What does remaining balance mean on Washington ESD unemployment account?

The remaining balance shows how much you have left in your benefit year. When you filed your initial claim, Washington ESD calculated your total benefit amount based on your wages. Each week you claim reduces that balance.

yeah thats how much money you got left before your claim runs out, mine started at like 12k and now im down to 3k

I had confusion about this too when I first started claiming. What helped me was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to a Washington ESD rep who explained it clearly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how to get connected without waiting on hold forever.

Your remaining balance also gets affected if you work part-time while claiming. Washington ESD will reduce your weekly payment if you earn over a certain amount, but it doesn't reduce your remaining balance as much. This can actually extend how long your benefits last.

IMPORTANT - your remaining balance doesn't roll over to a new benefit year! When your claim expires, even if you have money left, you have to file a new claim if you're still unemployed.

i wish they made this clearer on the website, took me forever to figure out what all the numbers meant

Pro tip: You can see a breakdown of how they calculated your remaining balance by looking at your monetary determination letter. It shows your base period wages and how they arrived at your total benefit amount.

Does anyone know if the remaining balance includes the extra $25 per week from the state? Or is that separate?

Had a friend who didn't understand this and thought they were getting scammed when their balance kept going down each week lol

If you're getting close to exhausting your remaining balance, start thinking about whether you'll need to file a new claim. The process can take a few weeks so don't wait until the last minute.

This is why I keep a spreadsheet tracking my weekly claims and remaining balance. Helps me budget and plan ahead.

Sometimes the remaining balance can look weird if you have overpayments or other adjustments. I had to call Washington ESD to understand why mine didn't match what I expected.

For anyone who needs to talk to Washington ESD about their remaining balance or any other questions, I really recommend Claimyr. Saved me hours of trying to get through on the phone. Much easier than sitting there hitting redial all day.

The remaining balance is probably the most important number to watch on your account. It tells you how much runway you have while job searching.

wish they would show remaining weeks instead of just dollar amount, would make it easier to understand

Make sure you're not confusing remaining balance with your weekly benefit amount. Those are two totally different things. Remaining balance is your total left, weekly benefit is what you get each week.

I remember being confused about this when I first started claiming benefits. The Washington ESD website could definitely explain these terms better for new claimants.

Just to be super clear for OP - remaining balance goes down each week you claim, and when it hits zero, your benefits stop (unless you qualify for a new claim). It's basically your unemployment account balance.

Another Claimyr success story here - used it when I was confused about my remaining balance calculation and got connected to someone who explained everything. Way better than trying to navigate their phone system alone.

Hope this thread helped clarify things! The remaining balance is definitely one of those things that seems obvious once you understand it but can be confusing at first.