When do I get paid unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?
I just filed my first weekly claim with Washington ESD two days ago and I'm wondering when the money actually shows up in my bank account. My claim status says 'paid' but I haven't seen anything deposited yet. Is there a delay between when they process it and when you actually get the money? I set up direct deposit when I first applied but I'm not sure if that's working or if I should expect a debit card instead.
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Freya Christensen
Usually takes 2-3 business days after your weekly claim shows 'paid' status. If you set up direct deposit correctly, that's faster than waiting for the debit card to arrive in the mail.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Thanks! I was getting worried something went wrong. So if I filed Sunday and it shows paid Monday, I should see it by Wednesday or Thursday?
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Freya Christensen
•Exactly, that's the typical timeline. Just make sure your bank info is correct in your account.
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Omar Farouk
I've been on unemployment for 3 months now and the payment schedule is pretty consistent. File your weekly claim on Sunday, it usually processes Monday or Tuesday, then direct deposit hits Wednesday/Thursday. The debit card option takes longer initially but after that it's about the same timing.
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Chloe Davis
•What if your claim gets stuck in adjudication though? Mine has been pending for weeks.
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Omar Farouk
•That's a whole different issue - you won't get paid at all until adjudication is resolved. Have you tried calling Washington ESD to check what's holding it up?
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Chloe Davis
•I've tried calling dozens of times but can never get through. The lines are always busy or I get disconnected.
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AstroAlpha
If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. It basically calls for you and connects you when someone picks up instead of you sitting on hold for hours.
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Chloe Davis
•Is that legit? I'm desperate at this point but don't want to get scammed.
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AstroAlpha
•Yeah it's real, I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Got through to Washington ESD in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hours of busy signals.
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Diego Chavez
•I used Claimyr last month when my claim got flagged for identity verification. Saved me so much time and frustration.
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Anastasia Smirnova
The payment timing also depends on which bank you use. Some banks process ACH deposits faster than others. I have Chase and usually see my unemployment deposit early Wednesday morning.
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Ravi Malhotra
•I have Wells Fargo, hopefully they're not too slow with it.
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Sean O'Brien
•Wells Fargo is usually pretty quick with direct deposits in my experience.
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Zara Shah
make sure you dont miss filing your weekly claim or you'll miss that weeks payment entirely!! i forgot once and had to wait until the next week
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Ravi Malhotra
•Good point! When is the deadline for weekly claims?
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Freya Christensen
•You have to file by 11:59 PM on Saturday for the previous week. So if you want to get paid for this week, file by Saturday night.
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Luca Bianchi
I've been getting unemployment for 6 months and here's what I've learned about payment timing: File Sunday morning, check status Monday evening, usually shows paid by Tuesday, money hits my account Wednesday. Very predictable once you get in the routine.
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GalacticGuardian
•Do you get the same amount every week or does it vary?
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Luca Bianchi
•Same amount every week unless you work part-time hours, then they deduct from your weekly benefit amount.
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Nia Harris
•What if you work like 10 hours at a part time job? Do they take out the whole amount?
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Luca Bianchi
•No, they have a formula. You can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits. Check the Washington ESD website for the exact calculation.
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Mateo Gonzalez
First time unemployment here too. Question - do they send you any kind of confirmation when the money gets deposited or do you just have to check your bank account?
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Freya Christensen
•You can check your payment history in your ESD account online, but they don't usually send email confirmations for each payment.
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Mateo Gonzalez
•Got it, I'll just keep checking my bank account then. Thanks!
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Aisha Ali
Washington ESD payment schedule is way better than other states I've heard about. My brother in California sometimes waits a week or more to get paid.
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Ethan Moore
•Yeah we're pretty lucky here, the system works pretty smoothly once your claim is approved.
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Yuki Nakamura
•Except when it doesn't work at all and you're stuck in adjudication hell for months...
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StarSurfer
Pro tip: set up text alerts with your bank so you know immediately when the deposit hits. Takes away some of the anxiety of constantly checking your account.
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Ravi Malhotra
•That's a great idea! I'm definitely going to set that up.
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Carmen Reyes
•Most banking apps let you set up custom alerts for deposits over a certain amount too.
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Andre Moreau
I remember my first unemployment payment took forever because I messed up my routing number when setting up direct deposit. Had to wait for them to mail me a debit card which took like 10 days. Double check all your banking info!
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Ravi Malhotra
•Yikes, I better go verify my bank info right now just to be safe.
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Zoe Christodoulou
•You can update your direct deposit info in your ESD account if you need to make changes.
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Jamal Thompson
The waiting is the worst part when you're depending on that money for rent and groceries. But once you get into the rhythm it becomes pretty predictable.
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Mei Chen
•Absolutely, that first payment feels like it takes forever when you're stressed about bills.
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CosmicCadet
•I remember checking my bank account like 50 times a day waiting for my first payment lol
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Liam O'Connor
If anyone else is having trouble getting through to Washington ESD phone lines, I also had success with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worth checking out if you're stuck.
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Amara Adeyemi
•How much does something like that cost?
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Liam O'Connor
•I don't remember the exact amount but it was way cheaper than taking time off work to sit on hold all day trying to get through myself.
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Giovanni Gallo
Another thing to watch out for - holidays can delay payments by a day. If there's a federal holiday on Monday or Tuesday, your payment might not process until Wednesday and hit your account Thursday instead.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Good to know! I hadn't thought about how holidays might affect the timing.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
•Yeah, happened to me during Labor Day weekend and I was freaking out thinking something was wrong with my claim.
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Dylan Wright
Once you get your first payment, the rest should follow the same pattern as long as you keep filing on time and your employment status doesn't change. It becomes pretty routine.
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Ravi Malhotra
•That's reassuring to hear. I was worried every week would be uncertain like this first one.
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NebulaKnight
•Nope, after this it's basically automatic as long as you do your part with the weekly claims and job search requirements.
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