Washington ESD where do i go for unemployment benefits - lost my job last week

You need to file your claim through the Washington ESD website at secure.esd.wa.gov. Everything is done online now, no physical offices for filing claims. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, and dates of employment.

The Washington ESD online system can be tricky to navigate at first. You'll create an account through SecureAccess Washington (SAW) if you don't already have one. Make sure you have all your employer information ready because the system will ask for detailed work history. After you file your initial claim, you'll need to file weekly claims every week to get paid.

Just went through this myself a few months ago. The Washington ESD website is secure.esd.wa.gov but honestly, if you run into problems or need to talk to someone, good luck getting through on the phone. I must have called 200 times before I found out about Claimyr - it's a service that helps you get through to actual Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh the washington esd website is such a pain, took me forever to figure out how to file my weekly claims

MAKE SURE YOU KEEP TRACK OF YOUR JOB SEARCH ACTIVITIES! Washington ESD requires you to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and you have to log them in the system. I learned this the hard way when they asked for my job search log during an eligibility review.

I remember being so confused when I first filed. The terminology is overwhelming - adjudication, disqualification, monetary determination, etc. Just take it one step at a time and don't panic if your claim goes into adjudication for a few weeks.

Been on unemployment 3 times in the past 10 years unfortunately. Here's my advice: file online at secure.esd.wa.gov, be completely honest about everything, keep detailed records of all your job search activities, and file your weekly claims on time every week. Missing a weekly claim can cause major headaches.

Pro tip: gather all your documents before you start the application. You'll need SSN, driver's license or state ID, bank info for direct deposit, and employment history for the past 18 months. Having everything ready makes the process much smoother.

One thing that confused me was the difference between filing date and benefit year. Your benefit year is 52 weeks from when you file, not from when you lost your job. So if you wait a month to file, you've essentially lost a month of potential benefits.

If you run into any issues with your claim being stuck or need to talk to someone at Washington ESD, I highly recommend using Claimyr. I was stuck in adjudication for 6 weeks and couldn't get through to anyone on the phone. Claimyr got me connected to an agent within a day and my claim was resolved that same week. Worth every penny.

The Washington ESD system has gotten better over the years but it's still not perfect. Just be patient and persistent. If your claim gets held up for any reason, keep filing your weekly claims even if you're not getting paid yet - you can get back pay once issues are resolved.

also make sure you register with WorkSource if you haven't already - it's required for unemployment benefits and helps with the job search requirement

I've been helping people navigate unemployment for years and the biggest mistake I see is people not reading all the instructions carefully. The Washington ESD sends you important notices and letters - read everything! Don't just assume everything is automatic.

Quick question - did you quit or get laid off? Because if you quit without good cause you might not be eligible for benefits. Just want to make sure you know what to expect.

One more thing to keep in mind - your weekly benefit amount is based on your earnings in your base period, which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. So your recent earnings might not be what they use to calculate your benefits.

Good luck with your claim! The process seems overwhelming at first but once you get into the routine of filing weekly claims it becomes pretty straightforward. Just remember to stay on top of your job search requirements and file every week on time.

Just to circle back on the Claimyr thing - I was skeptical at first too but ended up using them when my identity verification got stuck. Normally takes weeks to get through to Washington ESD but they got me connected same day. Really saved me a lot of stress and lost benefits. The video demo someone mentioned earlier really shows how it works if you're curious.