What happens to my ESD unemployment if I report 32 hours then quit new job?

Let me answer both your questions: 1. When you report 32 hours in a week, ESD will likely determine you're fully employed and not pay benefits for that week. Their system calculates if you earned more than your weekly benefit amount. At $19.50/hr for 32 hours, that's $624 for the week - which is probably above your weekly benefit amount. 2. Quitting voluntarily CAN disqualify you from benefits UNLESS you can prove good cause. Unsafe working conditions could qualify as good cause, but you need documentation. Take photos of unsafe conditions, report issues to OSHA, keep copies of any communication about safety concerns, and document the abusive management behavior. If you quit, ESD will likely put your claim into adjudication while they investigate whether you had good cause. You'll need to continue filing weekly claims during this period.

hey i was in this EXACT situation last yr!!! reported 30+ hrs for 2 weeks & got $0 but my claim stayed active. then i quit bc my boss was a NIGHTMARE & they put me in adjudication for like 6 wks!! keep filing every week even when ur in adjudication or ull lose $$$ like i did lol

I think everyone here is missing a crucial point. When you accept a job offer, ESD expects you to keep that job unless there are EXTRAORDINARY circumstances. Having a bad manager or schedule changes is NOT considered good cause for quitting. The unemployment system isn't designed for people to pick and choose jobs based on comfort. The legal standard for quitting with good cause in Washington requires that: 1. The issue must be primarily attributable to the employer 2. It must be so severe that a reasonable person would quit 3. You must have tried to resolve the issue with the employer before quitting Safety violations ARE potentially valid, but you need to document them thoroughly AND report them to management/HR first. Taking a few photos won't be enough - you need written evidence that you tried to resolve it. If you just stop showing up (job abandonment), that's considered misconduct and will almost certainly disqualify you.

Anyone trying to reach ESD about issues like this should try Claimyr - it's the only thing that worked for me after weeks of trying to get through. They connect you directly to an ESD agent without the hours of waiting. Their site is claimyr.com and you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 I used it when I had a similar situation - needed clarification about quitting a job. Got through to an actual person in about 20 minutes instead of spending days getting busy signals. The agent was able to note my account and explain exactly what documentation I needed to avoid issues.

One thing no one has mentioned: if you report earnings that exceed your weekly benefit amount for 4 consecutive weeks, ESD may automatically close your claim entirely. This is different from just receiving $0 for a week while remaining on an active claim. If this happens, you'd need to file a new claim if you later become unemployed with good cause. So if you're planning to document issues and potentially quit, don't wait too long or you might have to restart the entire application process. Also, make sure you're reporting your hours and wages ACCURATELY. Underreporting hours or wages is considered fraud and can result in penalties, overpayment assessments, and even disqualification for future benefits.

My sister worked at a place for 3 days and quit because they were making her do stuff not in her job description. ESD denied her benefits and said she needed to work there longer before quitting. Not sure if thats helpful but just sharing her experience...everyone's situation is different I guess

THE ESD SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST WORKERS!!! they ALWAYS side with employers and make us jump through impossible hoops!!! i quit a job with DOCUMENTED harassment and they STILL denied me and took 3 MONTHS to make a decision!!! meanwhile bills piled up and i almost got EVICTED!!! the whole system is designed to PUNISH workers for standing up for themselves!!!

I might be dumb for asking but could you maybe just reduce your hours at this job instead of quitting completely? Like tell them you can only work 20 hours a week? That way you still get partial unemployment but also have some income while you look for something better?

I just went through something similar a few months ago! Here's what I learned the hard way: For your first question - yes, at 32 hours x $19.50/hr you'll likely get $0 for that week since you're earning more than your weekly benefit amount. BUT your claim stays active as long as you keep filing. For quitting - document EVERYTHING before you make any moves. I made the mistake of quitting a toxic job without enough proof and had to fight for months. What saved me was: - Taking photos/videos of safety violations - Emailing my supervisor about concerns (creates a paper trail) - Getting witness statements from coworkers - Filing a complaint with L&I about the unsafe conditions The key is showing you tried to resolve issues before quitting. Send an email to your manager/HR listing the specific safety problems and requesting they be fixed. Give them a reasonable time to respond (like 3-5 business days). If they don't fix it or dismiss your concerns, THEN you have documented good cause. Also keep filing your weekly claims even if you quit and go into adjudication - I lost out on back pay because I stopped filing thinking it was pointless. The whole process sucks but if you do it right, you can protect your benefits. Just make sure you have rock-solid documentation before you walk away!