What is considered unemployment for Washington ESD benefits eligibility?

You can still qualify for unemployment benefits even if you're doing some part-time work! Washington ESD allows you to work part-time and still receive partial benefits as long as you report all your earnings on your weekly claim. The key is that you have to be unemployed through no fault of your own from your main job and you need to be actively seeking full-time work.

Being unemployed for Washington ESD means you're either totally without work OR working less than full-time hours. You have to be able and available for work, actively seeking employment, and have lost your job through no fault of your own. The freelance work shouldn't disqualify you as long as you're still looking for regular employment.

I've had trouble reaching Washington ESD too - their phone lines are always busy. If you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an actual Washington ESD agent. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. It saved me hours of trying to call on my own.

unemployment basically means you dont have a job or your hours got cut way down. but you gotta prove you're looking for work and didnt quit on purpose

To be more specific about Washington ESD's definition, you're considered unemployed if: 1) You're totally without work, 2) You're working less than full-time and earning less than your weekly benefit amount, 3) You're able and available for work, 4) You're actively seeking employment, and 5) You became unemployed through no fault of your own (layoff, reduction in force, etc.).

The Washington ESD website has all this info but its so confusing to navigate. I spent like 2 hours trying to figure out if I qualified when I first got laid off.

One important thing to remember is that you can't refuse suitable work once you're receiving benefits. Washington ESD defines suitable work based on your skills, experience, and how long you've been unemployed. Early in your claim, you can be more selective, but as time goes on, you may need to accept lower-paying positions.

I'm in a similar situation - got laid off but I'm doing some gig work on the side. It's been really stressful trying to figure out if I qualify for benefits or not.

Washington ESD is so backed up right now, it took them 3 weeks to process my initial claim. Even when you qualify, be prepared to wait for your first payment.

Don't forget you also need to register with WorkSource Washington as part of your job search requirements. They'll want to see that you're actively using their resources too.

I was doing door dash and uber eats when I was on unemployment. As long as you report all your earnings and you're still looking for regular full time work, you should be fine.

The whole system is so confusing. I wish there was just a simple checklist of what counts as unemployed and what doesn't.

For anyone still having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about their specific situation, I really recommend checking out that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. It's been a game-changer for getting actual answers instead of just guessing.

make sure you file your weekly claims even if you think you might not qualify. better to file and get denied than to miss out on benefits you were actually eligible for

I think the key thing is being honest about your situation. If you're working part-time but still need full-time work and you were laid off from your main job, that's exactly what unemployment benefits are designed to help with.

One thing that tripped me up was not understanding that part-time work doesn't automatically disqualify you. I thought it was all or nothing but Washington ESD actually encourages people to take part-time work while looking for full-time positions.

The bottom line is Washington ESD wants to help people who are genuinely unemployed or underemployed through no fault of their own. If that's your situation, you should definitely apply.

Just want to add that if your claim gets complicated or goes into adjudication, don't panic. It's pretty common and usually gets resolved eventually, just takes time.

Washington ESD has been pretty good about helping people who are in mixed work situations like yours. The important thing is that you're actively seeking full-time employment and you lost your main job involuntarily.

Hope this thread helped answer your question! Sounds like you're in a pretty typical situation for unemployment benefits eligibility.