What percentage does unemployment pay in Washington - need to know for budgeting

Washington unemployment benefits aren't calculated as a straight percentage of your wages. Instead, they use your highest earning quarter from your base period to determine your weekly benefit amount. The maximum weekly benefit is currently $999, but most people get less than that. Your benefit amount is roughly 3.85% of your highest quarter earnings, divided by 13 weeks.

I went through this calculation nightmare last year when I got laid off. The Washington ESD formula is weird - they take your two highest quarters of earnings from your base period, add them together, divide by 2, then multiply by 0.0385. It's not intuitive at all compared to other states that just do a percentage.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about your specific situation, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an agent without waiting on hold for hours. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. The agent was able to walk me through exactly how my benefits were calculated based on my work history.

The percentage thing is misleading because Washington doesn't use a simple percentage. Here's what actually matters: your weekly benefit amount depends on your earnings in your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). If you earned $16,800 in your highest quarter ($4,200 x 4 months), your weekly benefit would be around $647. That's roughly 38% of your weekly gross pay.

just filed last week and yeah the calculation is confusing AF. I was making $3800/month and my weekly benefit came out to $592. So that's like 38% of my monthly income if you break it down weekly. definitely not enough to maintain my lifestyle but better than nothing I guess

I've been on unemployment twice in Washington and both times I got different percentages even though I was making similar money. The first time I got about 42% of my wages, the second time only 35%. It really depends on your specific earnings pattern over the base period quarters.

Does anyone know if the percentage changes if you have dependents? I have two kids and I'm wondering if that affects the calculation at all.

The Washington ESD benefit calculator on their website is supposed to help you estimate your benefits, but honestly it's pretty confusing to use. I tried it three times and got different results each time because I couldn't figure out which quarters to use.

Pro tip: if you're trying to budget, plan for getting around 35-40% of your gross weekly wages. That's been the consistent range I've seen for most people. Also remember you'll need to pay taxes on it if you don't have them withheld.

I'm dealing with the same situation right now. Got laid off from my $4,500/month job and trying to figure out what to expect. This thread is really helpful - sounds like I should plan for around $700-750 per week based on what everyone's saying.

The percentage varies but one thing to keep in mind is that Washington unemployment benefits max out at $999 per week. So if you were making really good money, you might get less than 35% of your wages because you hit that ceiling.

I used Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my benefit calculation. The agent explained that they use something called the 'alternative base period' if your regular base period doesn't qualify you for benefits. Might be worth checking if you're not getting what you expected.

honestly the whole Washington ESD system is confusing. took me 3 weeks to figure out my benefit amount and even then I'm not 100% sure how they calculated it. just glad I'm getting something

For what it's worth, I've found that most people in Washington get between 35-45% of their previous gross weekly wages. The exact percentage depends on your earnings pattern, but that range seems pretty consistent based on everyone I've talked to who's been on unemployment.

Just want to add that if you're planning your budget, don't forget about the job search requirements. You'll need to do job search activities and potentially attend WorkSource appointments, which can add some time and maybe transportation costs to your week.

The calculation is definitely not straightforward. I ended up calling Washington ESD multiple times before I understood how they got my benefit amount. Each agent explained it slightly differently which didn't help.

Bottom line: expect around 35-40% of your gross weekly wages, plan for taxes to be taken out of that if you elect withholding, and remember it's temporary while you look for work. That's the reality of Washington unemployment benefits.

One more thing - make sure you understand your benefit year duration. In Washington you can collect for up to 26 weeks (in normal times), so factor that timeline into your job search and financial planning too.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed responses! This thread has been super helpful. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I should plan for around 35-40% of my gross weekly wages (so maybe $600-700 per week given my $4,200 monthly salary). I'll definitely elect to have taxes withheld to avoid any surprises later. The Washington ESD calculation system sounds way more complicated than I expected, but at least now I have realistic expectations for budgeting. Going to start cutting expenses now rather than waiting to see the exact amount. Really appreciate all the real-world examples people shared!