Washington ESD weekly claim filing - when claiming unemployment benefits what's the deadline?

You need to file your weekly claim for the week ending on Saturday, and you can file it starting Sunday morning. So if the benefit week ended Saturday Jan 11th, you can file that claim starting Sunday Jan 12th. The deadline is usually the following Saturday night before the next week starts.

I've been on unemployment for 3 months now and still sometimes get confused about the timing lol. The Washington ESD system opens up Sunday morning around 6am I think? I usually just do it first thing Sunday morning so I don't forget.

I had the same confusion when I started. If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.

Make sure you're filing for the right week! I accidentally filed for the wrong week once and it messed up my whole payment schedule. You file for the week that ENDED, not the current week you're in.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing compared to other states!! why cant they just send you reminders or something

Important reminder: you also need to be doing your job search activities during each week you're claiming. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week unless you're on standby status. Keep track of these because they can audit your job search log at any time.

Pro tip: set a phone reminder for every Sunday morning so you don't forget to file. Missing even one week can cause delays in your payments and you might have to call Washington ESD to fix it.

The weekly claim questions are pretty straightforward but read them carefully. They ask about work, earnings, job offers, and if you were able and available to work. Answer honestly because false claims can get you in serious trouble with Washington ESD.

I've been claiming for 6 months now and the routine becomes second nature. File every Sunday for the previous week, keep your job search log updated, report any earnings. The Washington ESD online system is actually pretty user-friendly once you get used to it.

If your claim is ever under adjudication or you have issues with payments, that's when you'll really need to talk to Washington ESD directly. I used Claimyr again last month when my claim got flagged for some reason - saved me from spending all day trying to get through their phone system.

Don't stress too much about the timing - as long as you file by Saturday night for the previous week you're fine. I usually do mine Sunday or Monday and never had issues.

Just remember that when claiming unemployment benefits, consistency is key. File every week even if you worked a few hours or made some money. It's better to report everything and let Washington ESD calculate your benefit than to skip filing and mess up your claim.

One thing I learned the hard way - if you're going out of town or won't have internet access, you can still file your weekly claim from your phone. The mobile site works fine for the basic weekly claim process.

If anyone's still having trouble reaching Washington ESD when you need help, I also had success with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Really came through when I had an adjudication issue that needed immediate attention.

Bottom line - file every Sunday for the week that ended Saturday, be honest about work and earnings, keep doing your job search, and you'll be fine. The Washington ESD system isn't as scary as it seems at first.