednesday.

Pro tip: if your claim does get stuck in adjudication or you need to check on status, that Claimyr thing people mentioned actually works. I was skeptical but tried it when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks. Got connected to an agent same day.

The waiting is the worst part. I remember checking my account obsessively every day waiting for something to change. Try to stay busy with job hunting and don't let the stress consume you.

Bottom line - if everything goes smoothly you're looking at about a month from filing to first payment. If there are complications it could be 6-8 weeks or more. Have a backup plan for covering expenses during the waiting period.