What day should I claim unemployment benefits with Washington ESD?
I'm new to filing for unemployment in Washington and I'm confused about when I should submit my weekly claims. I know I need to file every week but what specific day? I got approved last week and don't want to mess this up by filing on the wrong day. Do I have to wait until Sunday or can I file earlier in the week? Also does it matter what time of day I submit it?
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Romeo Quest
You can file your weekly claim starting Sunday morning and you have until Saturday night to get it in. Most people file on Sunday since that's when the new week opens up in the system.
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Lydia Santiago
•Thanks! So I don't have to wait until a specific day as long as it's between Sunday and Saturday?
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Romeo Quest
•Exactly. Just make sure you file for the correct week - the system will show you which week you're filing for.
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Val Rossi
I always file mine on Sunday mornings around 8am when the system isn't as busy. If you wait until later in the week sometimes the site can be slow.
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Eve Freeman
•Good point about timing. I tried filing on a Wednesday evening once and it took forever to load.
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Clarissa Flair
•Yeah Washington ESD website gets overwhelmed during peak times
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Caden Turner
Just a heads up - if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone to ask questions about your claim, I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Lydia Santiago
•How does that work exactly? Do they somehow skip the phone queue?
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Caden Turner
•They call on your behalf and connect you when they reach an agent. Check out claimyr.com for more info.
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McKenzie Shade
•That sounds too good to be true honestly
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Harmony Love
The important thing is filing consistently every week even if you worked some hours. You still report the work and Washington ESD will calculate if you get partial benefits.
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Lydia Santiago
•What if I forget to file one week? Can I still file the next week?
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Harmony Love
•You can file late but you might lose that week's benefits. Try to set a reminder on your phone.
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Rudy Cenizo
I been filing every sunday for 3 months now, becomes routine after awhile. just make sure you have your work search activities ready to report
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Lydia Santiago
•How many job search activities do I need to report each week?
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Rudy Cenizo
•i think its 3 per week but check the requirements on the esd website to be sure
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Natalie Khan
Pro tip: if you're doing your job search activities anyway, keep a little notebook or phone notes of what you applied for so you have it ready when filing your weekly claim.
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Daryl Bright
•I use a spreadsheet to track everything - job title, company, date applied, where I found it
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Lydia Santiago
•That's smart, I should probably start keeping better track
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Sienna Gomez
Wait am I supposed to file for the week that just ended or the upcoming week? I'm so confused about this
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Romeo Quest
•You file for the week that just ended. So if you're filing on Sunday, you're reporting for the Sunday-Saturday week that just finished.
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Sienna Gomez
•Ohhhh that makes way more sense now. No wonder I was confused!
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
The Washington ESD system is pretty good about reminding you what week you're filing for. It shows the dates right at the top when you log in.
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Abigail bergen
•Yeah as long as you read the screen carefully it's hard to mess up
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Lydia Santiago
•Good to know, I'll pay attention to those dates
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Ahooker-Equator
If anyone else is struggling to get through to Washington ESD on the phone, that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier actually worked for me too. I was trying to call about a pending issue and couldn't get through for weeks. They got me connected in like 20 minutes.
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Anderson Prospero
•Did it cost anything?
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Ahooker-Equator
•Yeah there's a fee but honestly worth it when you really need to talk to someone and can't get through any other way
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Tyrone Hill
I file mine every Sunday night before bed. That way I don't forget and it's done for the week. Plus Sunday nights the system seems to run faster.
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Toot-n-Mighty
•Same here, Sunday night filing crew! I watch Netflix while I do it lol
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Lydia Santiago
•That's a good routine to get into
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Lena Kowalski
Quick question - do you have to file your weekly claim if you're on standby status? My employer said they might call me back soon.
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Romeo Quest
•Yes you still need to file weekly even on standby. You're still claiming benefits so Washington ESD needs that weekly certification.
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Lena Kowalski
•Thanks, I wasn't sure about that
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DeShawn Washington
For anyone new to this like OP, the key things to remember: file between Sunday and Saturday for the previous week, report any work you did even if it was just a few hours, and keep track of your job search activities. Don't overthink it.
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Lydia Santiago
•This is really helpful, thank you everyone for all the advice!
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Mei-Ling Chen
•Yeah this thread covered all the basics pretty well
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Sofía Rodríguez
One more thing - if you ever have issues with your weekly claim or questions about your specific situation, calling Washington ESD is usually the best bet. Though like others mentioned, getting through can be tough without help.
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Aiden O'Connor
•The phone lines are definitely the worst part of dealing with unemployment
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Lydia Santiago
•Hopefully I won't need to call but good to know about the phone options if I do
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