What day do you file your weekly claim for unemployment with Washington ESD?
I just got approved for unemployment benefits and I'm confused about when I'm supposed to file my weekly claims. The paperwork from Washington ESD mentions filing weekly but doesn't clearly say what day of the week. Is there a specific day I need to file by or can I do it any day? I don't want to mess this up and miss a payment.
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Ezra Collins
You can file your weekly claim any day of the week, but you need to file it for the week that just ended. So if you're filing for the week of January 1-7, you can file it starting January 8th. Most people file on Sundays since that's when the new week starts.
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Emily Parker
•Thanks! So I don't have to wait until a specific day like Sunday to file?
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Ezra Collins
•Nope, you can file any day as long as it's after the week you're claiming ends. I usually file mine on Monday mornings.
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Victoria Scott
The Washington ESD system lets you file starting at 12:01 AM on Sunday for the previous week. I always file mine first thing Sunday morning to get it out of the way. Just make sure you're filing for the correct week dates.
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Benjamin Johnson
•Same here, Sunday morning routine. Coffee and weekly claim filing lol
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Zara Perez
•I tried filing at exactly midnight once and the system was super slow. Better to wait until morning.
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Daniel Rogers
I've been struggling with this too! I kept calling Washington ESD but could never get through to ask about the filing schedule. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found Claimyr.com which helped me get through to an actual agent who explained the weekly filing process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how their service works.
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Emily Parker
•How does Claimyr work exactly? I'm tired of not being able to reach anyone at Washington ESD.
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Daniel Rogers
•It's basically a service that helps you get connected to Washington ESD agents. Way better than trying to call on your own and getting busy signals all day.
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Aaliyah Reed
IMPORTANT: You have to file every single week even if you worked some hours. Don't skip weeks thinking you don't qualify - let Washington ESD determine your eligibility. I made that mistake early on.
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Emily Parker
•Good to know! What if I worked a few hours during the week?
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Aaliyah Reed
•Still file and report those hours. They'll calculate your partial benefits. It's better to report everything than to skip filing.
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Ella Russell
•Yeah I learned this the hard way. Skipped two weeks thinking I worked too much, then had to call and get it sorted out. Major headache.
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Mohammed Khan
I file every Tuesday morning after I get my Monday schedule figured out. Gives me time to calculate my work hours if I had any. The system is usually pretty fast on Tuesdays.
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Gavin King
•That's smart. I always forget until Friday and then panic thinking I'm late.
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Mohammed Khan
•Set a recurring alarm on your phone! I have mine set for Tuesday at 9 AM.
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Nathan Kim
Question - do I need to file if I'm on standby with my employer? My union said I might be called back but it's been 3 weeks now.
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Ezra Collins
•Yes, you still need to file weekly claims even on standby status. You're still receiving benefits so you need to certify each week.
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Nathan Kim
•Ok good, I wasn't sure about that. Thanks for clarifying!
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Eleanor Foster
The Washington ESD website is pretty clear about this if you dig around. You can file starting Sunday for the previous week, deadline is Saturday night. But honestly their website is confusing as hell sometimes.
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Lucas Turner
•Their website is TERRIBLE. I can never find what I'm looking for.
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Eleanor Foster
•Tell me about it. Half the links don't work and the other half take you to pages that don't answer your question.
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Kai Rivera
•This is why I ended up using Claimyr when I needed to talk to someone about my weekly claims. So much easier than trying to navigate their awful phone system.
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Anna Stewart
I work weekends so I always file on Monday. Never had any issues with timing. Just don't wait until the last minute on Saturday night - the system gets overloaded.
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Emily Parker
•Good tip about Saturday nights. I'll make sure to file earlier in the week.
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Layla Sanders
Been filing for 6 months now. Sunday-Saturday is the benefit week, you can file starting Sunday morning for the week that just ended. I always file Sunday afternoon after I meal prep for the week.
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Morgan Washington
•Smart to make it part of your routine. I should do the same instead of randomly remembering throughout the week.
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Layla Sanders
•Yeah routine is key. Makes it automatic so you don't forget or stress about it.
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Kaylee Cook
Does anyone know if filing later in the week affects when you get paid? I usually file on Thursdays but wondering if I should switch to Sundays.
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Ezra Collins
•Shouldn't matter for payment timing as long as you file within the week. Washington ESD processes payments on their schedule regardless of when during the week you file.
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Oliver Alexander
•I file Sundays and get paid Tuesdays usually. My friend files Wednesdays and also gets paid Tuesdays. Pretty sure it doesn't matter.
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Lara Woods
Just want to add - make sure you're keeping track of your job search activities for each week you file. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and they can audit you at any time.
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Emily Parker
•Thanks for reminding me about the job search requirement! I need to make sure I'm logging those properly.
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Lara Woods
•Yeah keep detailed records. Dates, company names, contact info, what you did (applied, networked, etc). Better safe than sorry if they audit you.
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Adrian Hughes
I had issues with my weekly claim getting stuck in adjudication for weeks. Couldn't get through to Washington ESD no matter how many times I called. Used Claimyr to finally reach an agent who cleared it up. Worth every penny when you're not getting paid for weeks.
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Molly Chambers
•How long did it take them to get you connected to someone?
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Adrian Hughes
•Pretty quick actually. Way faster than me calling directly. The agent was able to see exactly what was holding up my claim and fixed it that same day.
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Ian Armstrong
Pro tip: Screenshot your confirmation page after you file each week. I've had the system glitch a few times and having that proof saved me when Washington ESD said I hadn't filed.
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Emily Parker
•Great advice! I'll start doing that. Better safe than sorry with technology glitches.
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Eli Butler
•Also print or save the confirmation number somewhere safe. I email it to myself every week.
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Marcus Patterson
Anyone else notice the Washington ESD website is slower on Sunday mornings? Takes forever to load sometimes.
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Lydia Bailey
•Yeah it's probably because everyone files Sunday mornings. I switched to filing Monday mornings and it's much faster.
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Marcus Patterson
•Makes sense. I might switch to a different day too.
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Samantha Johnson
I just started filing last week and was so confused about the timing too! From what I've learned reading everyone's responses, it sounds like you can file any day of the week as long as it's for the week that already ended. I'm going to try filing on Wednesday mornings to avoid the Sunday rush that some people mentioned. Also going to start taking screenshots of my confirmation pages like Ian suggested - that's really smart advice!
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