When do I apply for unemployment Washington ESD - timing questions

Apply as soon as possible after your last day of work! Washington ESD doesn't pay for the week you file (that's the waiting week) but you want to get your claim started right away. The sooner you file, the sooner your weekly benefit amount gets calculated.

You can start the application without having everything ready. Washington ESD will tell you what documents you need during the process. But definitely have your employer info handy - company name, address, your supervisor's name, dates of employment, and reason for separation.

Just went through this myself last month. Filed my claim the day after my last day and it took about 2 weeks to get approved. The hardest part was actually reaching someone at Washington ESD when I had questions about my claim status.

THE TIMING IS CRITICAL!!! Don't wait even one extra day to file. I made that mistake and lost out on a week of benefits because I thought I should wait until Monday to file on a 'business day'. WRONG. File immediately after your last day of work, even if it's a weekend or holiday.

Make sure you understand what counts as your 'last day of work' too. If you're getting severance pay or vacation payout, that might affect when your unemployment actually starts. Washington ESD has specific rules about this.

idk why everyone makes this so complicated just go online and apply lol takes like 20 minutes

One more thing - after you file your initial claim, you'll need to file weekly claims every week to keep getting benefits. Don't forget about those or you'll have gaps in your payments. Set a reminder on your phone for the same day each week.

Been collecting unemployment for 6 months now and my advice is file immediately but also start job searching right away. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week and they do check. Don't wait to start looking until your benefits get approved.

File right away but don't expect fast processing. My claim went into adjudication and took 6 weeks to resolve. Had to call repeatedly to get updates and that's when someone told me about Claimyr - wish I'd known about it sooner.

File online at secure.esd.wa.gov as soon as possible after your last day. Have your Social Security number, employer information for the last 18 months, and banking info for direct deposit. The system is usually faster at night or early morning when fewer people are using it.

honestly the whole system is a mess, took me 3 tries to get my application to go through without error messages, then weeks to get approved, then had to fight about my job search requirements... but yeah file immediately because delaying just makes everything worse

File ASAP and keep detailed records of everything - when you filed, confirmation numbers, every communication. You'll thank yourself later if any issues come up.

The waiting week thing confused me too when I first filed. You don't get paid for your first week of unemployment but you still need to file that weekly claim. It's just how the system works in Washington.

Quick update on the Claimyr service I mentioned - I used them again last week when I had questions about extending my benefits and got through to Washington ESD in under 10 minutes. Definitely worth checking out if you run into issues reaching them directly.

File immediately but also be prepared for the process to take time. Even straightforward claims can take 2-3 weeks to get your first payment. Don't panic if it's not instant.

Make sure you have a good email address that you check regularly. Washington ESD sends important notifications by email and if you miss them it can delay your claim.

Been through this twice unfortunately. Both times I filed the day after my last day and had no issues with timing. The key is just don't overthink it - file as soon as you're unemployed.

Set up your SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account ahead of time if you haven't already. That way you're ready to file immediately when the time comes instead of dealing with account setup when you're already stressed about being unemployed.

To wrap this up - file immediately after your last day of work, have your employer info ready, don't worry about having every document perfect, and start your job search right away. You've got this!