Weekly claim filed Sunday but still processing - normal wait time for ESD payments now?

ya its normal now. ESD slowed everything down starting this year. i file sunday nite and dont see $ til thursday afternoon usually. sometimes friday. they said its cuz of new fraud prevention stuff.

Thanks for letting me know! Thursday or Friday is cutting it really close for me this month. Wish they'd warned us about these changes.

The processing timeline has definitely changed. ESD implemented new security measures in January 2025 that added 1-2 business days to processing times. Sunday night claims typically process by Wednesday-Thursday now, occasionally Friday if there are any flags in the system that require review. \n\nA few things that can slow it down further:\n- If this is your first payment after initial approval\n- If you reported any earnings this week\n- If you've recently updated your payment method\n- If you answered any questions differently than usual\n\nIf it's not processed by Friday, then you might want to contact ESD directly.

This explains a lot, thank you. It's not my first payment but I did report some part-time hours this week which I haven't done before. Maybe that's triggering some extra review? I'll wait until Friday before panicking.

OMG I'm having the EXACT same issue!!! Filed Sunday and still nothing!! This is so stressful because my phone bill is due tomorrow and I was counting on that payment. Does anyone know if calling them helps speed things up at all?? I tried calling the regular number but it just says high call volume and hangs up on me 😭

I was in the same situation last month and found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an ESD agent in about 30 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me so much stress! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nThe agent I spoke with explained that any time you report part-time work, it typically adds a day to processing while they verify your hours. Still faster than trying to get answers through eServices messaging.

THANK YOU!! Just checked it out and I'm going to try this tomorrow if my payment doesn't come through. Did they tell you why it takes so much longer now than it used to?

My sister works for ESD and says they're TOTALLY understaffed right now. Tons of people quit after they changed the payment processing system and they haven't hired enough replacements. So everything's backed up by at least a day.

Let me tell you what's REALLY going on. ESD is deliberately slowing down payments to reduce their overall payout amounts. They know a certain percentage of people will give up on claims if they have to wait longer. I've been on unemployment 3 times in the past decade and EVERY SINGLE TIME they find new ways to delay payments. First it was

While I understand the frustration, there's no evidence of intentional delays. The actual reason for the current timeline is a system upgrade they implemented after the legislature approved additional fraud prevention measures in the 2024-2025 budget. The changes were announced on the ESD website in December 2024, though admittedly not very prominently. They're legally required to process valid claims within the timeframe stated in their published policies.

HA! Keep believing the official explanations if you want. I've been dealing with ESD long enough to know better. They only

I just had something similar happen but it ended up being because I accidentally entered my work search activities wrong. Double-check that all your info was entered correctly when you filed. One minor error can hold things up.

I'm pretty sure I filled everything out correctly, but I'll double check my job search entries. Thanks for the tip!

The current standard processing timeframe from ESD is now:\n\n• Sunday/Monday claims: Payment typically by Thursday\n• Tuesday/Wednesday claims: Payment typically by Friday\n• Thursday-Saturday claims: Payment typically by Monday/Tuesday\n\nThese timeframes assume there are no issues with your claim that require additional review. If you reported work hours or earnings, that will add approximately one day to processing as those need manual verification in most cases.\n\nIf your payment isn't processed by the expected day according to the timeline above, that's when you should contact ESD directly as something may be flagged in your claim that requires attention.

since when did they change this??? nobody tells u anything 🙄

The updated processing timeline was implemented in January 2025 as part of their system upgrade. They sent notifications via eServices messaging, but if you weren't on unemployment at that time or didn't check your messages, you would have missed it. It was also announced in their quarterly newsletter and on their website, but ESD's communication about policy changes has never been their strong point.

Update: My payment finally processed! It showed up as completed this morning and should hit my account tomorrow. Looks like reporting those part-time hours did add an extra day to processing. Thanks everyone for the help and information - definitely helps to know what to expect going forward.

So glad yours went through! Mine's still pending so I'm going to try that Claimyr service tomorrow morning to see if there's an issue with my claim. This new timeline is cutting it way too close to my bill due dates 😫