Washington ESD unemployment how much will i get - weekly benefit calculation help

The Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months to calculate your weekly benefit amount. Generally, you'll get about 3.85% of your highest quarter earnings, but there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week in 2025. Since you were making around $630 per week ($18 x 35 hours), your quarterly earnings would be roughly $8,190. That puts you at around $315 weekly benefit amount, but you'll need to file to get the exact calculation.

just went through this myself last month. the calculation is confusing but basically they take your 4 highest quarters and use a formula. i was making about the same as you and got $340 per week

Here's the thing - if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check your benefit calculation or file your claim, there's actually a service called Claimyr that helps people get connected to ESD agents. I used it when I couldn't get through their phone system for weeks. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Really saved me a lot of frustration trying to call over and over.

DON'T COUNT ON GETTING ANYTHING QUICKLY. I've been waiting 6 weeks for my first payment and they keep saying my claim is under review. The Washington ESD system is completely broken right now. They tell you one thing and then do another. I'm about to lose my apartment because of their delays!!!

The benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is actually pretty accurate once you figure out your base period. Your base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024. Make sure you're looking at the right time frame when calculating your wages.

i got $287 per week and i was making way more than you so dont get your hopes up. the system is designed to give you as little as possible

To give you a more precise estimate, Washington ESD takes your two highest quarters from your base period, adds them together, and divides by 26. Then they multiply that by 0.5 to get your weekly benefit amount. There's also a dependency allowance if you have kids - an extra $24 per week for each dependent child up to 5 kids maximum.

File online as soon as possible! Don't wait because your benefit year starts the week you file, not when you actually lost your job. I waited a week thinking I needed to organize my paperwork first and lost that week of benefits permanently.

When I couldn't get through to Washington ESD to get help with my benefit calculation, I ended up using Claimyr to get connected to an actual person. The wait times are crazy right now - like 2+ hours if you can even get in the queue. Claimyr got me through to someone in about 20 minutes and they walked me through exactly how my benefits were calculated. Worth checking out if you're getting frustrated with the phone system.

Remember you have to file weekly claims to get paid, even if your initial claim is still processing. Don't skip weeks thinking you'll get backpay automatically - you won't! Each week you don't file is a week of benefits you lose forever.

dont worry too much about the exact amount right now. just file and see what they give you. you can always appeal if you think its wrong but that takes even longer

Make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license, and information about your last employer ready when you file. You'll also need your wages for the last 18 months if you have them, but Washington ESD can get that from your employers too. The online application takes about 30 minutes if you have everything ready.

The amount varies so much based on your work history. I know people getting $200 and others getting $800. Just depends on how much you made and for how long. The good news is that retail workers usually qualify since most employers pay into the system.

I'm in the same boat - got laid off from my restaurant job and trying to figure out my benefits. This thread is super helpful! I'm going to file tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

One more thing about Claimyr - if you do end up needing to talk to Washington ESD about your benefit calculation or if your claim gets delayed, they're really helpful for getting through the phone system. I was spending hours every day trying to call and getting nowhere. Their service connects you directly to an agent without all the busy signals and dropped calls.

For what it's worth, I think you'll probably get around $300-350 per week based on what you described. That's what most people I know with similar wages have gotten. Not amazing but better than nothing while you look for another job.

File your claim ASAP and don't stress too much about the exact amount until you get your determination letter. Every situation is different and the online calculator isn't always accurate. Focus on getting your claim submitted and then deal with any issues that come up.

Don't forget about the tax implications - unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay at the end of the year, but don't get surprised come tax time. I owed $800 in taxes on my unemployment benefits last year because I didn't have anything withheld.

Update us when you get your determination letter! I'm curious to see if the estimates in this thread are accurate. Good luck with everything.