When did the extra $600 for unemployment start and end in Washington ESD?

The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program provided an additional $600 per week on top of regular UI benefits. In Washington state, it started the week ending April 4, 2020 and ended July 25, 2020. So you would have received it for about 16 weeks if you were eligible for regular unemployment during that period.

After the $600 ended in July 2020, there was a brief gap, then the Lost Wages Assistance program kicked in for 6 weeks paying an extra $300. That ran from late August through September 2020. Then later the FPUC came back at $300/week in early 2021 through September 2021. The timeline gets complicated with all the different federal programs.

Just to clarify for anyone else reading this - if you were getting regular UI benefits from Washington ESD during those weeks, the $600 was automatically added. You didn't have to apply separately for it. It showed up as a separate payment on your account.

man those were crazy times, i remember calling washington esd constantly trying to figure out what was happening with my claim. could never get through to anyone, just busy signals for hours

The $600 FPUC was part of the CARES Act. Washington state implemented it pretty quickly compared to some other states. If you filed weekly claims during that period and were eligible, you should have received it automatically with your regular UI payment.

I kept detailed records during that time and can confirm - first $600 FPUC payment in Washington was for the week ending 4/4/2020, last one was 7/25/2020. Then there was the gap until LWA started in late August. The whole thing was a roller coaster.

Just remember if you're looking at your tax documents, the $600 supplements are taxable income. Washington ESD should have included them on your 1099-G forms for 2020. Make sure you account for all of it when filing.

For anyone else dealing with Washington ESD issues now - if you can't get through on the phone, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier actually works. I used it last month when I had questions about my claim status and got connected to an agent within an hour instead of calling all day myself.

The pandemic unemployment programs were so confusing. Between regular UI, FPUC, LWA, PUA, PEUC... I could barely keep track of what I was getting and when. At least the $600 FPUC was straightforward - just extra money on top of regular benefits.

If you need exact dates for tax purposes, check your Washington ESD account history online. It should show all your payments with dates. The $600 supplements will be listed separately from your regular UI payments.

Those were stressful times for everyone. The extra $600 really helped people get through the worst of the pandemic lockdowns. Washington ESD did their best with an impossible situation.

Don't forget there was also the $300 FPUC that came back in 2021. That ran from around January through September 2021. Different from the original $600 but still helpful for people who were still unemployed.

If anyone is still having trouble reaching Washington ESD about old claims or tax documents, I had success with Claimyr too. Worth trying if you've been calling with no luck. The phone system is still pretty overloaded even now.

Just double-checked my records - first $600 FPUC payment was indeed April 4, 2020 week, last was July 25, 2020 week. Exactly 16 weeks total. Then nothing until LWA started up briefly in late summer.

The gap between the original $600 FPUC ending and LWA starting was rough. People went from getting the extra help to nothing for several weeks while Congress debated what to do next.