What day of the week does Washington ESD unemployment pay out benefits?

Thanks! That's a relief. I was worried something went wrong with my direct deposit setup.

Just to add - if you have a smaller bank or credit union, it might take an extra day compared to big banks like Chase or Bank of America.

Thanks! I filed on Monday so hopefully I'll see it by Thursday then.

yep tuesday/wednesday is the norm for me too, been getting benefits for 3 months now

Thanks! That's helpful to know. Do they always stick to that schedule or does it vary?

It's pretty consistent unless there's a holiday that week, then everything gets pushed back a day.

Oh no, how do you know if there's an issue? My claim status just says 'paid' so I think I'm good?

If it says paid you should be fine. Mine showed 'pending' with adjudication status. I actually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to finally get through to someone at Washington ESD about it. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ

Never heard of that service but calling Washington ESD is definitely a nightmare. Took me 4 hours of redialing last time.

Thanks! I do have direct deposit so hopefully Wednesday morning it is. Do you know if this is every Wednesday or just business days?

Every Wednesday as long as there's no holidays that mess with the processing schedule. Sometimes holiday weeks can delay it by a day.

Same here, I always file Sunday evening and get paid Wednesday. Very consistent.

Good to know about the Sunday deadline. I'll make sure to file by then going forward.

Perfect, that gives me a timeline to work with. Appreciate the info!

How much does that cost? Seems sketchy to pay someone to make phone calls for you.

It's actually pretty reasonable and way less stressful than spending hours trying to get through yourself. I was able to get my adjudication issue resolved in one call instead of weeks of trying.

I might have to try this. I've been calling Washington ESD for two weeks straight and keep getting the busy signal or getting hung up on after waiting on hold for an hour.

Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. Do you get any notification when it's deposited?

Not from Washington ESD directly, but my bank sends me a text when deposits hit my account.

Have you tried using Claimyr? It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit? I'm desperate at this point.

Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling for you so you don't have to sit on hold forever. Worth trying if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD.

This is super helpful! I didn't realize the filing day mattered for when payment processes.

Wait I've been filing on Saturdays, does that mean I'm delaying my payments by a whole week??

@profile3 No, you're not delaying by a week. If you file Saturday, it just processes the following Tuesday instead of that week's Tuesday. So maybe 3-4 days delay max.

That makes sense. So it's best to file as early as possible to get paid sooner?

Exactly. I always file mine Sunday evening so I get paid Tuesday morning.

Thanks! I did set up direct deposit so hopefully I'll see it Wednesday then. Do they pay for the previous week or the current week?

It's for the previous week. So if you filed your weekly claim on Sunday for last week, you'd get paid this Wednesday for those days.

Oh no, really? I was counting on getting paid this week. Did they tell you why it took so long?

They said it was just normal processing for new claims. Something about verifying employment history with your last employer.

How much does that cost? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for days about my claim.

It's worth it if you need to talk to someone urgently. Much better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

I've heard good things about Claimyr too. The regular phone system is basically impossible to get through to.

Good to know about the late filing thing. I filed Sunday night so I should be in the Tuesday batch, right?

Yes, Sunday night filing should definitely make it into Tuesday's processing. The cutoff is usually Monday at midnight for that week's batch.

The system did get overwhelmed during COVID and they're still catching up on some of the processing backlogs. But the regular Tuesday/Wednesday schedule has been pretty consistent.

yeah i guess... just frustrating when you're counting on that money to pay bills

Haha good point! I'll make sure I'm checking the right account. Easy mistake to make when you're stressed about money.

Did you notice any pattern to when you got different days? Like if you filed later in the week?

Not really, seemed pretty random. As long as you file your weekly claim on time, you'll get paid within a few days.

Good to know it's reliable! That makes me feel better about planning around it.

System upgrade was a disaster, took 3 extra days that week for everyone

Oh no! How did you fix that?

Had to update it through SecureAccess Washington, then wait for them to process the change. Took about a week.

This is why I always double-check my bank info in the system after any changes.

That sounds right. Washington ESD needs about 48 hours to process weekly claims, so Monday filing = Wednesday payment.

ok good to know thanks

Haha I can see myself doing that! I double-checked my direct deposit info and it's definitely going to the right account.

This happened to my sister too lol. She had updated her bank info but forgot about it.

The ReliaCard is terrible in my experience. Fees for everything and customer service is worse than Washington ESD somehow.

You can request a replacement ReliaCard through your Washington ESD account. Initial delivery takes 7-10 business days but payments load same day usually.

Thanks, I might just switch back to direct deposit. The bank fee is annoying but at least it's reliable.

Wow 20 minutes? I've been on hold for hours before and never gotten through. Might have to try that service if I run into issues.

Yeah it was worth it just for the peace of mind. The agent was able to see exactly what was wrong and walked me through fixing it.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already strapped for cash waiting for my benefits.

It's worth checking out their site for pricing details, but honestly when you're waiting weeks for thousands in benefits it's a small price to pay to get answers.

I used Claimyr too when my payments got held up in adjudication. Got through to an agent same day and they were able to tell me exactly what was holding up my claim.

Wait, so if I file my weekly claim on Monday I won't get paid? That seems harsh.

Exactly. The deadline is Sunday night. If you file Monday you've missed that week's payment cycle. Washington ESD is pretty strict about this.

Actually that's not totally accurate. You can file late claims for up to 4 weeks, but you have to explain why you were late and they might not approve it.

Six weeks?! That's terrible. Have you tried calling them?

called probably 200 times. either busy signal or they hang up on me after an hour on hold. system is broken

This is exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier. When you're dealing with adjudication issues you really need to talk to someone who can look at your specific case.

That's reassuring to hear! Do you get an email or text when the payment is processed?

No automatic notifications from Washington ESD. I just check my bank account Wednesday mornings. You can also log into your eServices account to see payment status.

Same schedule for me! Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week lol

That's reassuring to hear it's so consistent for most people.

Good point. I made sure to double-check everything before submitting. Hopefully no issues!

You should be fine then. First payments sometimes take an extra day but after that it's pretty regular.

Wow you're dedicated! That's really good data though, makes me confident about the Tuesday timeline.

Filing at midnight Sunday is smart, gets you first in the queue probably

Exactly! I figure if I file right when the new benefit week starts, I get processed faster. Might be superstition but it's worked so far.

Yes, federal holidays can delay processing by one business day. So if Tuesday is a holiday, payments typically process Wednesday night for Thursday deposits.

that makes sense, thanks for clarifying!

What's the deadline for filing weekly claims? I want to make sure I don't mess that up.

You have to file by 11:59 PM on the Sunday of the week you're claiming. So if you're claiming benefits for the week ending Saturday, you need to file by Sunday night.

Got it, so basically file every Sunday for the previous week. That's manageable.

That's actually a great idea! I've been obsessively checking my account every few hours.