What is the max amount of unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

Thanks! That's higher than I expected. So it's based on my highest earning quarter during the base period?

Exactly. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then calculate your weekly benefit from there. The $999 is just the ceiling.

The amount gets adjusted annually based on wage data. 2025 did see an increase from previous years due to wage growth in the state.

I had the same problem! Couldn't reach anyone at Washington ESD for weeks. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that got me through to an actual agent within minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Really? That actually worked for you? I'm so tired of getting disconnected or sitting on hold forever.

Yeah, it was worth it just to get my questions answered directly by Washington ESD staff instead of guessing from their website.

Wait, I thought it was based on just the highest quarter? What's this about total base period earnings?

You need both - enough total earnings across the whole base period AND enough in your highest quarter. It's a two-part test for eligibility and benefit calculation.

True, the median benefit amount is much lower. The maximum is there for higher-wage earners but most claims are in the $300-600 range.

Good point. And don't forget about the waiting week requirement - first week is unpaid even if you're eligible.

Is there still a waiting week? I thought that was eliminated during COVID.

The waiting week was temporarily suspended but it's back now for regular unemployment claims.

Actually, it's simpler than that. They just take your highest quarter, divide by 26, and that's your weekly benefit (subject to the minimum and maximum limits).

Oh really? I must have been thinking of another state's formula. Thanks for the correction!

This is so true. My claim got stuck in adjudication for weeks because they couldn't verify wages from a previous employer. Such a pain.

That's exactly when I used Claimyr - my claim was stuck and I needed to talk to someone at Washington ESD to figure out what documentation they needed. Regular phone calls weren't working at all.

Yeah, it was $929 in 2024 so $999 is a decent increase for 2025.

How much can you work part-time before it affects your benefits? I might pick up some consulting work.

You can earn up to your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing your UI payment. So if you get $500/week in UI, you can earn up to $500 working without losing benefits.

Not quite right - there's actually a partial benefit formula. You can earn 1.25x your weekly benefit amount before you lose all benefits for that week.

Extended benefits use the same weekly amount as your regular claim. But extended benefits only kick in when unemployment rates hit certain triggers - we're not there right now in Washington.

Thanks, good to know. Hopefully I won't need to worry about that anyway.

I feel you. The system has so many glitches. Have you tried reaching out through the secure messaging system on your account?

Yes! They take forever to respond and when they do it's just generic copy-paste answers that don't help.

This is exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Sometimes you just need to actually talk to a human being who can look at your specific case instead of getting lost in the automated system.

That's a good point. So if I file in January 2025, they'd look at my wages from July 2023 through June 2024?

Exactly! Though you can sometimes use an alternate base period if you don't qualify under the standard one.

How many job search activities do you need per week? I keep seeing different numbers.

It's 3 job search activities per week for most people, but it can vary based on your individual reemployment plan.