Washington ESD unemployment if job offer rescinded - am I eligible?

That's a really tough situation, but yes you should definitely be eligible for unemployment benefits in Washington. When you quit a job to accept another job offer that falls through due to no fault of your own, Washington ESD typically considers that good cause for leaving your previous employment.

I had something similar happen to me two years ago. Filed my claim and it went into adjudication for about 3 weeks while they reviewed my case. Make sure you have copies of the original job offer and the rescission notice.

You might want to try calling Washington ESD directly to discuss your specific situation before filing. I know the phone lines are always busy, but I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at Washington ESD within minutes instead of hours of calling. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Washington state has pretty worker-friendly unemployment laws compared to other places. The fact that you quit to accept what you reasonably believed was secure employment should work in your favor. Document everything and file your claim as soon as possible.

This exact thing happened to my brother last year except it was a restaurant job. The company that rescinded his offer actually provided him with a letter explaining the situation which helped with his unemployment claim.

UGH this is so frustrating, companies need to be held accountable for this stuff! You plan your whole life around a job offer and then they just yank it away like it's nothing.

File your claim online through the Washington ESD website as soon as possible. Don't wait thinking you need to have everything perfect first - you can always provide additional documentation later if they request it during adjudication.

Make sure to also register with WorkSource Washington for the job search requirements. Even though your situation was beyond your control, you'll still need to meet the ongoing eligibility requirements once approved.

I'm dealing with Washington ESD issues too and those phone wait times are absolutely ridiculous. Yesterday I was on hold for 2.5 hours just to get disconnected!

Document the timeline of everything - when you got the offer, when you quit your retail job, when they rescinded it. Washington ESD loves their timelines and having exact dates will help your case.

Sorry this happened to you but honestly you should be fine. Washington ESD generally sides with workers in situations like this where the employer breaks their commitment.

whatever you do dont lie about anything on your application. They crosscheck everything and if they catch you in any inconsistency it can disqualify your whole claim

This is exactly the kind of situation unemployment insurance was designed for. You made a reasonable employment decision that didn't work out due to circumstances beyond your control.

Keep checking your claim status online regularly after you file. Sometimes Washington ESD needs additional info and if you respond quickly it can speed up the process.

The startup industry is notorious for this kind of thing unfortunately. At least Washington state has decent unemployment benefits compared to other places.

If you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD and can't get through on the phone, I had success with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worth checking out if you run into issues.

Good luck with your claim! Based on what you've described, you should definitely qualify. Just be patient with the process and keep all your documentation organized.

I went through something very similar last year in Washington state. The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD considers "good cause" for leaving employment to include accepting another job offer that subsequently falls through due to circumstances beyond your control. Since you had a formal offer with a start date and the company rescinded it due to their budget issues, you should definitely qualify. Make sure to file your claim immediately and gather all your documentation - the original offer letter, any email correspondence about the rescission, and your resignation notice from the retail job. The adjudication process might take a few weeks, but Washington generally sides with workers in these situations. Don't let this discourage you from continuing your job search - you did nothing wrong by trusting a legitimate job offer.

I'm so sorry this happened to you - what an incredibly frustrating situation! As someone who's navigated the Washington unemployment system before, I can tell you that you absolutely should qualify for benefits. Washington ESD recognizes that leaving a job to accept what you reasonably believed was secure employment constitutes "good cause" when that offer is rescinded through no fault of your own. The fact that you had a formal offer with salary details and a start date shows this was a legitimate employment opportunity, not just informal discussions. File your claim as soon as possible since you can't get retroactive benefits for weeks before filing. Make sure to save all communications about both the original offer and the rescission - emails, letters, anything in writing. During the application process, be completely honest about your employment history including the part-time retail work. Washington ESD will discover this information anyway through wage records, and being upfront helps avoid complications. You might go into adjudication for a few weeks while they review your case, but based on your circumstances, approval seems very likely. Don't let this experience discourage you - you made a reasonable decision based on the information you had, and that's exactly what unemployment insurance is designed to protect against.

I'm really sorry you're going through this - having a job offer rescinded after you've already made major life decisions around it is incredibly stressful. But you should definitely be eligible for unemployment benefits in Washington. The state considers it "good cause" to leave employment when you're accepting another position that then falls through due to circumstances beyond your control. Since you had a formal offer with all the details (salary, benefits, start date), this clearly wasn't just preliminary discussions but a legitimate job commitment from the company. Make sure to document everything - save the original offer, the rescission email, your resignation notice from the retail job, and create a timeline of events with dates. File your claim online as soon as possible since benefits can't be backdated to before you file. Be completely transparent about all your employment history including the part-time retail work. The case will likely go into adjudication for review, but given your circumstances, Washington ESD should approve it. This is exactly the type of situation unemployment insurance exists to protect workers from.