When do I get my unemployment payment from Washington ESD?

Usually takes 2-3 business days after your claim is processed for the direct deposit to hit your account. If you don't have direct deposit set up it could be 5-7 days for a debit card to arrive in the mail.

Make sure you check your payment history on your Washington ESD account. Sometimes there are issues that delay payment that you need to resolve first.

I had to wait almost 2 weeks for my first payment because there was an identity verification issue. Try calling Washington ESD to make sure there aren't any holds on your account. I used Claimyr.com to get through - their system helped me reach an actual person without waiting on hold for hours. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

First payments are always nerve wracking! I remember checking my bank account every hour when I was waiting for mine. As long as your claim shows approved and there's no adjudication or other issues, you should get it within a few business days.

Also just FYI - if you're expecting back pay for multiple weeks, those might come as separate deposits over a few days. Don't panic if you only get one week's worth at first.

Check that you didn't accidentally select paper check instead of direct deposit. I did that my first time filing and had to wait forever for checks in the mail before I realized my mistake.

If your weekly claim was approved and processed, payment should follow pretty quickly. Washington ESD has gotten much better about payment timing since the pandemic backlog issues got resolved.

Mine always hits Tuesday night/Wednesday morning if I file Sunday. Very consistent. The first one might take an extra day or two while they set up your payment profile.

If you don't see anything by Thursday definitely call to check for any issues. Better to catch problems early than wait and wonder. The Claimyr service I mentioned earlier is really helpful for getting through to someone quickly if needed.

Just to set expectations - first payments can sometimes be delayed if Washington ESD needs to verify your employment history or wages. Most go through smoothly but occasionally there are hiccups.

Also make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even if you haven't gotten your first payment yet. Don't want to create any gaps in your claim.

The anxiety of waiting for that first unemployment payment is real. But sounds like your claim is processing normally so you should see money soon!

One more tip - screenshot or save your payment confirmation from your Washington ESD account for your records. Helps if there are ever any questions about payment dates later.

Hope your payment comes through tomorrow! The waiting is always the hardest part but it sounds like everything is processing normally.

If you set up direct deposit correctly and your claim shows paid, you're in good shape. Washington ESD payments are pretty reliable once they're approved.