What does hold mean on unemployment claim in Washington ESD?
I just checked my claim status online and it shows 'HOLD' next to my weekly claim. This is the first time I've seen this and I have no idea what it means. My previous weeks were all processed fine and I got paid. I haven't changed anything about my job search or work reporting. Does anyone know what a hold means on Washington ESD claims? Should I be worried about getting my benefits?
45 comments
Join the conversation
Evelyn Rivera
A hold usually means Washington ESD needs to review something on your claim before they can process payment. Could be anything from a discrepancy in your work search log to needing verification of your availability for work.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•I've been keeping my job search log updated religiously though. Do they randomly audit those?
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Yes, they do spot checks. Also check if you reported any work or earnings differently this week compared to previous weeks.
0 coins
Julia Hall
same thing happened to me last month took forever to get through to someone at washington esd to find out why
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•How long did it take to resolve? I really need this payment to go through.
0 coins
Julia Hall
•about 2 weeks but thats because i couldnt reach anyone by phone for the first week and a half
0 coins
Arjun Patel
I had this exact issue a few months back. Couldn't get through to Washington ESD by calling their main number - kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used Claimyr.com to get through and found out my hold was because I had reported work hours incorrectly one week. The agent was able to fix it immediately once I explained the situation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Never heard of Claimyr before. How does it help you get through to Washington ESD?
0 coins
Arjun Patel
•It automates the calling process so you don't have to sit there redialing and waiting on hold. Really saved me a lot of frustration trying to reach an actual person.
0 coins
Jade Lopez
•Wait, is this legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
0 coins
Tony Brooks
HOLDS ARE THE WORST! I've been dealing with Washington ESD for months and they put holds on claims for the stupidest reasons. One time they put a hold because I put 'N/A' instead of '0' in a field. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!
0 coins
Ella rollingthunder87
•I feel your pain. The whole unemployment system seems designed to make it as hard as possible to get benefits.
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•While it's frustrating, holds usually have valid reasons. The key is finding out what triggered it so you can address it.
0 coins
Yara Campbell
Check your correspondence inbox on the Washington ESD website. Sometimes they send notices explaining why there's a hold but the notifications don't always work properly.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Good idea, I'll check that right now. Didn't think to look there.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Just checked and there's nothing new in my correspondence. Still shows the hold though.
0 coins
Julia Hall
might be because of that new job search verification thing they started doing more often
0 coins
Isaac Wright
•What's the job search verification? I thought just logging your searches was enough.
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Washington ESD can request proof of your job search activities. You need to be able to provide contact information for employers you've applied to.
0 coins
Maya Diaz
This happened to my neighbor too. Turned out Washington ESD needed her to verify she was still able and available for work because she had mentioned taking a class in her previous claim.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•I haven't mentioned taking any classes. Still trying to figure out what triggered this hold.
0 coins
Tami Morgan
•Even small things can trigger reviews. Did you report any volunteer work or mention being sick?
0 coins
Rami Samuels
The hold could also be related to your employer. Sometimes employers contest claims or provide additional information that triggers a review. This happened to me when my old boss finally responded to Washington ESD's inquiry about my separation.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•My employer didn't contest my claim initially. Can they do that later?
0 coins
Rami Samuels
•Yes, employers have a certain timeframe to respond to benefit charge notices. If they respond late, it can cause holds while Washington ESD reviews their information.
0 coins
Haley Bennett
Try calling first thing Monday morning at exactly 8 AM when they open. That's usually the best time to get through to someone at Washington ESD.
0 coins
Julia Hall
•ive tried that so many times and still cant get through
0 coins
Arjun Patel
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Even calling right at 8 AM, I was still waiting on hold for over an hour most times, and half the time got disconnected.
0 coins
Douglas Foster
Whatever you do, don't panic. Holds are super common and most get resolved quickly once you talk to someone. The hard part is just getting through to Washington ESD to find out what they need.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Thanks, trying not to stress but I really depend on these payments.
0 coins
Nina Chan
•Totally understand. Bills don't stop coming just because Washington ESD puts a hold on your claim.
0 coins
Ruby Knight
I work for a non-profit that helps people with unemployment issues. The most common reasons for holds are: unreported work/earnings, job search issues, availability questions, or employer responses. You really need to speak with Washington ESD directly to find out the specific reason for your hold.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•That's helpful context. I'm pretty sure I reported everything correctly but maybe I made a mistake somewhere.
0 coins
Diego Castillo
•Even small reporting errors can trigger holds. The system is very sensitive to discrepancies.
0 coins
Logan Stewart
Had a similar issue recently and tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Actually worked - got through to Washington ESD in about 20 minutes instead of spending all day redialing. Found out my hold was because I had put the wrong date for when I was available to start work.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Wow, such a small thing caused a hold? The system is really picky.
0 coins
Logan Stewart
•Yeah, apparently even a one-day difference in availability dates can trigger a review. Once I corrected it with the agent, the hold was removed immediately.
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
Just want to add that holds can also happen if Washington ESD is cross-referencing your claim with other state databases. Sometimes there are false matches that need to be cleared up manually.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•That sounds complicated. How would I even know if that's what happened?
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•You wouldn't know without talking to Washington ESD directly. These backend system issues don't generate notices that claimants can see.
0 coins
Sean Matthews
UPDATE: I was able to get through to Washington ESD this morning using that Claimyr thing. Turns out my hold was because I reported working 3 hours last week but didn't report any earnings (I did volunteer work, not paid work). The agent fixed it right away and said my payment should process tonight. Thanks everyone for the help!
0 coins
Arjun Patel
•Glad it worked out! That's exactly the kind of small reporting issue that causes these holds.
0 coins
Julia Hall
•awesome! might have to try that claimyr thing myself
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Perfect example of why it's important to be very specific when reporting work activities. Volunteer work should be reported differently than paid work.
0 coins
Ruby Knight
•Great outcome! This is a common mix-up we see. Volunteer work hours don't need to be reported as work hours on your weekly claim, but it's good that you got it clarified.
0 coins