When do you file unemployment with Washington ESD - timing questions

You should file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Washington ESD typically allows you to backdate your claim to when you actually became unemployed, but there are limits. Since you only waited about 2-3 weeks, you should be fine to request backdating to December 15th when you submit your application.

ugh this happened to me too, i waited like a month before filing because i thought i had to wait for my final paycheck or something. turns out that was totally wrong

The general rule is to file your UI claim the week you become unemployed or have your hours significantly reduced. Washington ESD processes claims based on benefit weeks that run Sunday through Saturday. If you became unemployed on December 15th, that would fall in the benefit week of December 12-18. You can potentially get benefits for any week you were eligible, but you need to file weekly claims for each week you want to be paid.

I had a similar timing issue and couldn't get through to Washington ESD by phone for weeks to sort it out. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an agent who helped backdate my claim properly. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier.

THE SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN! Why can't they just make this simple? File immediately, don't file immediately, backdate, don't backdate - it's like they WANT people to make mistakes so they don't have to pay out benefits!

Update: I went ahead and filed my claim today. The system did let me request an earlier effective date of December 15th. Now I'm waiting to see if it gets approved. Thanks everyone for the help!

Wait, I'm confused about something else. If I file late, do I lose money permanently or just get it delayed? My employer said I should wait 30 days before filing but that sounds wrong based on what everyone is saying here.

Pro tip: even if you think you might not qualify for benefits, file anyway. Let Washington ESD make the determination. I thought I wasn't eligible because I was fired, but it turned out the firing was without cause and I qualified.

Does anyone know if there are any exceptions to the filing timeline? Like if you were hospitalized or something and couldn't file right away?

another thing - make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while your initial claim is being processed. i made that mistake and it delayed everything even more

For anyone still struggling to get through to Washington ESD about timing issues, I can't recommend Claimyr enough. I was on hold for literally 4 hours one day before giving up. Used their service the next day and was talking to an agent within 20 minutes.

Just to add another perspective - I filed immediately when I got laid off and still had issues with my claim getting stuck in adjudication for weeks. Sometimes timing isn't the only factor that affects how smoothly things go.

Quick update: My claim was approved and they did backdate it to December 15th! I should get payment for all those weeks I was worried about losing. Thanks again everyone for the advice about filing timing.

This thread helped me too. I was laid off yesterday and was planning to wait until next week to file. Going to do it today instead!

One more thing to consider - if you're filing late, make sure you have all your employment information ready when you apply. Washington ESD will need details about your last employer, wages, etc. Having everything organized can speed up the process.

Does the timing matter differently if you were part-time vs full-time? I was only working part-time when I got let go.

For anyone who needs to actually talk to a Washington ESD representative about complex timing issues, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier has been a game-changer. The regular phone lines are still nearly impossible to get through on, but they've got it figured out.

This whole discussion makes me realize I probably should have filed sooner too. I waited almost a month because I thought I needed to find a new job first. That was dumb of me.

Great thread! I've been putting off filing because the whole process seemed intimidating, but after reading everyone's experiences I feel more confident about doing it.

Summary for anyone who finds this thread later: File your unemployment claim as soon as possible after losing your job. Don't wait for final paychecks or try to find a new job first. Washington ESD may be able to backdate your claim if you file late, but it's better not to risk it. And keep filing weekly claims even while your initial application is being processed.