When can someone collect unemployment benefits through Washington ESD?
I'm trying to understand the basic eligibility requirements for collecting unemployment in Washington state. My company just announced layoffs coming in February and I want to make sure I understand when I'd be able to file and collect benefits. I've worked here for 2 years full-time but I'm not sure what other requirements there are. Do you have to be completely jobless or can you work part-time and still get some benefits? Also how long do you have to have worked before you can collect anything?
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Oliver Wagner
In Washington, you generally need to have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters during your base period (usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters). You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, able and available to work, and actively searching for work. You can work part-time and still receive partial benefits as long as your earnings don't exceed your weekly benefit amount.
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GalaxyGazer
•Thanks! What counts as 'actively searching for work'? Is there a minimum number of job applications I need to submit each week?
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Oliver Wagner
•You need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep a detailed log. Washington ESD can audit your job search activities, so keep records of where you applied, when, and any responses you received.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
You also can't collect if you quit without good cause or were fired for misconduct. Being laid off due to lack of work definitely qualifies you though. Make sure to file your claim as soon as possible after your last day of work - there's a one-week waiting period before benefits start.
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Javier Mendoza
•Actually I think they eliminated the waiting week during COVID and it hasn't come back yet. You should be able to collect starting with your first week of unemployment.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•You're right! I forgot about that change. Thanks for the correction.
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Emma Thompson
I had so much trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I needed to ask about my eligibility last year. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration!
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Malik Davis
•Really? How does that work exactly? I'm always worried about giving my info to third party services.
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Emma Thompson
•It's legit - they basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Much easier than trying to get through yourself.
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Isabella Santos
Don't forget about the earnings requirement too. You need to have earned a certain minimum amount during your base period. I think it's around $3,000 total but I'm not 100% sure on the exact number.
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Oliver Wagner
•It's actually more complex than that. You need wages in at least two quarters, and your total base period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter earnings. Plus your highest quarter needs to be at least $1,755 for 2025.
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Isabella Santos
•Wow that's more complicated than I thought! Good thing there are people like you who actually know the details.
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GalaxyGazer
This is really helpful everyone. One more question - if I get severance pay when I'm laid off, does that affect when I can start collecting unemployment?
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Oliver Wagner
•Yes, severance pay can delay your benefits. Washington ESD considers it wages for the period it covers, so you might not be eligible until after the severance period ends.
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StarStrider
•That happened to me! Got 8 weeks severance and couldn't collect UI until after those 8 weeks were up. Make sure to report it when you file your claim.
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Ravi Gupta
The whole system is so confusing honestly. I qualified for benefits but then they put my claim in adjudication for weeks because they needed to verify my separation reason. Even though I was clearly laid off due to company downsizing!
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Freya Pedersen
•Ugh adjudication is the worst. Same thing happened to me and I couldn't get anyone on the phone to explain what was happening.
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Emma Thompson
•That's exactly when Claimyr helped me the most. When my claim was stuck in adjudication I needed to talk to someone to understand what documents they needed. The service got me through to an agent who walked me through exactly what to submit.
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Omar Hassan
Also remember you have to file weekly claims to keep getting benefits, even if your main claim is approved. You report any work you did that week and any income you earned. Miss filing a weekly claim and you won't get paid for that week.
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GalaxyGazer
•How do you file the weekly claims? Is it online or do you have to call?
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Omar Hassan
•It's online through the Washington ESD website. Much easier than calling. You just log in every Sunday and answer questions about your previous week.
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Chloe Anderson
One thing that tripped me up was not realizing I needed to register with WorkSource Washington. It's required as part of the job search requirement. Don't skip that step or it could delay your benefits.
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Diego Vargas
•Yes! And you have to create a resume on their system too. It's all part of showing you're actively looking for work.
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GalaxyGazer
•Good to know. I'll make sure to do that right away when I file my claim.
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CosmicCruiser
The maximum benefit amount in Washington is pretty decent compared to other states. I think it's around $999 per week now? Of course most people don't get the maximum.
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Oliver Wagner
•The maximum for 2025 is $1,019 per week. Your actual benefit amount depends on your earnings during the base period - it's roughly 50% of your average weekly wage up to that maximum.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•That's not bad at all. In some states the max is like $400 a week.
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Sean Doyle
Don't forget you can collect for up to 26 weeks normally, but sometimes there are extended benefits available during high unemployment periods. Worth checking if you're getting close to running out of regular benefits.
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Zara Rashid
•Are there still any of those pandemic extended benefits available or is everything back to normal now?
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Oliver Wagner
•All the pandemic programs like PEUC and PUA ended in 2021. We're back to regular state unemployment insurance only.
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Luca Romano
Important tip: keep detailed records of everything! Your job search activities, any work you do, income you earn, correspondence with Washington ESD. They can audit you at any time and if you can't prove you followed the rules you might have to pay benefits back.
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Nia Jackson
•This is so true. My friend got audited and had to repay $2,000 because she couldn't prove all her job search contacts.
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GalaxyGazer
•Yikes. I'll definitely keep good records. Thanks for the warning!
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NebulaNova
Also be aware that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay them when you file your tax return. But don't forget about it come tax time!
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Mateo Hernandez
•Yeah I learned this the hard way. Owed a bunch in taxes because I didn't have anything withheld and forgot to save money for it.
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NebulaNova
•I always recommend having the 10% federal tax withheld just to be safe. Washington doesn't have state income tax so that's not a concern here.
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Aisha Khan
One more thing - if you're thinking about going back to school while collecting unemployment, there are special programs that might let you do that without losing benefits. Look into the Training Benefits program or Worker Retraining.
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GalaxyGazer
•That's interesting. I was actually considering taking some classes. How do those programs work?
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Aisha Khan
•You have to get approval from Washington ESD first, but if approved you can attend school full-time and still collect benefits. The training has to be for a high-demand occupation though.
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Ethan Taylor
Getting back to the original question - basically if you worked full-time for 2 years like you said, and you're being laid off through no fault of your own, you should definitely qualify. Just make sure to file your claim right away and follow all the weekly requirements.
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GalaxyGazer
•Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. Thanks everyone for all the detailed information!
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Yuki Ito
•Good luck with everything! The system can be frustrating but the benefits really help when you need them.
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Carmen Lopez
Just wanted to add - if you run into issues getting through to Washington ESD by phone, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of frustration when I needed to resolve an issue with my claim.
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AstroAdventurer
•I might have to try that. I've been trying to call about my adjudication for days with no luck.
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Carmen Lopez
•Definitely worth it when you actually need to talk to someone. The regular phone system is just overwhelmed most of the time.
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Andre Dupont
The most important thing is to file as soon as you're unemployed, even if you're not sure about all the details. You can always ask questions later but you can't backdate your claim very far if you wait too long to file.
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GalaxyGazer
•Got it. I'll file right away when the layoff happens. This thread has been incredibly helpful!
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Agreed, don't wait. I made that mistake and lost out on a couple weeks of benefits because I thought I had more time.
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