When to expect unemployment tax break refund from Washington ESD?
I received unemployment benefits last year and paid taxes on them, but I heard there might be some kind of tax break or refund coming. Does anyone know when Washington ESD sends out these refunds or how to check if you're eligible? I can't find clear information anywhere and my tax preparer wasn't sure either. Has anyone already received their unemployment tax refund?
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Lola Perez
The unemployment tax exclusion was a federal thing, not specific to Washington ESD. You would have gotten that refund from the IRS if you were eligible, usually in summer 2021. Are you maybe thinking of something else?
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Ethan Scott
•Oh maybe I'm confused. I thought there was something new for 2024 claims but I might be mixing things up.
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Nathaniel Stewart
•Yeah that was just for 2020 pandemic UI benefits, nothing recent like that.
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Riya Sharma
wait i never got any tax refund from unemployment??? i paid taxes on all my benefits in 2021, should i have gotten money back??
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Lola Perez
•If you received UI in 2020 and filed your taxes before the law changed, the IRS should have automatically sent you a refund. You might want to check with them directly.
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Riya Sharma
•ugh great another thing to chase down, thanks for letting me know though
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Santiago Diaz
I had so much trouble getting through to anyone about tax questions back then. The Washington ESD phone lines were constantly busy and their website didn't have clear answers about the federal tax changes. If you need to reach them now about anything, I actually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to ESD agents. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.
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Ethan Scott
•Thanks for the tip! I might need that for other questions too since calling ESD is always a nightmare.
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Millie Long
•Never heard of that service but anything that helps with ESD phone hell sounds worth checking out
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KaiEsmeralda
Just to clarify for everyone - there's no current unemployment tax refund program through Washington ESD or federally. The American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 excluded up to $10,200 of 2020 unemployment income from federal taxes, but that was a one-time thing. Regular unemployment benefits are still taxable income.
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Ethan Scott
•Thanks for clearing that up. I must have seen old articles and got confused about the timing.
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Debra Bai
•Wish they'd do another tax break like that, unemployment barely covers anything as it is
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KaiEsmeralda
•I understand the frustration. Just make sure you're having taxes withheld from your weekly claims if you're currently receiving benefits to avoid owing at tax time.
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Nathaniel Stewart
I remember the confusion around that 2021 refund too. Some people filed early and got automatic refunds, others had to amend their returns. It was a mess.
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Gabriel Freeman
•Yeah I had to amend mine and it took forever to get processed
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Nathaniel Stewart
•Same here, like 6 months for the amended return to go through
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Laura Lopez
If you're looking for current tax help with unemployment, make sure you're reporting all your benefits correctly. Washington ESD sends out 1099-G forms in January showing what you received the previous year.
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Ethan Scott
•Good reminder, I should watch for that form next year
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Victoria Brown
•You can usually download it early from your ESD account too, don't have to wait for mail
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Samuel Robinson
this is why i always have them take out taxes from my weekly claims, learned my lesson after owing money one year
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Camila Castillo
•Smart move, the tax withholding option is definitely worth using
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Samuel Robinson
•yep 10% federal withholding saved me from a big tax bill
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Brianna Muhammad
I keep seeing ads about tax refunds for unemployment but they're all scams or talking about that old 2020 thing. Be careful out there.
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Ethan Scott
•Yeah I think that's what confused me, probably saw one of those misleading ads
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JaylinCharles
•Those scam tax places are everywhere, especially targeting people who got UI
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Eloise Kendrick
For what it's worth, I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I had issues with my adjudication process. Actually worked pretty well for getting through to an ESD agent who could explain my claim status.
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Ethan Scott
•Good to know it actually works, I was wondering if it was legit
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Lucas Schmidt
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay to reach our own unemployment office
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Eloise Kendrick
•I agree we shouldn't have to, but when you need answers and can't get through any other way, sometimes you gotta do what works
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Freya Collins
The whole tax situation with unemployment is confusing enough without false rumors floating around. Stick to official sources like IRS.gov and ESD's website for accurate info.
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Ethan Scott
•You're absolutely right, I should have checked official sources first instead of asking here
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Freya Collins
•No worries, that's what these forums are for - helping each other figure things out!
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