Washington ESD unemployment payments missing - where does my unemployment money go?

I've checked every account I have and there's nothing. The routing and account numbers are definitely correct on my Washington ESD profile.

Mine took like 3-4 business days to actually show up even after ESD said it was 'paid' - maybe give it a few more days?

I've been trying to call for days but can't get through. The automated system just says high call volume and hangs up on me.

Try calling right at 8am when they open, that's usually your best bet. Or keep trying the callback option if it's available.

Never heard of Claimyr before - is it legit? I'm desperate at this point but don't want to get scammed.

Yeah it's real. They just help you get through to ESD faster. I was skeptical too but it actually worked and saved me tons of time.

How much does it cost though? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment money.

Bank account is definitely active - I use it for other things. But I didn't know about deposit limits, I'll call my bank too.

Good point about the limits. Some smaller banks or credit unions have weird rules about government payments.

What did your sister do to fix it? I can't wait 3 weeks for this.

she had to get them to reissue the payments to a different account. but first they had to figure out where the original payments went

How would I check that? I definitely remember choosing direct deposit but maybe I messed up somehow.

Log into your Washington ESD account and look under payment preferences. It should show whether you picked direct deposit or debit card.

This! I did this by accident and was wondering where my money was for weeks until the debit card showed up in the mail.

But mine has been showing 'issued' for over a week now. That seems way too long even with delays.

Yeah that's definitely not normal. Usually 3-4 business days max in my experience.

Oh no, that's terrifying. How did you eventually get through to them?

Honestly I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. I was tired of wasting hours trying to call. It was worth it to just get connected to someone who could actually help.

Good idea, I'll check everything. I might have missed something important.

Yeah they're really bad about communicating payment problems clearly. Half the time you don't know there's an issue until you call.

Can I switch to paper checks now? That might be easier than trying to figure out what's wrong with the direct deposit.

Yeah you can change it in your Washington ESD account settings. Just know it takes like 7-10 days to get the checks in the mail.

Paper checks are so old school but honestly they're more reliable than all this electronic stuff that breaks all the time.

It's so frustrating! I don't understand how they can say the money is 'paid' when it's clearly not reaching anyone.

The whole system is broken. They act like they're doing us a favor when this is insurance we paid into.

That's a really good point. My unemployment amount is pretty high so maybe that triggered something.

Yeah especially if it's your first time getting unemployment. Banks can be overly cautious about new electronic deposits.

Will do! I'm going to try calling my bank first and then figure out how to get through to Washington ESD.

Seriously consider the Claimyr option if you can't get through. I know it sounds weird but it actually works and saves so much time and frustration.

How would I know if my account is flagged for review? My claim status just says active.

I don't think it shows up anywhere obvious in your online account. That's why you really need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

They're terrible about communicating when there are problems. You basically have to call and ask specifically about payment holds.

I've looked through everything and don't see any pending issues or requests for information.

The system doesn't always show everything that's happening behind the scenes. That's another reason why talking to an agent is so important.