When do you get paid from unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

Thanks! That's actually faster than I expected. Do you know if it comes as direct deposit or do they mail checks?

If you set up direct deposit it goes straight to your bank account. Much faster than waiting for a check in the mail.

What if there's a holiday? Does that delay everything?

Yes, bank holidays can delay direct deposits by an extra day. Washington ESD still processes on their end but banks don't transfer on holidays.

That's reassuring to hear! Did you have any issues setting up the direct deposit initially?

Nope, just had to enter my bank routing and account numbers in the SAW system. Pretty straightforward.

What's the deadline? I thought you had all week to file?

You have to file by 11:59 PM on Saturday for that week. Miss it and you lose that week's benefits unless you have a really good reason.

How does that work exactly? Do they just call for you?

They basically automate the calling process and get you connected to an actual Washington ESD agent. Way better than sitting there redialing for hours.

Same here, Wednesday is pretty typical for me too.

Good to know it's consistent at least. I was worried it might be random.

How do you know if your claim is in adjudication? Does it show up somewhere in your account?

Yeah, it'll show in your SAW account under claim status. Usually says something like 'adjudication in progress' or 'pending review'.

That's good to hear. I was reading horror stories online about people not getting paid for weeks.

Those are usually people who had issues with their claims or didn't file weekly. If everything's straightforward it works pretty smoothly.

How many jobs do you have to apply to each week?

Three job contacts per week minimum. And you need to document everything - employer name, date, method of contact, all of it.

Is there a cost for using it?

There is but it was worth it for me to actually talk to someone and get my questions answered instead of guessing.

What's standby status? I don't think that applies to me but curious.

It's for people who expect to return to their job within a specific timeframe, like seasonal workers or temporary layoffs.

Oh good point. Can you set that up in the SAW system?

Yes, there's an option to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you're setting up your claim or you can change it later.

That sounds like your claim might be in adjudication. Have you checked your account status online?

yeah it just says pending but no explanation of what they're waiting for

This is exactly the kind of situation where Claimyr helped me. Got through to an agent who explained what was holding up my claim.

Interesting, I have a small local bank so maybe that'll affect mine too.

Just factor in maybe one extra day if you're with a smaller institution. The money's coming, just might take a little longer to show up.

Yeah I'm sure I'll get used to it. Just stressful when you're relying on it for bills.

Totally understand. Once you see that first payment hit your account you'll feel much better about the whole process.

How long should you wait before calling? Don't want to bother them if it's just normal processing time.

I'd say if it's been more than 5 business days since you filed and you normally get paid faster, that's when to reach out.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Feeling much better about this whole process now.

We've all been there. The unemployment system can be overwhelming at first but you'll get the hang of it.

I might need to try that if I run into any issues. Good to know it's there as an option.

Definitely keep it in mind. So much better than spending your whole day trying to get through on the phone.

Thank you! I'll update this thread when I get my first payment to let others know how it went.

That would be great! Always helpful to hear real experiences from people going through this.