What is the website for unemployment benefits in Washington state?
I'm trying to file for unemployment for the first time and I'm getting confused about which website to use. There seem to be multiple sites and I don't want to end up on some scam site. Can someone tell me the official Washington ESD website for filing unemployment claims? Also, do I need to create an account somewhere specific?
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Harper Collins
The official Washington Employment Security Department website is esd.wa.gov - that's where you'll find all the official information. For actually filing your claim and managing it, you'll use secure.esd.wa.gov which connects through the SecureAccess Washington (SAW) system.
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Donna Cline
•Thank you! So I need to create a SAW account first before I can file?
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Harper Collins
•Yes exactly. You'll create your SAW account and then that gives you access to the unemployment services portal.
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Kelsey Hawkins
Be careful because there are a lot of fake unemployment websites out there trying to steal your info. Only use the official .gov sites that the previous poster mentioned.
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Dylan Fisher
•This is so true! I almost fell for one of those fake sites when I was desperate to file my claim.
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Edwards Hugo
I've been dealing with Washington ESD for months now and honestly the biggest problem isn't finding the website - it's actually getting through to talk to someone when you have issues. The phone system is absolutely terrible and you'll spend hours trying to reach an agent.
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Gianna Scott
•OMG yes! I've called literally hundreds of times and either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting for hours.
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Alfredo Lugo
•I actually found something that helped with this - there's a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. It saved me so much frustration.
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Edwards Hugo
•Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does that even work?
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Alfredo Lugo
•It's legit - they basically keep calling until they get through and then conference you in with the Washington ESD agent. Way better than spending your whole day hitting redial.
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Sydney Torres
Here's what you need to know about the websites: esd.wa.gov is for general info and resources. secure.esd.wa.gov is where you actually file your initial claim and do your weekly claims. You'll also use WorkSourceWA.com for your job search requirements.
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Donna Cline
•Wait, there's a separate website for job search stuff? This is getting confusing.
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Sydney Torres
•Yeah, Washington requires you to log your job search activities and WorkSourceWA is where you do that. You need to register there too as part of your unemployment requirements.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
•The job search requirements are no joke - you need 3 job contacts per week minimum or they'll disqualify you.
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Caleb Bell
Pro tip: bookmark secure.esd.wa.gov because that's the one you'll be using every week to file your weekly claim. The site can be slow during peak times so try filing early in the week if possible.
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Danielle Campbell
•What day do the weekly claims usually open? I keep forgetting when I'm supposed to file.
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Caleb Bell
•Weekly claims open on Sunday and you have until Saturday to file for that week. Don't wait until the last minute though because the site gets overloaded.
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Rhett Bowman
Also make sure you have all your employment info ready before you start - social security number, previous employer details, dates of employment, etc. The application will time out if you take too long.
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Abigail Patel
•How long does the initial application usually take to complete?
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Rhett Bowman
•Plan for about 30-45 minutes if you have all your info ready. Could take longer if you have multiple employers or complicated work history.
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Daniel White
One thing that trips people up is that you might need to wait a week after filing before you can submit your first weekly claim. It's called a waiting week and it's normal.
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Nolan Carter
•Wait, so you don't get paid for the first week? That seems unfair.
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Daniel White
•You still file the weekly claim but you won't get paid for that first week. It's just how the system works in Washington.
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Natalia Stone
If your claim gets stuck in adjudication like mine did, that's when you'll really need to call Washington ESD. Good luck with that though - I tried for weeks before I found that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier.
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Tasia Synder
•What's adjudication? My claim status just changed to that and I have no idea what it means.
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Natalia Stone
•It means they're reviewing something about your claim - could be employment verification, eligibility questions, etc. Usually takes 2-6 weeks but can be longer.
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Selena Bautista
•6 weeks?! How are you supposed to pay bills while waiting?
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Mohamed Anderson
The Washington ESD website also has a bunch of helpful resources if you scroll around. There are FAQs, calculators to estimate your benefit amount, and guides for different situations.
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Ellie Perry
•The benefit calculator was pretty accurate for me. Gave me a good idea of what to expect before I filed.
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Landon Morgan
Just want to emphasize again - ONLY use the official .gov websites. There are so many scam sites that look official but will steal your personal info or charge you fees for services that should be free.
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Teresa Boyd
•This happened to my neighbor - she paid some site $50 to 'help' her file when she could have done it for free on the real site.
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Lourdes Fox
•That's terrible! The real Washington ESD services are completely free.
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Bruno Simmons
Don't forget you'll also need to register for work search on WorkSourceWA.com as part of your ongoing requirements. You can't just file weekly claims and ignore the job search part.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•How soon after filing do you need to start the job search requirements?
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Bruno Simmons
•Usually right away, but check your specific requirements in your SecureAccess account. Some people have temporary exemptions.
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Zane Gray
The secure.esd.wa.gov site also lets you set up direct deposit, update your address, view payment history, and download tax forms. It's basically your one-stop shop for managing your claim.
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Maggie Martinez
•Good to know! I was wondering where I'd get my 1099 forms for taxes.
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Alejandro Castro
If you're having trouble with the website or need to speak to someone, I ended up using Claimyr after weeks of failed attempts to call. Worth checking out their demo video to see if it might help you too.
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Monique Byrd
•Is there a cost for using that service?
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Alejandro Castro
•There is a fee but honestly it was worth it to actually talk to a real person at Washington ESD instead of spending days trying to get through on my own.
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Jackie Martinez
Make sure to bookmark both esd.wa.gov and secure.esd.wa.gov - you'll be using them regularly. And definitely set up your SAW account as soon as possible because that's your gateway to everything.
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Donna Cline
•Thanks everyone! This has been super helpful. I feel much more confident about getting started now.
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