What day does unemployment pay in Washington state?

Thank you! I do have direct deposit so hopefully I'll see it Wednesday. Do you know if holidays affect this timing?

Yes, holidays can delay it by a day or two. Bank holidays especially mess with the timing.

Which bank do you use? I have Chase and wondering if they're typically fast or slow.

i use wells fargo and its usually there by 2pm wednesday. chase should be similar

Thanks! So it's pretty quick then. I was worried it might take a week or something.

yeah mine always comes wednesday morning around 6am, been on unemployment for 3 months now

That makes sense. I'll try to file earlier in the week going forward.

I always file my weekly claim on Sunday night and get paid Wednesday morning like clockwork. Been doing this routine for months.

I chose direct deposit during my application so I should be good. How long did it take you to get your first payment?

My first payment took about 3 weeks because of adjudication issues, but once that was resolved, the weekly payments have been very consistent on Wednesdays.

3 weeks for adjudication? That's actually pretty fast these days. Mine took 6 weeks!

Good to know about the Sunday deadline. What happens if you file late in the week?

You can file late but you won't get paid until the following week's cycle. So if you file on Thursday, you'd get paid the Wednesday after that.

Oh no, what kind of verification did they need? I've been applying to jobs and keeping track like they said.

They randomly audit job search logs sometimes. Just make sure you're keeping detailed records of where you applied and when. I use a spreadsheet to track everything.

This is why I use Claimyr when I need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about my claim status. Way easier than trying to call them directly. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Interesting, I'll check that out if I run into issues. How much does it cost?

They focus on just getting you connected to an actual person at Washington ESD rather than waiting on hold forever. Much better than spending hours trying to call.

I've heard of Claimyr too. My friend used it when her payments stopped coming and she couldn't figure out why.

Good to know about holidays affecting it. I didn't think about that.

Yeah federal holidays can push everything back a day. Memorial Day, Labor Day, those kinds of holidays.

Oh wow, I didn't know that. So even if I'm waiting for approval I should keep filing weekly claims?

YES! Keep filing every single week. They'll pay you retroactively for the weeks you filed once your claim is approved.

This is correct. Never stop filing your weekly claims even during adjudication or appeals.

Standby claims follow the same payment schedule as regular UI claims. The main difference is you don't have to do job search activities while on standby status.

Thanks! That's what I hoped. The standby process seemed so different I wasn't sure.

What happens if you miss the deadline? Can you still file late?

You can file late but you have to explain why and they might not pay you for that week. It's not worth the risk - just set a reminder on your phone.

I had to call Washington ESD when I missed a week due to being in the hospital. Took forever to get through until someone told me about Claimyr. That service actually got me connected to an agent who helped me file the late claim and get it approved.

I'll check that out. Still getting used to navigating their website.

their website is confusing as hell but once you figure out where everything is its not too bad

I use a small local bank so hopefully that helps with faster processing.

Local banks and credit unions are usually quicker with ACH deposits. The big national banks sometimes hold them longer.

That's reassuring to hear it's consistent. I was worried it might be random.

nah its pretty reliable. washington esd has their issues but payment timing isnt one of them

How long did that delay take? I haven't worked any odd jobs but good to know.

It took about 10 days for them to review and approve the payment. Just be super accurate when reporting any income.

Good reminder. I was thinking about doing some gig work but wasn't sure how that affects benefits.

Any work has to be reported on your weekly claim. They'll reduce your benefits accordingly but you might still get a partial payment depending on how much you earned.

So in that case would payments show up Thursday instead of Wednesday?

Exactly. It's rare but during busy periods like mass layoffs it can happen.

If you're in adjudication, payments are held until they make a decision. Once approved, you should get back pay for all the weeks you filed claims during the adjudication period.

That's what I was hoping. The waiting is killing me financially though.

I was in adjudication for 4 weeks last year. Used Claimyr to finally get through to someone who could explain what was holding up my claim. Turned out they just needed one more piece of documentation. Got approved the next week after I faxed it in.

20 weeks! That's a long time. Hope you find something soon.

Thanks! Finally got some interviews lined up. The job market is tough but slowly improving.

I set up direct deposit but good to know about the card option as backup.

Direct deposit is definitely faster than the card. I switched after the first couple payments.

That's reassuring. I was worried about long delays.

yeah washington is pretty fast, just gotta make sure you do everything right

Great idea! I'll set that up tonight.

I do the same thing. Get a text every Wednesday morning when my unemployment payment comes through.

Definitely don't want to deal with having to pay money back. I'll be careful about reporting everything.

Overpayments are a headache. Always better to report too much information than too little when it comes to Washington ESD.

I actually had an overpayment issue last year because I misunderstood the reporting requirements. Had to use Claimyr to get through to someone who could help me set up a payment plan. Much easier than trying to navigate their phone system on my own.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. Feeling much more confident about the process now.

You're welcome! This forum is great for getting real-world advice from people who've been through it.

Good to know. I went with direct deposit so hopefully I'll stick to the Wednesday schedule.

Yikes, that sounds like a nightmare. I double-checked my routing and account numbers so I should be okay.

Yeah it was stressful. They did pay me for all the missed weeks once I got the card though.

That's the second mention of Claimyr in this thread. Seems like it might be worth looking into if I have problems.

I was skeptical at first but when you can't get through to Washington ESD any other way, it's worth trying.

Standby follows the same payment schedule - Tuesday processing, Wednesday deposit. The only difference is how you file your weekly claims.

Thanks! That's good to know the timing stays the same.

That's really reassuring. I was worried about irregular payment timing making it hard to budget.

I don't have any gig work right now but I'll keep that in mind if I do any freelance stuff.

Yeah just be upfront about any income. It's better to report it and have them calculate the reduction than to get caught later.

Good to know about holiday delays. I'll plan around that during holiday weeks.

That's a great idea. I'll set that up today. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!

No problem! This forum has been super helpful for me too when I was starting out on unemployment.

Perfect summary! I feel much more confident about the timing now. Really appreciate everyone's help.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful about double-checking everything before submitting. I'm still pretty new to this whole process so I'll make sure to be extra careful when filling out my weekly claims. It's reassuring to hear that the timing is so consistent once you get into the routine. Do you have any other tips for avoiding claim issues?