When will I receive my first unemployment check from Washington ESD?
I submitted my initial unemployment claim with Washington ESD about 10 days ago and it shows as approved on my SAW account. I've been filing my weekly claims but haven't received any payment yet. The website just says 'processed' but no actual deposit date. This is my first time ever filing for unemployment so I'm not sure what the normal timeline is. Should I be worried that something went wrong? Really need to know when to expect that first check since rent is due next week.
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Jessica Nguyen
First payments usually take 2-3 weeks after your claim is approved. Washington ESD has to verify your employment history and wages with your previous employer, which can add extra time. Check your account for any pending issues that might delay payment.
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Cameron Black
•Thanks! I don't see any issues listed on my account. Just says all my weekly claims are processed. Guess I'll keep waiting then.
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Isaiah Thompson
•Yeah the waiting period is rough. Mine took almost 3 weeks because they had to verify my wages from two different jobs.
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Ruby Garcia
Did you serve your waiting week yet? Washington requires one unpaid waiting week before you get your first benefit payment. That might explain the delay if you haven't completed it.
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Cameron Black
•Oh I didn't know about a waiting week! How do I know if I've served it? My first weekly claim was filed 8 days ago.
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Ruby Garcia
•If you filed 8 days ago, you should have served it already. The waiting week is usually your first claimed week. Check your payment history on your SAW account.
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Alexander Evans
I'm in the same boat! Been waiting 12 days since approval and still nothing. Starting to panic because I can't get through to anyone at Washington ESD to check what's going on. The phone lines are always busy.
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Evelyn Martinez
•Have you tried calling right at 8am when they open? That's usually the only time you can get through, but even then it's hit or miss.
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Alexander Evans
•Tried that multiple times! Either busy signal or I get disconnected after waiting on hold for an hour. So frustrating.
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Benjamin Carter
•I found this thing called Claimyr that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They basically keep calling for you until someone picks up. Used it last month and finally got to talk to someone about my delayed payment. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Maya Lewis
Payments usually go out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays if everything is clear. Since today is Thursday, you might see it next week if there are no holds on your claim.
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Cameron Black
•Good to know about the Tuesday/Wednesday schedule. I'll watch for it next week then.
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Isaac Wright
•wait is that really when they send payments? I've been checking every day lol
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Lucy Taylor
Make sure you set up direct deposit if you haven't already! Paper checks take way longer and can get lost in the mail. Direct deposit usually hits your account within 1-2 business days after Washington ESD processes the payment.
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Cameron Black
•I did set up direct deposit when I filed my claim. My bank info shows up correctly on my account so that should be good.
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Connor Murphy
•Smart move. I made the mistake of waiting for paper checks my first time and it took forever.
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KhalilStar
Just want to add that if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, it can delay your first payment significantly. Mine was held up for 6 weeks because they needed to verify why I left my job. Keep checking for any correspondence from Washington ESD.
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Cameron Black
•Ugh 6 weeks?? That would be terrible. My claim doesn't show any adjudication issues though, just says approved.
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KhalilStar
•If it says approved you should be fine. The adjudication usually shows up as a separate status on your claim summary.
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Amelia Dietrich
•This is exactly why I ended up using Claimyr when my claim got stuck. Couldn't get through on the phone to find out what was happening. They got me connected to an agent who explained the whole adjudication process and timeline.
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Kaiya Rivera
From my experience, first payments are almost always slower than regular weekly payments. The system has to do extra verification for new claims. I'd say give it the full 3 weeks before panicking.
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Katherine Ziminski
•This is true. My first payment took 3 weeks but after that they came like clockwork every week.
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Noah Irving
•Same here, first one was slow but then regular payments were always on time.
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Vanessa Chang
Does anyone know if holidays affect payment timing? We just had a federal holiday and I'm wondering if that pushed things back.
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Jessica Nguyen
•Yes, federal holidays can delay payments by 1-2 days. Banks don't process ACH transfers on federal holidays so direct deposits get pushed to the next business day.
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Madison King
•That explains why mine was late last month. Thanks for the info!
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Julian Paolo
Whatever you do, keep filing your weekly claims even if you haven't gotten paid yet! I know someone who stopped filing because they thought something was wrong and then had to restart their whole claim.
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Cameron Black
•Definitely planning to keep filing. That sounds like a nightmare to have to restart everything.
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Ella Knight
•Yeah never stop filing your weekly claims. That's the biggest mistake people make.
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William Schwarz
Just be patient with the first one. I know it's stressful when you need the money but Washington ESD is pretty reliable once things get rolling. My first payment took 16 days total from when I filed my initial claim.
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Cameron Black
•16 days isn't too bad I guess. I'm at day 10 so hopefully soon. Thanks for sharing your timeline.
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Lauren Johnson
•Mine was similar, about 2.5 weeks for the first one. After that it was like clockwork every Tuesday.
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Jade Santiago
Pro tip: if you're really worried about the delay, you can always try reaching out through the contact form on the Washington ESD website. Sometimes they respond faster to written inquiries than phone calls.
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Alexander Evans
•I tried that too but never got a response. That's actually why I ended up trying Claimyr - at least with them I could get through to talk to a real person about what was causing my delay.
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Caleb Stone
•The written inquiries can take weeks to get responses. Phone is usually faster if you can get through.
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Daniel Price
For what it's worth, my first unemployment payment came exactly 14 days after my claim was approved. It showed up on a Wednesday morning via direct deposit. Hang in there!
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Cameron Black
•That gives me hope! I'm at day 10 so maybe by next Wednesday. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.
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Olivia Evans
•14 days seems to be pretty typical from what I've seen in this forum. You should see yours soon!
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