When are you eligible for unemployment benefits in Washington - confused about requirements

The main requirements for Washington ESD unemployment eligibility are: 1) You must have earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period, 2) You must have earned at least $1,010 total in your base period, 3) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own (laid off, not fired for misconduct), 4) You must be able and available to work, and 5) You must actively search for work. Your base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file.

being fired vs laid off definitely matters! if you were terminated for misconduct you won't qualify. but if it was layoffs, downsizing, or just not working out (without misconduct) you should be good

You also need to register with WorkSource and complete your job search activities each week. For most people that means applying to at least 3 jobs per week and keeping a log of your search activities. Washington ESD takes the work search requirement seriously.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I needed to verify my eligibility status last year. If you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation, I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful than trying to call for hours.

The wage requirement trips up a lot of people. You need enough wages in your base period AND they have to be from covered employment. Some jobs don't count toward UI eligibility if they're under the table or certain types of contract work.

Wait I thought you had to work for a full year to qualify?? I've been putting off filing because I only worked 10 months at my last job

don't wait too long to file either - there's usually a waiting week and benefits are only backdated so far. file as soon as you become unemployed even if you're not sure about eligibility

Also worth noting that if you don't meet the regular UI requirements, Washington ESD will automatically check if you qualify under the alternate base period calculation. This uses the 4 most recently completed quarters instead of the standard base period.

The able and available requirement is important too. You can't be on vacation, in jail, or unable to work due to illness without medical clearance. Washington ESD checks this stuff.

THIS WHOLE SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING! I've been trying to figure out if I qualify for weeks and every website says something different. Why can't Washington ESD just have a simple yes/no eligibility checker???

Quick question - does it matter what state you worked in? I worked in Oregon but live in Washington now.

For anyone still struggling to get answers from Washington ESD directly, I mentioned Claimyr earlier but wanted to add that they were really helpful when I had questions about my specific employment history and whether it would qualify. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human who can look at your actual account.

I qualified for benefits but then got disqualified later because they said I quit my job voluntarily. Make sure you're honest about the circumstances of leaving your job because they WILL verify with your employer.

The $1,010 minimum wage requirement seems really low. Is that per quarter or total?

just want to add that if you're not sure about eligibility, it's better to apply anyway. worst case they deny you and you know for sure. best case you get benefits you didn't know you qualified for

Be prepared for the adjudication process if there are any questions about your eligibility. My claim got held up for 3 weeks while they investigated whether I was laid off or fired. Eventually got approved but it was stressful waiting.

Don't forget about the weekly claim filing requirement! Even if you're eligible, you have to file every week by Sunday at midnight or you won't get paid for that week. Set a reminder on your phone.

One more thing about work search - keep detailed records of every job you apply to. Washington ESD can audit your work search activities and if you can't prove you did the required searches, you could lose benefits or have to pay them back.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about applying now. Sounds like I should definitely qualify based on my work history and the circumstances of my layoff.