When do I file weekly unemployment claim with Washington ESD?

You file your weekly claim every Sunday for the previous week. It doesn't matter what day you got approved - everyone files on Sunday. Your first weekly claim should cover the week you were eligible, which starts from when your claim was approved.

I was confused about this too when I first started. You have to file every week by 11:59 PM on Sunday or you might lose that week's benefits. Don't skip weeks thinking you can catch up later.

When I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about my weekly claim questions, I used Claimyr to actually reach an agent. They have this system at claimyr.com that gets you through the phone queue automatically. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. The agent I talked to explained the whole weekly filing schedule perfectly.

Make sure you understand what to report on your weekly claim. You need to list all work hours and gross pay, any job search activities, and answer the eligibility questions honestly. The job search requirement is 3 employer contacts per week unless you're on standby.

The timing is Sunday but what time zone? I'm working nights and sometimes I'm not sure if I should file Saturday night or wait until Sunday morning.

I missed filing for two weeks when I first started because I thought I had to wait for some kind of notification. Nobody tells you that you just need to log into your account every Sunday and file. Lost those weeks of benefits permanently.

Pro tip: file your weekly claim early on Sunday, like in the morning. The system sometimes gets overloaded later in the day and you might have trouble accessing it near the deadline.

Does anyone know if you can file weekly claims from your phone? The Washington ESD website is hard to navigate on mobile.

Just to clarify for everyone - you file weekly claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits every Sunday. This applies whether you're on regular UI, standby status, or any other type of unemployment claim through Washington ESD. The only exception is if you're in adjudication, then you wait until that's resolved.

I tried using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked great. Got through to a Washington ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual hours of busy signals. They answered all my questions about weekly claim filing and even helped me understand my benefit amount calculation.

For anyone still confused about the weekly claim schedule - think of it like this: every Sunday you're reporting what happened in the previous week (Sunday to Saturday). So this Sunday you report last Sunday through last Saturday's activities.

Important reminder - if you work ANY hours during the week, even just a few, you must report them on your weekly claim. Washington ESD can cross-reference with employer payroll data, so don't risk getting caught in an overpayment situation.

The job search requirement is 3 contacts per week and you need to keep a log. Don't just put down random companies - they sometimes verify these during audits.

One thing that tripped me up - if you start a new job mid-week, you still need to file your weekly claim for that week showing the days you worked and the days you were unemployed. Don't just stop filing claims without properly closing out your unemployment.

Has anyone had issues with the Washington ESD website being down on Sundays? I've had trouble accessing it a few times right when I needed to file.

Quick reminder that Washington ESD sends payments on Tuesdays if you file your weekly claim on time Sunday. So file Sunday, get paid Tuesday (if eligible). Miss the Sunday deadline and you're looking at delays and potential lost benefits.

After going through this whole process, my advice is to treat Sunday weekly claim filing like paying a bill - same time every week, never skip it, always complete and accurate. Set up whatever reminders you need because the system doesn't forgive missed deadlines easily.

One more thing to add - if you're new to filing weekly claims, don't panic if your first payment seems delayed. Sometimes there's an additional processing period for your very first claim even after you've been approved. As long as you're filing every Sunday on time, you should get all your eligible weeks eventually. I learned this the hard way when I kept calling Washington ESD thinking something was wrong, but my first payment just took an extra few days to process.