Washington ESD where can i find my personal identification number for unemployment claim access

Your personal identification number (PIN) should have been mailed to you in a separate letter from Washington ESD after you filed your initial claim. It's usually a 4-digit number and comes in its own envelope, not with your other claim paperwork. Check your mail carefully - sometimes people throw it away thinking it's junk mail.

The PIN is different from your claim number btw. Your claim number is longer and starts with letters, the PIN is just 4 digits for logging into the system to file weekly claims.

If you lost your PIN or never received it, you'll need to call Washington ESD to get a new one issued. Fair warning though - their phone lines are absolutely slammed and you might be on hold for hours. I've had better luck using claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent. They have a service that calls for you and connects you when someone picks up. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Before you call, double check that you're not confusing your PIN with your SecureAccess Washington (SAW) password. Some people get mixed up between the two login systems.

this is so confusing, why do they need so many different passwords and numbers??? I just want to file my weekly claim

Check your spam folder too! My PIN letter got filtered as junk mail for some reason. Also make sure you're looking at the right envelope - Washington ESD sends a lot of different letters and they all look similar.

If calling doesn't work out, you can also try going to a WorkSource office in person. They sometimes can help with PIN issues, though not all locations handle unemployment specifically so call ahead first.

I lost mine too and ended up using that claimyr service someone mentioned. Took about 20 minutes total to get connected to Washington ESD and they reset my PIN right over the phone. Way better than the 3 hours I spent trying to call directly the day before.

Whatever you do, don't wait too long to figure this out. You need to file your weekly claims on time or you could lose benefits. The deadline is usually Saturday night for the previous week.

try looking for an envelope that says something like 'Personal Identification Number' or 'PIN Notice' in the subject line. Mine was really obvious once I knew what to look for

For future reference, your PIN doesn't change unless you specifically request a new one, so keep that letter somewhere safe. I've been using the same PIN for over a year now.

Just a heads up - if you do end up needing to call Washington ESD for a PIN reset, have your SSN and some basic claim info ready. They'll ask verification questions before issuing a new PIN.

Glad you found your PIN! Just remember to file your weekly claim every week even if you worked some hours. The system will calculate any partial benefits you're entitled to.

If anyone else is reading this and still can't find their PIN, that claimyr service really does work. Used it twice now when I needed to talk to Washington ESD about different issues. Beats sitting on hold forever.

This whole thread is super helpful! I'm in a similar situation where I filed my claim a few weeks ago and have been getting all sorts of mail from Washington ESD. It's honestly overwhelming trying to figure out which document is which. The tip about looking for "UI PIN" on the envelope is great - I'm going to go through my mail pile again tonight. It's reassuring to know that if I can't find it, there are options like calling (even if it takes forever) or using that claimyr service people mentioned. The whole system really could be more user-friendly though!