What is the disadvantage of unemployment benefits - Washington ESD concerns

I didn't know about the tax part! So I should elect to have taxes taken out when I file?

Yes, definitely elect tax withholding. You can choose 10% federal withholding when you file your initial claim. Trust me, it's better than getting hit with a big tax bill next year.

Same experience here. The phone system hangs up on you constantly. I finally used Claimyr.com to get through - they have this service that calls Washington ESD for you and connects you when an agent picks up. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

Wish I'd known about that service earlier! Would have saved me weeks of frustration.

The stigma thing is real unfortunately. I had an interviewer ask me about my gap in employment and when I mentioned unemployment benefits, their whole attitude changed.

That's terrible but not surprising. Some people still think collecting unemployment means you're lazy, which is ridiculous.

You need to log every job contact - company name, position, date applied, method of contact, and contact person if available. Keep this in WorkSourceWA or your own spreadsheet. Washington ESD can audit this anytime.

This sounds like a lot of paperwork on top of actually looking for work. Is it worth the hassle?

If you need the money, yes it's worth it. Just be organized about it from day one.

Oh no! How did that happen? I might need to take part-time work while collecting benefits.

I reported my gross earnings but forgot about tips from my restaurant job. Always report ALL income - gross wages, tips, everything. Even small amounts matter.

Exactly. The system exists to help people. Just be honest and thorough with everything you report to Washington ESD.

Thanks, that's reassuring. I think I'll file my claim this week.

This happened to my friend. She got fired and Washington ESD took 8 weeks to decide she was eligible. No benefits during that whole time.

Yeah, that's the worst part. You're already struggling financially and then you have to wait even longer for a decision.

Have you tried using one of those callback services? I heard about Claimyr from someone in this forum and it actually worked - they called Washington ESD for me and connected me when an agent was available.

No I haven't heard of that. Do they charge a fee for the service?

They do charge but honestly it was worth it to avoid spending entire days redialing. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ if you're interested.

Good to know. I wasn't planning to move but that could definitely create problems.

Same here. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing when you lose your job through no fault of your own.

Agreed. The key is just being prepared for the requirements and not treating it like free money - you have to work for it by actively job searching.

That doesn't apply to me but thanks for mentioning it. There are definitely more complications than I initially thought.

Yeah student loans can also be an issue in some cases. The government can take part of your benefits to pay defaulted federal student loans.

Well said. It's emergency assistance, not a career plan.

Thanks everyone for all the insights. I feel much more informed about what to expect now. Going to file my claim tomorrow.

Good luck with your claim! Just remember to keep detailed records of everything from day one - job applications, earnings if you work part-time, and any correspondence with Washington ESD. Having good documentation will save you headaches later if any issues come up.

@MidnightRider One more tip - if you haven't already, create your WorkSourceWA account before filing. It'll make the job search logging requirement much easier to manage. Also, don't wait too long to file - in Washington there's no waiting week so you can get benefits right away if you're eligible, but you can't backdate claims more than one week.