Which person would be eligible for unemployment benefits in Washington - confused about requirements

The basic eligibility for Washington ESD unemployment benefits requires you to be unemployed through no fault of your own, have sufficient work history in your base period, be able and available to work, and actively seek work. Your retail job layoff would likely qualify you, but the freelance work might complicate things depending on how it was classified.

your friend who quit probably won't qualify unless she can prove good cause like unsafe working conditions or harassment. but she'd need documentation. the one who got fired for attendance might not qualify either since that could be considered misconduct

I was in a similar situation trying to figure out eligibility and spent weeks calling Washington ESD with no luck getting through. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to a real person at Washington ESD within minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation.

The freelance work could definitely complicate things! If you were classified as an independent contractor, that might not count toward your base period wages. But if you were misclassified and should have been an employee, you might be able to challenge that. Washington ESD has specific rules about this stuff.

ugh the whole system is so confusing! I had to deal with this last year and it was a nightmare. Every person I talked to at Washington ESD gave me different information. Good luck getting anyone on the phone though

For your specific situation, the layoff from retail should qualify you as long as you meet the wage requirements. The key things Washington ESD looks at are: 1) You lost your job through no fault of your own, 2) You have enough wages in your base period, 3) You're physically able to work, 4) You're available for work, and 5) You're actively seeking work each week.

Just want to add that even if you think you might not qualify, it's often worth applying anyway. The worst they can say is no, and sometimes situations that seem disqualifying actually aren't once Washington ESD reviews all the details.

Your friend who quit due to harassment might actually qualify if she can prove it was constructive dismissal. Washington ESD recognizes that sometimes people are forced to quit due to intolerable working conditions. She'd need to show she tried to resolve it first though.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it's legit. Got through to Washington ESD in like 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. Really helped me understand my eligibility situation.

Just to clarify about the fired friend - attendance issues might not automatically disqualify her. Washington ESD looks at whether it was willful misconduct. If she had legitimate reasons for the absences (like medical issues) and tried to work with her employer, she might still qualify.

The whole eligibility thing is really case by case. I thought I wouldn't qualify when I got laid off from my part-time job, but it turned out I had enough wages from a previous full-time job in my base period that I did qualify.

One thing to remember is that even if you qualify initially, you have to keep meeting the requirements each week. That means being able and available to work, actively job searching, and reporting any work or income accurately on your weekly claims.

just apply online at esd.wa.gov if you think you might qualify. the system will ask you all the right questions and determine eligibility based on your answers. much easier than trying to figure it out beforehand

I tried using Claimyr too after seeing it mentioned here and it worked great. Finally got to talk to someone at Washington ESD about my complex eligibility situation. Sometimes you just need to speak with a real person to get clear answers.

For what it's worth, I had a similar situation with multiple jobs and Washington ESD was able to sort it out. They look at all your covered employment in the base period, so even if one job was complicated, the other clear employment helped establish eligibility.

Bottom line - if you're unemployed through no fault of your own and have recent work history, you probably qualify. The application will determine for sure and it's free to apply. Don't stress too much about it.