When to apply for unemployment benefits - Washington ESD timing question

Apply immediately! Don't wait at all. Washington ESD has something called a 'waiting week' but that doesn't mean you should delay filing. The sooner you file, the sooner your claim gets processed. Your benefit year starts from when you file, not when you lost your job.

File today if you can! The key thing is that your benefit year begins when you submit your initial claim. Even if there are delays in processing, you want that start date to be as early as possible. Severance pay might affect your first few weeks but it won't prevent you from filing.

You should file your claim with Washington ESD the week you become unemployed, not before. Since you're getting laid off Friday, file your claim that weekend or the following Monday. The severance pay will affect your benefits - you'll need to report it when you file your weekly claims, and it might delay your payments until the severance period ends.

definitely wait til after your last day! i made the mistake of filing early and had to deal with all sorts of complications with my claim. washington esd is strict about the timing

The key thing to remember is that your claim starts the week you file it, not retroactively. So if you're laid off on Friday but don't file until the following Friday, you lose that first week of potential benefits. File as soon as possible after your employment ends. For the severance, you'll report it during your weekly claims process - it's considered wages and will offset your unemployment benefits dollar for dollar until it's exhausted.

I had the same question when I got laid off last month. Tried calling Washington ESD for like 3 hours straight and kept getting busy signals. Finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual agent in about 20 minutes. They confirmed I should have filed right away - I ended up losing almost a week because I waited. Check out claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

ASAP! I made the mistake of waiting two weeks thinking I needed to 'use up' my severance first. Big mistake. You lose potential benefit time and it makes everything more complicated. File immediately and let Washington ESD sort out the severance situation.

ok but what if you're not sure if you're actually unemployed yet? like what if there's a chance you might get called back or something??

I'm so confused about all this timing stuff! What if you get fired on a Wednesday? Do you file that day or wait until the weekend? And what about if you quit vs get laid off - does that change the timing?

The Washington ESD website is pretty clear about this - file within one week of becoming unemployed for best results. Don't overthink it. The system is designed to handle situations like severance pay automatically.

The whole Washington ESD system is ridiculous with all these timing rules! Why can't they just make it simple? You lose your job, you file for benefits, done! Instead we have to worry about severance timing and when exactly to file and all this bureaucratic nonsense.

Here's what you need to know about severance and timing: Washington ESD considers severance as wages, so you'll report it when filing your weekly claims. The amount will be deducted from your weekly benefit amount. If your severance is $1000/week and your UI benefit would be $600/week, you'll get $0 that week. Once the severance ends, you'll start receiving your full unemployment benefits.

File RIGHT NOW. Seriously. Every day you wait is potentially money lost. I waited 3 days because I was embarrassed and it screwed up my whole timeline. Don't be like me.

One thing to keep in mind - if you file late, you might miss out on backdating your claim to when you actually became unemployed. Washington ESD doesn't always allow backdating, so filing promptly protects you from losing potential benefit weeks.

The whole system is so backwards. Why make people file immediately if there's a waiting week anyway? Just more bureaucratic nonsense.

also make sure you have all your paperwork ready when you file - last employer info, wages, etc. washington esd asks for a lot of details

When I was dealing with timing questions about my severance and unemployment filing, I couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone for days. Finally found Claimyr and it was a game changer - got connected to an agent within minutes who walked me through exactly when to file and how the severance would affect my benefits. Worth checking out their demo video if you're having trouble reaching someone.

One more important timing note: your waiting week (the first week you're unemployed) is now paid in Washington state, but only after you've received at least one week of benefits. So even with severance delays, that first week isn't lost forever - you'll get it eventually.

Had to deal with this exact situation 6 months ago. The severance thing is tricky - mine was paid out over 4 weeks so it delayed my benefits for a month. Still should have filed right away though. Washington ESD needs time to process everything even if you won't get paid immediately.

Still think the whole system is unnecessarily complicated but at least they pay that first week now. Small victories I guess.

Just to add another perspective - I'm an HR manager and I always tell employees to file for unemployment the day after their last day of work. Don't wait for final paychecks, don't wait to see if severance affects anything. File first, sort out details later.

ugh i hate that you have to do this stuff so fast when you're already stressed about losing your job. like give people a minute to process what happened!

Pro tip: gather all your employment info before you start the application. SSN, employer addresses, dates of employment, reason for separation. Makes the process much smoother when you're not scrambling for documents.

Wait, I'm still confused about something. If I file my claim on Saturday after being laid off Friday, when do I file my first weekly claim? The next Sunday?

The most important thing is that Washington ESD needs time to verify your wages and work history. Even if you can't receive benefits immediately due to severance, the verification process can take weeks. Starting early gives them time to work on your case.

This has been super helpful everyone. So to summarize: file immediately after my last day of work (Friday), report the severance on my weekly claims which will delay payments until it's exhausted, but I should still file right away to get my claim started. Does that sound right?

Another thing - if you wait too long to file, you might forget important details about your job or the circumstances of your layoff. File while everything is fresh in your memory.

One thing to add - make sure your employer reports your separation correctly to Washington ESD. Sometimes there are delays if the employer doesn't submit the separation information promptly, which can hold up your claim processing.

If you do run into any issues with your claim or need to speak with someone at Washington ESD about the timing or severance questions, definitely consider using Claimyr. I wish I'd known about it sooner - would have saved me hours of trying to get through on the phone. They have a good track record of helping people connect with ESD agents quickly.

Just remember that even with perfect timing, Washington ESD claims can take 2-3 weeks to process initially, especially if there are any complications or if your claim goes into adjudication. Plan your finances accordingly since there will likely be a gap between your last paycheck and your first unemployment payment.

For anyone reading this thread later - the answer is always FILE IMMEDIATELY. There's literally no benefit to waiting and plenty of potential downsides. Washington ESD will sort out the timing and payment issues on their end.

Last thing - if you run into issues with the online system or need to talk to someone at Washington ESD, I had good luck with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Saved me hours of trying to get through on the phone.

One final thought - even if you think you might not qualify for benefits, file anyway. Let Washington ESD make that determination. You might be surprised what you're eligible for.

Hope this thread helps other people who are in the same situation. The main takeaway is clear - file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Don't second-guess it.

final tip - take screenshots of everything when you file your claim! washington esd's website can be glitchy and having proof of what you submitted can save headaches later

This whole thread is making me realize I probably filed too early when I got laid off last month. I filed the day before my last day because I was anxious to get the process started. Wonder if that's why my claim has been taking so long to process...