Washington ESD - what if I get a job while on unemployment benefits?

You definitely need to report any work income on your weekly claims. Washington ESD has specific rules about partial unemployment - you can work and still receive reduced benefits as long as you report everything correctly. The key is being honest about your hours and earnings on each weekly claim.

I've been doing part-time work while on UI for 3 months now. Washington ESD has a formula where they reduce your weekly benefit amount based on how much you earn. Generally you can earn up to about 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount before you lose all benefits for that week. Make sure to keep track of your hours worked each day.

Whatever you do, DON'T try to hide the work income. I made that mistake years ago thinking I could just not mention a few shifts and got hit with an overpayment notice for $2,800. The penalties are not worth it. If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to ask questions, there's actually a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

be careful about accepting any job while on unemployment!! they might think you're not really looking for work if you take something part time. i've heard stories about people getting their benefits cut off completely.

I just went through this exact situation 2 months ago. Started a temporary position while collecting UI. The important thing is when you file your weekly claim, there's a specific question about work performed and wages earned. Answer it honestly and estimate your gross earnings for that week. Washington ESD will calculate your partial benefit automatically.

Don't forget you still need to be available for full-time work and actively searching. Taking a part-time job is fine but you can't turn down a full-time offer just because you have the part-time gig. Make sure you're still applying to full-time positions and logging them in your job search activities.

Just make sure the part-time job doesn't interfere with your ability to accept full-time work. I had a friend who took a part-time job with really weird hours and Washington ESD questioned whether she was truly available for other employment. Had to go through a whole adjudication process.

The Washington ESD website has a whole section about working while receiving benefits. Might be worth reading through before you start the job. I think it's under the 'Receiving Benefits' section. Covers all the rules about reporting income and how it affects your payments.

been there done that. worked part time for like 6 months while on unemployment. just be honest on your weekly claims and you'll be fine. the system is set up to handle this situation its pretty common

This is actually a great situation to be in! Working part-time while on unemployment can help you maintain your skills and potentially lead to full-time opportunities. I know several people who found permanent jobs through temp or part-time positions they took while collecting benefits.

One thing to keep in mind - if the part-time job turns into full-time hours (even temporarily), you'll need to stop filing weekly claims for those weeks where you work full-time. You can always restart your claim later if the hours get reduced again.

Make sure you understand how Washington ESD calculates the benefit reduction. It's not dollar-for-dollar. There's a formula where you can earn a certain amount before your benefits start getting reduced. I think you can earn up to $300 or so (might be different now) before any reduction kicks in.

If you have trouble getting through to Washington ESD with questions, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent in like 15 minutes. Way better than sitting on hold for hours. The website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video that explains how it works.

Whatever you do, don't stop filing your weekly claims just because you started working part-time! I made that mistake thinking I didn't need to file if I was working, and it caused all kinds of problems when I tried to restart my claim later.

The whole partial unemployment thing can be confusing but it's actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. Just report your hours and earnings honestly each week and let Washington ESD do the math. They'll calculate your reduced benefit amount automatically.

Congratulations on getting the job offer! Even if it's just part-time, it's a step in the right direction. The fact that you're asking these questions shows you're being responsible about reporting everything correctly to Washington ESD.

I was in a similar situation last year and ended up calling Washington ESD to ask about reporting part-time work. Took forever to get through but the agent was really helpful in explaining exactly how to report earnings and what to expect. If you can't get through on your own, I heard good things about that Claimyr service for getting connected to agents.

Just want to add that you should save all your pay stubs and keep detailed records of your hours worked each week. If Washington ESD ever audits your claim or has questions, you'll want documentation to back up what you reported.