What's the maximum unemployment benefits you can get from Washington ESD?

Thanks! So with $65k annual that should put me near the max right? How do they determine which quarters count?

Your base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd look at quarters from Jan 2024 to Sept 2024.

It gets adjusted annually. The $999 is correct for 2025. It was $844 in 2024 so there was a significant increase this year.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. I watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and decided to try it. Got connected within 30 minutes instead of the usual 3+ hour wait times.

Really? That actually works? I'm desperate at this point because my claim shows pending and I need to know if my benefit amount is correct.

Yeah, check out claimyr.com - they basically handle the calling and waiting for you. Much better than trying to get through yourself.

How do I know what my highest quarter was? My pay varied a lot throughout the year.

You can check your quarterly wage history in your SecureAccess Washington account under the UI Online section. It should show all your reported wages by quarter.

Because it's based on your actual earnings history, not a flat rate. The formula ensures higher earners get more benefits but there's still a cap to keep costs manageable.

Not necessarily. If your income wasn't evenly distributed, you might have had one quarter that was much higher. Check your actual quarterly wages - bonuses, overtime, etc. can push one quarter over the $24,975 threshold.

yeah my friend had the same situation and got like $850/week even though his annual was only $60k because he had a huge bonus quarter

That's good to know. 26 weeks should give me enough time to find something decent.

Glad it worked for you! It's such a relief when you can actually talk to someone who can see what's going on with your claim.

What was the job search requirement issue? I want to make sure I'm not missing something.

I hadn't logged enough job search activities in WorkSourceWA. You need 3 per week and I was only doing 2. Easy fix once I knew about it.

How much can you earn before it affects your benefits?

You can earn up to your weekly benefit amount plus $5 before they start reducing it. So if your benefit is $500/week, you can earn up to $505 with no reduction.

But you only get it for 26 weeks maximum, so it's more like $26k total. And remember, you had to be earning significantly more than that to qualify for the maximum benefit.

Good point. I've been filing every Sunday like clockwork. When do you typically get paid after filing?

Usually 1-2 business days if there are no issues with your claim. It goes to your chosen payment method (direct deposit or debit card).

I tried that calculator and it was way off from my actual benefit amount. I think it doesn't account for all the adjustments they make.

I got $985/week last year. My highest quarter was around $26k - I had a big commission payout that quarter. My annual was about $85k total.

That's really helpful to know. Sounds like you need to be in the $80k+ range annually to hit the max, assuming uneven quarterly distribution.

Oh I didn't think about that. Should I have them withhold taxes?

Probably a good idea if you don't want a big tax bill next year. You can request 10% federal withholding when you set up your claim.

Good to know for anyone who might need to file claims in the future. The increases have been pretty significant the past few years.

Glad we could help! Make sure to keep filing those weekly claims and doing your job search activities.

And if you run into any issues reaching Washington ESD, that Claimyr service seems to be working well for people based on what I've seen here.