When can you draw unemployment benefits in Washington state?

You can file your initial claim with Washington ESD immediately after your last day of work. There's no waiting period to file the application itself. However, there is a one-week waiting period before you can receive your first benefit payment, assuming your claim gets approved.

make sure you file ur weekly claims every week even during the waiting period or you'll lose those weeks

The key thing to understand is there are actually multiple timelines involved. First, you file your initial claim which establishes your benefit year. Then Washington ESD has to process and approve your claim - this can take 1-3 weeks depending on whether any issues come up during adjudication. Only after approval do your weekly benefit payments begin, and even then the first week is unpaid as mentioned above.

WASHINGTON ESD IS THE WORST! They make you jump through so many hoops just to get benefits you already paid into. The whole system is designed to deny claims and make people give up.

So just to clarify - I file the initial claim now, file weekly claims starting this week, there's a one week waiting period, and then payments start assuming no adjudication issues?

also dont forget you need to register with WorkSource wa or they'll stop ur benefits

Been through this process twice. First time went smooth, second time got stuck in adjudication hell for 6 weeks. The difference was my employer contested the second claim.

For anyone reading this, here are the basic eligibility requirements: you must have earned sufficient wages during your base period, be unemployed through no fault of your own, be able and available for work, and actively seeking employment. Meeting these doesn't guarantee immediate approval though.

I remember being so confused about when I could actually expect money. Filed on a Tuesday, got approved the following week, but didn't see any payment for almost 3 weeks total because of the waiting period.

Quick question - if I quit my job can I still draw unemployment or is it only for people who get fired/laid off?

I've helped several family members through this process. The biggest mistake people make is not filing weekly claims consistently or missing the WorkSource registration deadline.

Just went through this last month. Filed Sunday night, claim was processed by Thursday, started receiving benefits the following week. Whole process took about 10 days which seemed pretty quick compared to horror stories I'd heard.

The timing also depends on when you file during the week. I've heard filing on Sunday nights gets processed faster than filing later in the week, but not sure if that's actually true.

One thing to remember - if you work part-time while collecting benefits, you still need to report that income. It might reduce your weekly benefit but you can still receive partial payments.

For what it's worth, I found the Washington ESD website pretty user-friendly compared to other state systems I've dealt with. The hardest part is getting through on the phone if you need to talk to someone.

My advice is to screenshot everything and keep records of all your weekly claim filings. If there are ever any disputes or issues, having that documentation is crucial.

The whole process seems overwhelming at first but once you get into the routine of filing weekly claims it becomes pretty automatic. Just don't miss any weeks!

Bottom line - file your initial claim immediately, file weekly claims religiously, register with WorkSource within 4 weeks, document your job search, and be patient with the process. Most claims do get approved eventually.