When does unemployment start in Washington - confused about benefit begin date

Your benefit year starts the Sunday of the week you file your initial claim, not when you lost your job. So if you filed last Tuesday, your benefit year started the Sunday before that Tuesday. There is a waiting week for the first payable week, which means you won't get paid for that first week even if you're eligible.

yeah the waiting week thing is confusing. i filed in january and had to wait like 3 weeks just to get my first payment because of adjudication stuff too

I had a similar situation last year where I couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my claim timing. Ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually talk to an agent who explained the whole benefit start date thing clearly. They have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Really helped me understand the process better than trying to navigate the website.

The Washington ESD system is designed to make you lose money honestly. They don't make it clear that you need to file immediately and then they have all these random waiting periods and adjudication delays that cost people rent money.

Wait so if I file on a Wednesday does my benefit year start that Wednesday or the Sunday before? This is so confusing.

So just to be clear - I filed last Tuesday, my benefit year started the Sunday before last Tuesday, but I won't get paid for that first week because of the waiting week rule?

I made the same mistake and waited 3 weeks to file thinking I might find a job quickly. Lost out on like $2000 in benefits. File immediately people!

The whole Washington ESD system is a nightmare to navigate. I've been trying to get someone on the phone for 2 weeks about my claim status and keep getting the busy signal or hung up on.

This thread is really helpful. I just got laid off yesterday and was planning to wait until next week to file but sounds like I should do it today.

Does anyone know if the waiting week applies to standby benefits too? I'm on temporary layoff and not sure if the rules are different.

The waiting week is such BS. Like we're not struggling enough already when we lose our jobs, let's make them wait an extra week for money they earned through payroll taxes.

I think there's some confusion here about when benefits actually get paid vs when they start. Your benefit year starts when you file but you might not see money for weeks depending on adjudication and processing times.

Pro tip: make sure you have all your employer information ready when you file. I had to go back and update my claim because I didn't have exact dates and it delayed everything by weeks.

Just want to add that if you're filing late like the OP, make sure you still file even if you think you missed out on benefits. Sometimes there are exceptions or backdating options depending on your situation.

This whole thread convinced me to stop procrastinating and file my claim. Lost my job 10 days ago and kept thinking I'd find something quickly. Better late than never I guess.

The Washington ESD phone system is absolutely horrible. I tried calling about my benefit start date and waited on hold for 4 hours before getting disconnected. Ended up using one of those callback services and finally got through to confirm when my benefits actually started.

One thing to remember is that even though your benefit year starts when you file, you still have to file weekly claims to actually get paid. Don't make the mistake of thinking filing once is enough.

Thanks everyone for the info. This cleared up a lot of confusion about when unemployment actually starts. Wish Washington ESD made this stuff clearer on their website.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in this situation - I filed my claim about 3 weeks after losing my job because I thought I needed to wait until I was "sure" I wouldn't find work immediately. Big mistake! Not only did I lose those 3 weeks of potential benefits, but then I had to serve the waiting week on top of that. So essentially lost a full month of support when I needed it most. The lesson here is definitely file immediately even if you think you might get hired somewhere quickly - you can always stop claiming benefits if you find work, but you can't go back and claim those missed weeks.