What is eligibility for unemployment benefits in Washington - confused about requirements

For Washington state unemployment, you need to meet the base year earnings requirement. They look at your wages from the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. You need at least $1,234 in your highest quarter and total base year wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. Your $18,000 should be enough if it's distributed properly across quarters.

You also need to be unemployed through no fault of your own - layoffs qualify but if you quit or got fired for misconduct you won't be eligible. Since you said you were laid off you should be good there. The job search requirement is 3 job contacts per week and you have to keep a log.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I was trying to verify my eligibility status. The phone lines are always busy and the online chat never worked for me. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

WAIT you also have to be able and available for work! This is important - you can't be on vacation, sick, or unable to work for any reason. And you have to be actively looking for work. Some people miss this requirement.

Don't forget about the waiting week! You won't get paid for your first week even if you're eligible. I learned that the hard way.

Your gig work might complicate things depending on how it was classified. If you were an independent contractor for that work, those earnings might not count toward your base year wages. Only W-2 wages typically count for regular unemployment benefits.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing!! why cant they just make it simple to understand if you qualify or not??

Here's the basic checklist: 1) Unemployed through no fault of your own 2) Meet wage requirements in base year 3) Able and available for work 4) Actively seeking work 5) Register with WorkSource. If you check all those boxes you should be eligible.

I was in a similar situation last year - part time retail work, inconsistent hours. I qualified for about $200 a week in benefits. The key is making sure your wages were spread across enough quarters to meet the requirements.

Make sure you file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file, even if you were eligible. Don't wait thinking you'll find another job quickly.

One thing that tripped me up was the earnings reporting. If you do any part-time work while collecting unemployment, you have to report those earnings and it might reduce your weekly benefit amount.

The Washington ESD phone system is absolutely terrible. I spent literally hours trying to get through when I had questions about my eligibility. Finally someone told me about Claimyr and it actually worked - got connected to an agent in like 10 minutes.

Also remember that if you're denied initially, you can appeal the decision. Sometimes they make mistakes or don't have all the information they need. Don't give up if you think you should be eligible.

my brother went through this same thing last year with retail work and got approved. he said the hardest part was keeping up with the weekly claims and job search requirements once he was approved

The good news is that once you're approved, the weekly claims are pretty straightforward. Just answer the questions honestly about your job search activities and any work you did that week. Most people get into a routine with it.

I'm dealing with something similar right now and used Claimyr yesterday to talk to someone at Washington ESD about my wage calculation. The agent was able to look up my quarters and confirm I met the requirements. Way better than trying to figure it out myself from the confusing online info.

Just want to add that if you worked in multiple states, that can affect your eligibility too. You might need to file in the state where you worked most recently or earned the most wages. Washington has agreements with other states for combined wage claims.

Based on what you described, it sounds like you should qualify. The retail job wages should meet the requirements if you worked consistently for 8 months. Just make sure you have all your documentation ready when you file - pay stubs, layoff notice, etc.