Washington ESD unemployment payments - does unemployment pay weekly biweekly schedule?

You file your weekly claims every week but Washington ESD processes payments on a biweekly schedule. So you'll submit two weekly claims and then get one payment that covers both weeks.

Wait I thought I was supposed to get paid weekly? I've been filing every week and only getting money every other week, I was worried something was wrong with my claim.

I had the same confusion when I first started. The key thing is you MUST file every week or you'll miss out on benefits for that week, even though payments come biweekly. If you skip a weekly filing, you can't get paid for that week later.

This is exactly why I had such a hard time reaching Washington ESD to clarify this payment schedule thing. Their phone lines are always busy and I kept getting conflicting info from different sources. I ended up using claimyr.com to actually get through to an agent who explained the whole biweekly payment system clearly. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

the biweekly thing is so stupid why cant they just pay weekly like other states do

To be completely clear about the Washington ESD payment schedule: You file weekly claims every week (usually Sunday-Saturday), but payments are processed and sent out every two weeks. The payment will cover both weeks you filed for. Most people get their payments on the same day of the week, typically Tuesday or Wednesday after filing.

I've been on unemployment for 6 months now and I still get confused about whether I'm supposed to get paid weekly or biweekly lol. At least the payments come regularly once you figure out the schedule.

One thing to watch out for - if there's a holiday week, the payment schedule might get shifted by a day or two. Washington ESD usually posts notices about holiday delays on their website.

Does anyone know if the biweekly schedule applies to all types of unemployment benefits? Like what about standby benefits or other special programs?

I wish they made this clearer in the initial paperwork. I spent so much time worried that my payments were delayed when they were actually coming on the normal biweekly schedule.

Another tip - if you set up direct deposit, the payments usually come faster than if you're waiting for a debit card or check. The biweekly schedule is more reliable with direct deposit too.

Just wanted to add that even though payments are biweekly, if you have any issues with your claim status or payment delays, you still need to keep filing those weekly claims. Don't stop filing just because a payment is late - that will mess up your whole claim.

I remember being so confused about this when I first started getting benefits. The weekly filing vs biweekly payments threw me off completely. Now I just treat Sunday as my 'file my claim' day and expect money every other Tuesday.

For anyone still confused about this, I found that calling Washington ESD directly was the best way to get clear answers about payment schedules. I used that claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and actually got through to an agent who walked me through the whole biweekly payment system.

important thing is you get your money eventually! the biweekly schedule is annoying but at least its predictable once you know what to expect

I've been getting unemployment for about 4 months now and the biweekly payment schedule actually works better for my budgeting than weekly would. I get a bigger payment every two weeks instead of smaller ones every week.

Just to confirm what everyone else is saying - Washington ESD definitely does biweekly payments even though you file weekly. I was confused about this too when I first started my claim last year.

One last thing - make sure you're checking your account regularly even with the biweekly schedule. Sometimes there can be issues with individual weekly claims that might affect your payment, and you want to catch those early.

This thread has been super helpful! I was wondering about the same thing and now I understand the weekly filing vs biweekly payment system much better.

Thanks everyone for all the info! I think I've got a good handle on how the Washington ESD payment schedule works now. Weekly filing, biweekly payments, and don't skip any weekly claims even if payments seem delayed.