What is considered full time for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

So it's based on earnings, not hours? That makes more sense. My weekly benefit is $487, so I could earn up to $492 and still get something?

Exactly! If you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you'll get partial benefits. The formula is: weekly benefit amount minus (gross earnings minus $5). So if you earn $300, you'd get $487 - ($300 - $5) = $192 in benefits.

There's no specific hour limit in Washington. Your friend might have been thinking of a different rule or mixing up state policies. It's all about the money you earn, not the hours you work.

oh ok that makes sense. she was always getting confused about the rules anyway lol

Really? I've been trying to call for weeks! How much does that cost?

It's worth it when you need answers fast. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting hung up on. The agent I talked to was super helpful and patient.

I've heard of Claimyr but wasn't sure if it was legit. Good to know it actually works for getting through to Washington ESD.

Yeah I've been reporting everything, even small odd jobs. Better safe than sorry with overpayments.

This is so important! I know someone who got hit with a huge overpayment because they didn't report some part-time work thinking it 'didn't count.

If you accept a permanent full-time position, you'd stop filing weekly claims since you're no longer unemployed. The transition week you'd report your earnings and that would likely be your last claim.

Got it. So I could try the temp work and see how it goes without losing my claim eligibility completely?

Exactly. As long as you're still partially unemployed and earning less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you can continue filing for partial benefits.

Report your actual gross earnings for each week, whatever the amount. Gig work counts as self-employment income and must be reported when you receive it, not when you perform the work.

Thanks! I've been tracking everything in a spreadsheet just in case.

Standby status has different rules. You can work for other employers while on standby, but you still need to report all earnings. The same earnings formula applies - it's not about hours worked.

Good to know. My employer said they might have work in a few weeks but nothing definite.

RIGHT?? I've spent so much time trying to decode their website. It's like they don't want people to understand the rules.

This is exactly why I ended up using Claimyr to talk to an actual person. Sometimes you just need someone to explain it in plain English.

Wow, 45 hours and still got benefits? That really proves it's all about the money, not the time.

Yep! I was worried about reporting it but glad I did. Washington ESD calculated everything correctly and I got like $150 in partial benefits that week.

That's helpful to know. So one high-earning week doesn't mess up future weeks?

Nope! Each week is calculated separately. I've had weeks with no benefits and weeks with full benefits depending on my earnings.

No, only gross wages count. Benefits like health insurance, 401k contributions, or other non-cash compensation don't count toward your earnings for unemployment purposes.

Thanks! I was overthinking this. Just worried about doing something wrong and having to pay money back.

Yeah, I'm feeling much better about taking that temp job now. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Good luck with the temp work! Hope it leads to something permanent.

Oh right, I need to keep logging job searches in WorkSourceWA. Almost forgot about that requirement.

Exactly! Three job search activities per week unless you're exempt or working 30+ hours consistently.

Some employers don't understand how partial unemployment works. You might want to explain that it's completely legal and doesn't affect them - it's just reducing your benefit amount based on what you earn.

Good point. I'll make sure they understand it's not their responsibility, just mine to report accurately.

Could you share a link? I've been looking for something with actual examples.

I'll try to find it again. It was in the claimant handbook section, but their website navigation is terrible.

This is another reason I liked using Claimyr - the agent could explain specific scenarios without me having to hunt through their website for hours.

You don't need to separately notify ESD about schedule changes - just report your actual earnings each week when you file your claim. The system is designed to handle variable income situations like yours. As long as you're accurately reporting what you earned each week, that's all they need. The "significant changes" thing usually refers to major changes like starting a new permanent job or becoming unavailable for work, not normal fluctuations in part-time hours.