What time does Washington ESD unemployment benefits get deposited in bank account?

Which bank do you use? I'm with Chase and it seems really inconsistent.

I have BECU and they're pretty reliable with the timing. Credit unions tend to be faster than big banks.

This is correct. The state processes everything overnight Monday into Tuesday, but bank posting times vary wildly.

So there's no way to know exactly when it'll show up?

Not really, depends entirely on your bank's policies. Some post at midnight, others wait until 9am or later.

That's what I'm worried about! I need to pay rent and if it's late I'm screwed.

Yeah that's why I always leave a buffer day. Never count on it being there exactly when you expect.

I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you really need to talk to someone.

Is that legit? Seems too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach anyone.

Yeah I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They handle all the calling and waiting for you.

2:30am is so random! At least it's consistent though.

Wells Fargo is usually pretty fast with direct deposits in my experience.

It's not really Washington ESD's fault - once they send the ACH transfer, it's up to individual banks when they post it.

Still frustrating when you're trying to manage money week to week.

Tell me about it. The whole unemployment system feels like it's stuck in 1995.

That's super helpful! So credit unions might be faster than regular banks?

Generally yes, we don't hold deposits as long as big banks do. Less bureaucracy.

Switching to a credit union was the best financial decision I ever made.

Good point. How would I know if there's a problem with my claim?

Check your account on the Washington ESD website - it'll show if there are any issues or if your claim is under adjudication.

And if you can't get through on the phone to ask about delays, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier might help. I used them last month when I had a payment issue.

Ugh why can't Chase be that consistent?

Chase is notorious for holding deposits longer than they need to.

If Monday is a federal holiday, Washington ESD processes payments on the next business day, so deposits usually come Wednesday instead.

Thanks! Good to know for planning purposes.

Yeah holiday weeks always throw off the timing. I learned that the hard way during Memorial Day week.

Wow you're way more organized than me! That's actually really useful data.

A spreadsheet for unemployment deposits is peak adulting right there.

When you're living paycheck to paycheck (or in this case, unemployment check to unemployment check), every detail matters!

Oh that's smart! I didn't even think about alerts.

Most banks have free alert services. Definitely worth setting up for important deposits like this.

Seems like credit unions are the way to go. Maybe I should look into switching.

Credit unions typically have better customer service too. When I had issues with my unemployment claim, I was able to get through to Washington ESD easier after someone at my credit union recommended using Claimyr to handle the calling.

That's the second time someone's mentioned that service. Must actually work.

The state can only control when they send the payment, not when banks process it. That's why there's no single answer.

Still would be nice if they could give us a general timeframe or work with banks to standardize it somehow.

Thursday?! That would give me a heart attack. Did they explain what happened?

System maintenance issue. They eventually sent an email but not until after I'd already panicked and called them multiple times.

This is why having a way to actually reach Washington ESD when there are issues is so important. Can't rely on their website updates.