Weekly claims stuck on 'pending payment' for 3 weeks but ESD claim shows active - no pending issues showing

This is actually quite common with ESD right now! What's happening is your claim is in an unofficial 'review period' that doesn't show up as a pending issue. The system automatically flags certain claims for additional verification before releasing payments, even when there's no specific issue identified. I dealt with the exact same situation in February - showed active with a benefit amount but payments stayed pending for nearly 5 weeks. The only way I resolved it was finally getting through to a claims specialist who manually reviewed and released my payments. Keep calling and trying to reach an actual human at ESD.

Thanks for the explanation! Did you just keep calling the main number or is there a better way to reach an actual person? 5 weeks is a really long time to wait with no income... my landlord isn't exactly patient.

same thing hapnd to me last month!!! my claims sat there 4 almst 4 weeks with nothing showing under pending issues. SO FRUSTRATING!!! turned out they were doing wage verification even tho they never told me. did u work at more than 1 place last year? thats what triggered mine

Yes! I worked at two different companies last year. How did you find out they were doing wage verification? Did they eventually contact you or did you have to keep calling?

I've seen this pattern repeatedly with new claims this year. ESD has implemented additional security measures that create this 'silent adjudication' period where claims appear active but payments remain pending. It's not technically adjudication (which would show as a pending issue) but rather an automated review process.\n\nHere's what you need to do:\n\n1. Continue filing your weekly claims without fail\n2. Check your Secure Message Center daily (sometimes they send requests there without notifications)\n3. Try calling right when they open at 8:00am - that's when wait times are shortest\n4. If you worked multiple jobs or in multiple states in your base year, be prepared to verify employment history\n\nIn most cases, payments will suddenly release all at once after this review period. The current average wait time is 3-4 weeks, but I've seen some claims take up to 6 weeks.

Thank you for the detailed advice! I'll start checking the Message Center daily - I wasn't doing that. Do you know if there's any way to speak to someone about expediting the review? My savings are almost gone at this point.

The EXACT same thing is happening to me right now!! Claim says active $392/week but nothing is getting paid out and NO PENDING ISSUES showing anywhere! I'm on week 4 of this nonsense. I called 47 times yesterday and never got through to anyone. The system is BROKEN and they don't care that people can't pay bills while they make us wait with zero explanation. I've started applying for emergency assistance through local charities because I can't wait any longer for ESD to get their act together.

If you've been waiting 4+ weeks with no movement, you might qualify for hardship expedition. Try calling and specifically mentioning you're facing eviction or utility shutoff (if that's true). They're supposed to prioritize those cases.

After struggling to reach ESD for weeks with the same issue (active claim but pending payments), I finally tried Claimyr and it actually worked! It's a service that helps you get through to an ESD agent without the endless calling and hanging up. I was skeptical but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3) and decided to give it a shot. Got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes who told me my claim was flagged for identity verification even though nothing showed in my pending issues. They cleared it while I was on the phone and my payments processed two days later. Definitely check out claimyr.com if you're desperate to talk to someone at ESD.

does this actually work? i keep hearing about it but seems like it would be a scam. how does it get you through when nobody else can get through?

It's legit - basically they use a system that continuously calls ESD for you and then connects you when they get through. Saved me days of frustration. My payments started processing 2 days after I finally talked to someone.

I'm going to try this tomorrow morning. At this point I'll try anything that might help get answers about my claim. Thanks for sharing your experience!

hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is just how ESD works now they never tell you whats going on lol. my neighbor had his claim say active for TWO MONTHS with no payments and nothing under pending issues. turns out they were investigating his last employer who contested the claim but never bothered to notify him. esd is the worst!!!

Quick update based on recent experience: If you're in this situation, check your spam/junk folder daily. ESD has been sending identity verification requests via email, and their messages frequently get filtered as spam. The emails come from no-reply@esd.wa.gov and if you miss the verification deadline, your claim stays in this limbo state with no visible pending issues. Also, make sure your contact information is 100% up to date in both your SAW account and ESD profile.

Just checked my spam folder and there's nothing from ESD. I did double-check my contact info and everything is current. Still hoping I can get through to someone who can tell me what's happening with my claim.

I work with unemployment cases frequently, and I've noticed a pattern with these

UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD this morning! Used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above and was connected to an agent in about 30 minutes. Turns out my claim was flagged for identity verification because I had worked in two states last year. The agent was able to clear it while I was on the phone, and she said my payments should process within 48 hours. Such a relief to finally know what was happening! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

That's awesome! I'm going to try Claimyr too. This waiting game is killing me and my bank account!