What is the rate for unemployment benefits in Washington state?

The weekly benefit amount in Washington depends on your earnings during your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 and the minimum is $295. They calculate it based on your highest quarter of earnings during your base period, which is typically the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed.

i think its like 60% of your weekly wages or something like that but theres a cap. when i filed last year i was getting $847 per week and i was making good money before

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to get your exact benefit calculation, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a system that calls for you and gets you connected. Check out claimyr.com - there's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me hours of frustration.

The formula is: weekly benefit = (highest quarter earnings ÷ 26) × 0.0385. But there's also a minimum and maximum. For 2025, minimum is $295/week and maximum is $999/week. Your $4,200 monthly would put you in the higher range assuming consistent earnings.

wait is that formula right? i thought it was different than that. my benefit amount seemed way lower than what that would calculate to

Also remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them when you file your return. Just something to keep in mind when budgeting.

also dont forget you have to do your weekly claims every week or you wont get paid. and you have to do the job search stuff too

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool but honestly it's not very user friendly. I tried using it and got confused by all the different scenarios.

Just wanted to mention that if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD, I also used Claimyr recently and it was a game changer. No more sitting on hold for hours or getting hung up on. Worth checking out if you need to talk to someone about your benefit calculation.

I got $723 per week when I filed last summer. I was making about $65K annually. The amount seems fair considering what I was earning.

The benefit amount also depends on your dependents. If you have qualifying dependents, you can get an additional $25 per week per dependent, up to 5 dependents.

Ugh the whole system is so confusing. I've been trying to figure out my benefit amount for weeks and keep getting different answers.

Pro tip: your benefit year lasts 52 weeks, but you can only collect for a maximum of 26 weeks during that year (unless there are extended benefits available). So even if you find work and stop claiming, you could potentially restart your claim later if you become unemployed again within that benefit year.

Don't forget that if you work part-time while collecting unemployment, they'll reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn. There's a formula for that too but I can never remember it.

I used one of those services to get through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my benefit calculation. Claimyr I think it was called. Super helpful because I was able to get my questions answered directly instead of guessing.

The rates change annually based on the state's average weekly wage. So the amounts people are mentioning from previous years might be slightly different now.

Bottom line: you'll probably get a decent amount based on your previous salary, but the exact calculation depends on your specific earnings history. The determination letter will give you the definitive answer.