What happens if you get caught lying on unemployment claims in Washington?

How do I even contact them though? I've been trying to call for weeks and can never get through. The online messaging system hasn't worked for me either.

Try calling right at 8am when they open. That's usually your best bet for getting through to someone at Washington ESD.

That's terrifying. I probably only made a few hundred dollars that I didn't report but now I'm panicking about having to pay back thousands.

The amount you didn't report matters, but so does the fact that you didn't report it at all. They see any unreported work as potential fraud.

Is it expensive? I'm already worried about money and don't want to spend a lot on something that might not work.

It's way cheaper than dealing with fraud penalties. Plus you really need to talk to someone official about your situation rather than guessing what might happen.

Criminal charges? I had no idea it could get that serious. This is just from some small cash jobs, not like I was running some major scam.

Any intentional misrepresentation can be considered fraud, regardless of the amount. The key word is 'intentional' - if you can show it was an honest mistake, that might help your case.

ALL work has to be reported, even cash jobs, odd jobs, freelance work, or helping friends. If you earned money during a week when you claimed unemployment, you must report it.

Crap, I've been doing yard work for cash and didn't report any of it. Now I'm worried too.

So they're basically watching everything? That's scary but also makes me realize I need to come clean before they find out on their own.

Exactly. Self-reporting usually results in much better outcomes than being caught in an investigation. Shows good faith.

That makes sense. I really do need to get through to someone at Washington ESD and explain what happened.

Good luck getting through to them though. I've been trying for months about a different issue and can never reach anyone.

I'm definitely going to look into that. I can't keep putting this off and hoping it goes away.

Yeah, definitely don't wait. The longer you wait, the worse it looks when they eventually find out.

You report work for the week you performed it, not when you get paid. So if you worked Monday-Wednesday but won't get paid until the following week, you report that work on the weekly claim for the week you actually worked.

Okay that makes sense. I think I've been doing it wrong too then.

I'll look for that on their website. Though honestly their website is so confusing I might still need to talk to someone to make sure I'm doing it right.

Yeah their website is terrible. That's why actually talking to an agent is usually the best approach for complicated situations like this.

I didn't even think about tax implications. This is getting more complicated than I thought.

That's why you need professional help navigating this. Don't try to figure it out on your own.

That's reassuring to hear. I'm hoping they'll be understanding since I really didn't know I was supposed to report those small cash jobs.

Just make sure you have records of everything - dates, amounts, who paid you. They'll want detailed documentation.

This is so important. I wish they made this clearer when you first file for unemployment.

They actually do mention it multiple times in the process, but people don't always read everything carefully.

I think I'm going to try that today. I've put this off long enough and I need to get this resolved before it gets worse.

Good call. The sooner you address it, the better your options will be.

That's terrifying but I needed to hear it. I definitely can't afford to be without unemployment benefits for a year.

That's why self-reporting is so important. They're usually much more lenient when you come forward voluntarily.

Thank you for the insider perspective. I'm definitely going to contact them today and explain everything honestly.

That's the right approach. Good luck with your situation.

I will definitely update once I get through to someone and figure out next steps. Hopefully it goes smoothly.

Yes please update! I'm in a similar boat and really anxious about how to handle it.

I'm in a similar situation too and really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. @ea73069aeb1e I hope everything works out for you when you contact them. The advice about using Claimyr to get through faster sounds really helpful - I might try that myself since I've been avoiding dealing with this for weeks now.

@ea73069aeb1e @7c75534e649d @f65887279186 I was in a very similar situation about 8 months ago. I had done some freelance graphic design work and didn't report about $600 in earnings because I thought it was too small to matter. When I finally worked up the courage to call Washington ESD (took me 3 tries over 2 weeks to get through), the agent was actually really understanding. They had me fill out a voluntary disclosure form and calculate exactly what I should have received vs. what I got. I ended up owing back about $240 in overpayments but they waived the penalty because I self-reported. The whole process took about 6 weeks to resolve but it was such a relief to have it behind me. Don't wait like I did - the anxiety of not knowing was worse than actually dealing with it!

@c2d29e938200 Thank you so much for sharing your experience! That's actually really encouraging to hear that they waived the penalty when you self-reported. I've been losing sleep over this for weeks thinking I was going to get hit with huge fines. Your story gives me hope that if I'm honest and proactive about it, they'll work with me too. I'm definitely going to try calling them tomorrow morning, and if I can't get through I'll check out that Claimyr service people have mentioned. It sounds like the key is just being upfront about the mistake rather than trying to hide it.

@c2d29e938200 @0ad6cc600f88 This thread has been so helpful! I'm also dealing with unreported cash work (about $400 from helping a friend's moving company) and have been terrified about what would happen. Hearing that Washington ESD can be reasonable when you self-report gives me the courage to finally deal with this. I think I'll try the early morning calling strategy first, but it's good to know about Claimyr as a backup option. Thanks everyone for being so open about your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in making these mistakes.

@c2d29e938200 @0ad6cc600f88 @edcc9c3c934f This whole discussion has been incredibly eye-opening for me. I'm a newcomer to this community but found this thread while researching what to do about some unreported income from tutoring students. Reading everyone's experiences, especially yours @c2d29e938200 about them waiving the penalty for self-reporting, has convinced me I need to stop putting this off. I've been scared that contacting Washington ESD would somehow make things worse, but it sounds like the opposite is true - waiting and hoping they don't find out is actually the riskier approach. I'm going to gather all my records this weekend and try to get through to them early next week. Thank you all for sharing your stories - it takes courage to admit these mistakes publicly but it's helping so many of us who are in similar situations.

@b20e36d2bba7 @c2d29e938200 I'm new here too but this thread has been exactly what I needed to read. I've been in denial about some unreported side work I did (dog walking and pet sitting) for about 3 months now, telling myself it was too small to matter. But seeing how Washington ESD's detection systems work and hearing from @c2d29e938200 that self-reporting led to penalty waiver has finally motivated me to act. The anxiety of waiting is definitely worse than just dealing with it head-on. I'm going to try calling first thing Monday morning, and if that doesn't work I'll definitely check out Claimyr. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's scary to admit these mistakes but knowing others have gone through this successfully makes it feel manageable.