What is unemployment pay amount in Washington ESD - confused about weekly benefit calculation

So if I made $40,000 last year does that mean I get like $769 a week? That seems really high.

No, it's not based on your total year. They look at your highest earning quarter (3 months) and divide that by 26. So if your best quarter was $12,000, you'd get about $461 weekly.

Wait that's different from what the other person said? Now I'm even more confused about how this works.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. The weekly benefit is based on your highest quarter divided by 26, but you also need sufficient earnings in your base period to qualify at all.

This is why the Washington ESD system is so confusing! They need to explain this stuff better on their website.

Okay so it's like half my normal paycheck basically. That makes more sense. How long can you collect it for?

Standard unemployment in Washington lasts up to 26 weeks, but it depends on your work history and the unemployment rate in the state.

Is that legit? I've been trying to call ESD for days and can never get through to ask about my claim.

Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. Worth it when you need actual answers from ESD.

I've heard of Claimyr too. My sister used them when she had issues with her adjudication taking forever. Saved her a lot of frustration.

I got laid off so I should be okay right? It wasn't for performance or anything, just budget cuts.

Layoffs usually qualify as long as you meet the earnings requirements. Make sure you have all your employment info ready when you apply.

What happens if you miss filing a weekly claim?

You lose that week's payment and it can mess up your whole claim. Don't miss the deadlines!

You can sometimes get missed weeks back if you have a good reason but it's a hassle. Better to just file on time every week.

How hard is it to find a new job while on unemployment? Do they make you take any job or can you be picky?

they expect you to look for suitable work which usually means jobs similar to what you did before at similar pay levels. but if youre on UI too long they might expect you to take lower paying jobs

Oh wow I didn't know that. So the amount you get isn't what you actually keep?

Right, if you don't have taxes withheld you'll owe money when you file your tax return. I always recommend having them take out the 10% federal tax.

This caught me off guard my first time on unemployment. Ended up owing like $800 in taxes I wasn't expecting.

I'll look for that calculator. Hopefully it's easier to understand than the rest of their website.

It's buried in there somewhere. The whole ESD site needs a redesign honestly, so hard to find anything.

So you could potentially get more than 26 weeks? How do you know if you qualify for that?

Extended Benefits get triggered automatically when unemployment rates hit certain levels. If it's available you'll get notified through your ESD account.

That's reassuring. I'm nervous about messing something up on the application and getting denied.

Just be honest and thorough with your information. If there are any issues they'll usually give you a chance to provide additional documentation.

How much does something like that cost? Is it worth it or should you just keep trying to call yourself?

For me it was worth every penny when I was stressed about my claim being delayed. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person who can look at your specific case.

What counts as proper job searching? Like how many applications do you need to do per week?

I think it's 3 job search activities per week minimum, but check the current requirements. Can include applications, networking, job fairs, etc.

They're pretty flexible about what counts as job search activities but you need to document everything properly in case they ask.

Good point, I never thought about it that way. It's not like welfare or anything, it's insurance I've been paying for.

exactly! you earned those benefits through your work history and tax contributions

So even if I apply right away I won't get paid for like 2-3 weeks? That's going to be tight financially.

Yeah unfortunately there's processing time plus the waiting week. Make sure you have some savings to cover that gap if possible.

I'm definitely going to check that out if I run into problems. Thanks for mentioning it.

No problem! The peace of mind was worth it for me when I was dealing with unemployment stress.

That's a really helpful summary. I feel like I understand the basics now at least.

Good luck with your application! Don't hesitate to ask more questions as you go through the process.

This whole thread has been super helpful for understanding unemployment benefits. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.