Washington ESD unemployment weekly benefit amount 2024 - how much is unemployment?

Thanks! So if I was making about $1,115 per week before taxes, I should get around $557 weekly from unemployment?

That sounds about right, but Washington ESD looks at your actual quarterly wages reported to determine the exact amount. You might get more if your highest quarter was particularly good.

What do you mean by base period? Is that different from just looking at my last job's salary?

Base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you file in November 2024, they'd look at Q3 2023 through Q2 2024, not your most recent quarter.

I had the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They help you get through to Washington ESD agents without all the busy signals and hold times. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

Do you know if they're planning to increase it for 2025? Cost of living keeps going up but the max seems stuck.

I haven't heard anything about increases for 2025. The legislature would have to approve any changes to the maximum weekly benefit amount.

Wait, unemployment is taxable? I thought it was tax-free since it's for people who lost their jobs.

Nope, it's taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them when you file your return. I'd recommend having them withheld to avoid a big tax bill later.

Yes, unemployment benefits are taxable at the federal level and in Washington state there's no state income tax. You can elect 10% federal withholding when you file your weekly claims.

Usually takes 2-3 weeks for the first payment if there are no issues with your claim. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the initial decision.

Thanks, I've been doing the weekly claims but wasn't sure if I should keep doing them before getting approved.

How do you know if your wages were reported correctly? I had a couple different jobs in my base period.

Washington ESD will show you the wage information they have on file when you apply. If something's missing you can submit pay stubs or W-2s to correct it.

It's designed to be based on your overall earnings pattern rather than just your most recent pay to prevent gaming the system. But I agree it's unnecessarily complex.

What kind of job search activities do they require? I've been applying to jobs but haven't been keeping detailed records.

You need to log at least 3 job search activities per week. Can be applications, networking, attending job fairs, etc. Keep detailed records in case they audit you.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I was skeptical at first but it actually worked. Got connected to a Washington ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of calling all day.

Washington state doesn't add extra for dependents in unemployment benefits. You might be thinking of other assistance programs.

Ah okay thanks for clarifying. I was confused about that.

How did you find out they under-reported? And what did you do to fix it?

I compared my pay stubs to what Washington ESD showed in my account. Had to submit W-2s and pay stubs to get it corrected. Took about 3 weeks but they back-paid the difference.

True but cost of living here is also higher than most places. $999 doesn't go as far in Seattle as it would in other cities.

Good point. I hadn't thought about other assistance programs. Do you know if getting unemployment affects eligibility for food stamps?

Unemployment income does count toward the income limits for SNAP but you might still qualify depending on your household size and other factors. Worth applying to see.

That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person who can look at your specific situation.

The $999 is just the regular Washington state maximum. The federal pandemic benefits like the extra $600 or $300 per week ended in 2021.

Got it, thanks. I was wondering if I was remembering wrong about how much I got during the pandemic.

This is really helpful. I think I have a much better understanding of what to expect now. Thanks everyone!