What happens if you get a job while on Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Don't stop filing your weekly claims! You need to report the work and earnings when you file each week. Washington ESD has a partial benefit formula - you can still get some unemployment if you're working part-time. Just make sure to report every penny you earn, including tips if applicable.

i had the same situation last year. kept filing weekly claims and reported my part time earnings. washington esd automatically calculated my partial benefit amount. just dont lie about the hours or money - they cross check with employers

The partial benefit calculation in Washington is pretty straightforward. They deduct your earnings from your weekly benefit amount, but there's an earnings disregard that lets you keep some of both. If your weekly benefit amount is $500 and you earn $200 that week, you'd still get some unemployment. Keep filing those weekly claims and be accurate with your reporting.

I was in a similar boat trying to reach Washington ESD to clarify this exact situation. Spent literally hours on hold trying to get through to someone who could explain the partial benefit rules. Finally found claimyr.com which got me connected to an agent in like 10 minutes. The rep walked me through exactly how to report part-time work and what to expect. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

whatever you do DONT STOP FILING YOUR WEEKLY CLAIMS!!!! i made that mistake when i got a temp job thinking i had to choose one or the other. missed 3 weeks of claims and it was a nightmare trying to get those weeks back. washington esd makes you jump through hoops to reopen claims

Also make sure you're still meeting the job search requirements. Even if you're working part-time, you typically still need to be looking for full-time work and logging your job search activities. Check your Washington ESD account to see what your specific requirements are.

the system is actually designed for this situation! tons of people work part time while collecting partial unemployment. my cousin did it for months while she was looking for full time work. just be honest about everything and youll be fine

One important thing - make sure your new employer knows you're collecting unemployment. Some employers don't care, others prefer to know. Also, if this part-time job has the potential to become full-time, that's something to consider for your job search activities and long-term planning.

just remember to keep track of your earnings each week. i used a simple notebook to write down my hours and gross pay so i had everything ready when filing my weekly claim. made the whole process much easier

Congratulations on the job! Even if it's part-time, it's a step in the right direction. I was unemployed for 8 months before finding anything, so you're doing great. The partial benefits will help bridge the gap until you can find something full-time.

I've been doing part-time work + partial unemployment for 3 months now. The key things: always file your weekly claim, report exact earnings and hours, keep looking for full-time work, and document everything. Washington ESD's system handles partial benefits pretty smoothly once you get the hang of it.

Another thing I learned when I talked to the Washington ESD agent through Claimyr - if your part-time job becomes full-time (35+ hours per week), that's when you'd typically stop filing claims altogether. But if you're laid off from the full-time job later, you can potentially reopen your claim.

this whole unemployment system is so confusing! why cant they just make it simpler? i feel like you need a law degree to figure out what youre supposed to do

Update: I talked to my new supervisor today and they said it's totally normal for people to collect partial unemployment while working part-time. Feeling much better about this whole situation now. Thanks everyone for the advice!

One more tip - save copies of your pay stubs and keep records of your weekly claim filings. If there's ever any question about what you reported or earned, you'll have documentation to back it up. I learned this the hard way when Washington ESD asked me to verify earnings from 6 months earlier.

The partial benefit formula is actually pretty generous compared to some other states. Washington lets you earn a decent amount before it affects your benefits too much. You're smart to take the part-time job - any work experience is valuable right now.

i was so paranoid about reporting part time work that i called washington esd like 5 times to make sure i was doing it right. turns out i was overthinking it - just file every week and report what you earned. the computer does the rest

Don't forget that some benefits like health insurance through the state might be affected by working, even part-time. Make sure to check all your benefit programs, not just unemployment. Also congrats on the job - hope it leads to something full-time soon!

Just want to mention again that claimyr.com was super helpful for getting specific answers about partial benefits. The agent explained exactly how my earnings would affect my weekly benefit amount and answered all my questions. Way better than trying to figure it out from the website alone.

The most important thing is that you keep filing those weekly claims! Even if some weeks you don't get any money because you earned too much, you need to maintain your claim. Missing weeks can really mess things up if your hours get cut later.