What is waiting week unemployment - Washington ESD made me wait before getting benefits?

Yes, Washington state has a one-week waiting period for regular unemployment benefits. This means your first payable week won't be compensated even if your claim is approved. It's been a standard policy for years - you have to serve one unpaid week before benefits begin. The waiting week applies to your first week of unemployment, not necessarily your first week of filing.

The waiting week is basically Washington ESD's way of making sure you're actually unemployed and not just filing claims for fun I guess? It's super frustrating because that first week is usually when you need money the most. I had to borrow money from family to cover my bills during my waiting week.

I was stuck trying to get clear answers about my waiting week from Washington ESD for weeks. Could never get through on the phone to ask basic questions. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to a real ESD agent who explained everything clearly. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Wish I'd known about claimyr.com sooner - would have saved me hours of frustration.

The waiting week policy exists in most states as a cost-saving measure for the unemployment insurance program. In Washington, you must serve one unpaid waiting week before receiving benefits. This applies to regular UI claims but not to certain federal programs that were available during COVID (though those have ended). You still need to file your weekly claim for the waiting week to maintain your claim status.

wait so if I get disqualified during my waiting week and then later win an appeal, do I get that waiting week back?

I've been through this twice now with Washington ESD and the waiting week gets me every time. You'd think they'd at least make it clear on their website but nope, you have to figure it out the hard way when your first payment doesn't show up.

The waiting week thing caught me off guard too when I first filed. What's worse is if you have any adjudication issues, that waiting week clock doesn't even start until your claim is actually approved. So you could be waiting weeks for adjudication AND then still have to serve your waiting week after that.

Does anyone know if the waiting week applies to standby unemployment too? I'm on temporary layoff and my employer said I might qualify for standby status.

I tried calling Washington ESD like 50 times to ask about this waiting week stuff and kept getting busy signals or hung up on. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through immediately. The agent explained that even if you work part-time during your waiting week, you still have to serve it - the waiting week isn't about being completely unemployed, it's just about serving time before benefits start.

This whole waiting week policy is just another way for the state to save money on the backs of unemployed people. We pay into unemployment insurance our whole careers and then when we need it they make us wait a week for no good reason.

quick question - if I filed my claim on a Wednesday, does my waiting week start that Wednesday or does it start the following Sunday? The weekly claim periods are confusing.

For what it's worth, some states got rid of their waiting weeks during COVID but Washington kept theirs. Really shows where their priorities are when it comes to helping unemployed workers.

Just want to add that you should still keep looking for work during your waiting week and document your job search activities if required. The waiting week doesn't exempt you from any of the other unemployment requirements.

My brother went through this last month and the Washington ESD agent told him via Claimyr that even if you have a one-day gap in employment, you might still need to serve a waiting week when you file a new claim. The rules around this stuff are really specific and not well explained on their website.

honestly this whole thread is making me realize how complicated unemployment is. wish there was better education about all these rules before people need to use the system

One thing that helped me was keeping detailed records of everything during my waiting week - job applications, any part-time work, etc. Even though you're not getting paid for that week, all that information is still important for your ongoing claim.