What day do you file unemployment weekly claims in Washington ESD?

Thanks! So I file every Sunday for the week that just ended? That makes sense.

Yep exactly. And make sure you answer all the questions honestly about any work you did or money you earned that week.

Good to know I have the whole week to file if needed. Is there any advantage to filing early vs later in the week?

Filing early means you get paid faster - usually by Tuesday if you file Sunday. If you wait until Friday or Saturday, your payment might not process until the following week.

I learned this the hard way when I filed late and had to wait extra days for my money to hit my account.

Really? How does that work exactly? I tried calling ESD once and was on hold for 3 hours before getting disconnected.

Yeah that's exactly why I started using it. You go to claimyr.com and they handle the calling for you. Way better than sitting on hold all day.

Is this legit? Sounds too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach anyone at ESD.

Wait what? I didn't know about job search requirements. Where do I find information about this?

It should be explained in your eligibility determination letter. You need to register with WorkSourceWA and complete 3 job search activities every week you claim benefits.

Yes exactly! And keep records of everything because they can audit you at any time.

That's a great idea. I'm definitely going to set up a reminder.

Same here, I have it in my calendar as a recurring event every Sunday.

What happens if I worked a few hours during the week? Do I still get some unemployment?

Yes, you can work part-time and still receive partial unemployment benefits. Washington ESD has a formula where they reduce your weekly benefit amount based on how much you earned that week.

Just make sure you report ALL earnings honestly. They cross-check with employers and the IRS.

Good to know about the website being slow. Maybe I'll file Sunday afternoon instead of morning.

I've never had issues filing early Sunday morning around 7-8 AM. Might be worse later in the day.

That makes sense. So I'm always filing for last week's activities, not this week.

Exactly. And you can't file early for future weeks - it's always for the completed week.

You can file late claims but there's usually a limit on how far back you can go. You should call ESD to ask about your specific situation.

Good luck calling them directly though. That's another situation where Claimyr would be helpful - they can get you through to actually talk to someone about missed claims.

Thanks, I'll look into that Claimyr thing if I can't get through myself.

Why would I file if I worked full time? Wouldn't I not get any benefits that week anyway?

You're right that you probably won't get benefits that week, but you need to maintain your claim by filing every week. Skipping weeks can cause your claim to become inactive.

Exactly. It's like checking in to keep your claim active, even if you don't get paid that particular week.

What's adjudication? Should I be worried about that happening to my claim?

It's when they need to review your claim for some reason - could be a question about your eligibility or conflicting information. Usually takes weeks to resolve.

That's exactly when Claimyr saved me time. Instead of calling ESD 50 times, I used their service to get connected and actually talked to someone who could explain what was happening with my adjudication.

If you got approved Friday, you should check your ESD account to see if there's a weekly claim available to file. Sometimes there is, sometimes you wait until the next Sunday.

Log into your SecureAccess Washington account and look at your ESD homepage. If there's a weekly claim ready to file, do it. If not, wait for Sunday.

Thanks! I'll check my account right now.

That's good to hear. I was worried this was going to be really complicated.

Nah, once you file your first weekly claim you'll see it's pretty straightforward. Just answer the questions honestly and file on time.

Good point. I should double-check that my address is correct in my account.

Yeah and if you move while on unemployment, update it immediately. Missing important mail from ESD can cause problems with your benefits.

Generally if you file Sunday or Monday, you'll get paid Tuesday. Filing later in the week might delay your payment until the following Tuesday.

Good to know. I'll stick with Sunday mornings then.

Seems like a lot of people here have used that service. Must actually work if so many people recommend it.

Yeah it's legit. Check out their demo video if you want to see how it works before trying it.

What exactly counts as a job search activity? Just applying for jobs?

Applying for jobs, networking events, career fairs, updating your resume, online skills training - there's a list on the WorkSourceWA website of what qualifies.

And you need to keep detailed records because they can audit your job search activities at any time.

That's what I'm planning to do. Sunday mornings seem to be the most popular time based on everyone's responses here.

Yep, Sunday morning with coffee is my routine. Quick and easy way to start the week.

Wait, there's a waiting week? No one mentioned that when I applied.

Washington eliminated the waiting week during COVID and I believe it's still eliminated, but it's worth checking your determination letter to be sure.

Oh good point, I forgot they got rid of the waiting week. Shows how much things have changed with unemployment recently.

No problem! We've all been there figuring this stuff out for the first time.

Good luck with your claim! Feel free to ask if you run into any issues along the way.

Definitely will. This forum has been super helpful for understanding how everything works.