Washington ESD wants me to pay back unemployment - how do I actually make the payment?

Thanks! I'll check SAW but I haven't seen a payment option there before. Do you know where exactly it shows up in the account?

It should be under the 'Overpayment' section once you log in. Sometimes it takes a few days after the notice is mailed for the online payment option to appear.

How long did the payment plan take to set up once you got through to someone?

Maybe 10 minutes once I actually talked to a human. They asked about my income and expenses then suggested the monthly amount.

3 hours on hold is insane! I've been trying to reach them for weeks about my adjudication issue and can never get through.

Never heard of that before. How does it work exactly?

It basically monitors the phone lines and calls you back when an agent becomes available instead of you sitting on hold. Works pretty well for getting through to discuss payment plans or other issues.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly.

Good point about keeping confirmations. Did the payment show up right away on your account?

Took about 2 business days for the payment to reflect on my Washington ESD account status.

The notice says it's because I didn't report some part-time work correctly when I was filing my weekly claims. Honestly I thought I was doing it right but apparently not.

That's pretty common. The work reporting requirements can be confusing, especially if you had irregular hours or multiple jobs.

oh man that sucks. the whole system is so confusing

I thought about appealing but I'm pretty sure I did mess up the work reporting. How complicated is the appeal process?

It's not too bad if you have documentation. You just need to explain what happened and provide any pay stubs or work records that support your case.

Good to know about the $25 minimum. That should be manageable if I can't pay it all at once.

They can also take it from your tax refund if you don't pay. Found that out the hard way.

That's pretty impressive. Did they charge you anything for the service?

Yeah there's a fee but honestly worth it to avoid the phone hell. Way less stressful than trying to call repeatedly.

That's really smart advice. I'll definitely ask for written confirmation of any payment arrangement.

They usually send a letter within a week confirming the payment plan details, but it's good to ask them to email you the terms right away too.

I know the feeling but you really should open it soon. The appeal deadline is only 30 days and ignoring it won't make it go away.

Definitely open it ASAP. Even if you owe money, there are options like payment plans. Ignoring it just makes things worse.

Interesting, I hadn't heard about waivers. What kind of situations qualify?

Usually if Washington ESD made an error or gave you incorrect information that led to the overpayment. If it was your mistake in reporting, waivers are harder to get approved.

Great advice! I'm definitely going to document everything. This whole situation has me paranoid about more mistakes.

Really? I called the main number and they transferred me around like 3 times before I gave up.

There's a specific number for overpayment questions on the notice itself. That one connects you directly to the right department.

That's really encouraging to hear! I think I'll try that route since calling directly hasn't been working for me.

True, though I'd probably go with certified mail just to have proof they received it.

Absolutely do certified mail! Regular mail can get lost and then you're stuck proving you sent payment.

Good luck! The most important thing is to take action before the deadlines. You've got this!

Let us know how it goes! Your experience might help someone else in the same situation.

That's really valuable advice about double-checking the calculation! I didn't even think to verify their math. Did you just call them to point out the error or did you have to submit something in writing? And what kind of documentation do they typically want for hardship cases?