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

You can definitely work part-time and still receive partial unemployment benefits! Washington ESD has a formula they use. Basically they subtract your gross weekly earnings from your weekly benefit amount, but there's also a small deduction they take first. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $300 that week, you'd still get some unemployment.

Make sure you report the earnings the week you actually work, not when you get paid. I made that mistake and it messed up my claim for a couple weeks.

I was in a similar situation last year and had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about part-time work reporting. The phone lines are always jammed. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of frustration.

WAIT A MINUTE why is everyone acting like this is so simple?? I tried working part time while on unemployment and they completely screwed up my benefits. Took me weeks to get it straightened out and I almost missed rent because of their mistakes!

You also need to keep looking for full-time work and doing your job search activities. The part-time job doesn't excuse you from the job search requirements.

been working part time for 2 months now while collecting UI, no problems so far just be honest about everything

Just to clarify the math for everyone - Washington ESD takes your gross weekly earnings, subtracts $5, then takes that amount off your weekly benefit. So if your benefit is $400 and you earn $200, you'd get $400 - ($200-$5) = $205 in unemployment that week.

Don't forget you might owe taxes on both the part-time income AND the unemployment benefits. Just something to keep in mind for next year.

I worked part time at my old company while on unemployment after they laid me off. It was weird but totally allowed as long as I reported everything correctly.

If you do run into issues or have specific questions about your situation, definitely consider using Claimyr to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD. I know I mentioned it before but seriously, trying to get through on your own is such a waste of time.

Make sure your part-time employer knows you're on unemployment too. Some employers get weird about it even though it's totally legal.

This is all making me nervous about taking a part-time job. What if I mess up the reporting and they think I'm committing fraud or something?

been there! worked part time for 4 months while collecting benefits, just saved me from going completely broke honestly

I'm still bitter about how they handled my part-time work situation. Their system is so glitchy and the representatives don't even understand their own rules half the time.

One thing nobody mentioned - if the part-time job turns into full-time, you need to report that immediately and your unemployment will stop. Don't try to stretch it out.

The reporting is pretty straightforward in the weekly claim system. There's literally a section that asks about any work you did that week and how much you earned.

Just took a part time gig myself and was stressing about the same thing. Glad I found this thread!

One last tip - keep all your pay stubs and work records. If Washington ESD ever wants to verify your reported earnings, you'll need documentation.

This whole thread has been super helpful. I was scared to take any part-time work because I thought I'd lose all my benefits.

Thanks everyone for all the info. I feel way more confident about taking this part-time job now. Going to accept the offer tomorrow!

I just went through this exact same situation a few months ago! Working part-time while on unemployment is definitely allowed and honestly saved me financially. The key things that helped me: 1) Report your earnings the week you work (not when you get paid), 2) Be prepared for your claim to potentially get flagged for review the first week or two - this is normal, 3) Keep detailed records of your hours and pay, and 4) Don't forget you still need to do your job search requirements. At 20 hours and $16/hour, you're looking at around $320 gross per week, so after the $5 deduction you'd still get a decent chunk of your regular unemployment benefit. The math really does work in your favor!