What is the income limit for unemployment benefit with Washington ESD?

There isn't really an 'income limit' per se - it's more about how your part-time earnings affect your weekly benefit amount. Washington ESD uses a formula where they subtract 25% of your gross weekly earnings from your weekly benefit amount. So if you're making $400/week, they'd reduce your UI payment by $100.

The key thing is your weekly benefit amount minus 25% of your gross earnings. If that calculation results in $0 or less, you won't get a payment that week. But there's no hard income limit that permanently disqualifies you from benefits.

I was in a similar situation last year - working part time and getting UI. Just make sure you report your earnings accurately every week when you file your claim. If you don't report or underreport, they'll catch it eventually and you could face an overpayment situation.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about this directly, I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you actually get connected to an ESD agent without sitting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

wait im confused - so if i make like $600 a week at my part time job, i can still get unemployment benefits?? that seems like a lot

I think there might also be something about if you work more than a certain number of hours per week? Like if you're working full-time hours even at low pay, that might affect eligibility differently than just the dollar amount.

This is getting complicated. I think I need to call Washington ESD directly to make sure I understand how this would work with my specific situation.

Just to add - you also have to keep doing your job search activities even if you're working part time. The work search requirements don't go away just because you have some income.

The whole system is so confusing! I wish they would just give you a straight answer about income limits instead of making you calculate everything.

To clarify the main question - Washington state doesn't have a flat income limit that disqualifies you from unemployment. The system is designed to supplement your income when you're partially unemployed. As long as your reduced weekly benefit amount (after the 25% earnings deduction) is at least $1, you can receive benefits.

I was working part-time and getting UI for about 6 months. The key is being totally honest about your earnings and hours worked. I always rounded up to be safe rather than accidentally underreporting.

just wanted to mention that if you end up needing to talk to someone at ESD about your specific situation, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually worked for me too. I was trying to get clarification on a similar part-time work question and couldn't get through on my own.

Does anyone know if the income calculation is different for gig work vs regular part-time employment? I drive for rideshare sometimes and wasn't sure if that counts the same way.

The bottom line is there's no hard income limit, but your earnings will reduce your weekly benefit payment. If you earn enough that the reduction brings your benefit to $0, you won't get paid that week but you can still file your claim and potentially get benefits in weeks when you earn less.

I hope this thread helps other people too - this income limit question comes up a lot and it's not explained very clearly on the Washington ESD website.