What is a waiting period for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

The waiting period in Washington is one week. It's the first week of your claim where you're eligible but don't receive payment. So if you file your weekly claim for week 1, you won't get paid for that week, but you will for week 2 and beyond if you continue to be eligible.

The waiting period is basically Washington ESD's way of making sure people don't just file claims willy-nilly. It's like a one-week penalty that everyone has to serve.

Just went through this myself. The waiting period week doesn't count against your total benefit weeks either, which is good news. So if you're eligible for 26 weeks of benefits, you'll still get the full 26 weeks of payments, just not for that first week you claim.

I had trouble understanding this too when I first filed. What helped me was using Claimyr to actually get through to a Washington ESD agent who explained it clearly. The website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way easier than trying to call the regular number.

Make sure you understand the difference between the waiting period and adjudication delays. The waiting period is just that one week, but if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, that's a whole different beast and can take weeks or months.

I'm confused about something - do I need to do job searches during the waiting week? Or does that requirement start after?

The waiting period is just Washington state policy. Some states have eliminated theirs but we're stuck with it. At least it's only one week and not longer.

Quick question - if I file on a Tuesday, when does my waiting week start? Is it from when I file or from the Sunday of that week?

Does the waiting period apply to everyone or are there exceptions? Like what about people who lost their jobs due to company layoffs?

I was so confused about this when I first filed! Kept wondering why my first payment was taking forever. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get through to Washington ESD and they explained the whole waiting period thing. Wish they made this clearer upfront.

One thing to remember is that even though you don't get paid for the waiting week, you still need to file your weekly claim. Don't skip it thinking it doesn't matter!

The waiting period basically serves as a one-week deductible on your unemployment insurance. It's designed to reduce costs to the system and ensure people are serious about their claims.

I filed my claim three weeks ago and still haven't received any payments. Is this normal or should I be concerned it's more than just the waiting period?

For budgeting purposes, just assume you won't see your first unemployment payment until about 3-4 weeks after you file, accounting for the waiting week plus processing time.

The waiting period can be confusing because it's different from the time it takes to process your initial claim. Your claim might take 1-2 weeks to process, then you have the waiting week, then you start getting payments.

Just want to confirm - the waiting period only applies to new claims, right? If I exhaust my benefits and have to reopen my claim later, do I serve another waiting week?

The waiting period is just one of many Washington ESD policies that seem designed to discourage people from filing. Between that and the job search requirements, it's like they don't want to pay out benefits.

Bottom line for the original poster - yes, there's a one-week waiting period where you file but don't get paid. It doesn't count against your total benefit weeks. You still need to file for that week and meet all requirements. After that, if everything else is in order, you should start receiving payments.