Who can get unemployment benefit through Washington ESD - eligibility requirements?

To qualify for Washington unemployment benefits, you need to meet several requirements: 1) You must have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base year, 2) Your total base year wages must be at least 1.25 times your highest quarter earnings, 3) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, 4) You must be able and available for work, and 5) You must actively search for work each week.

Part-time workers can definitely qualify if they meet the wage requirements. I was working 25 hours a week and still got approved for benefits. The key is having enough wages in your base year quarters.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check your eligibility, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS - you CAN'T get benefits if you quit your job without good cause or if you were fired for misconduct. Washington ESD is really strict about this. If you quit because you didn't like your boss or got fired for attendance issues, you're probably out of luck.

The job search requirement is 3 work search activities per week once you start receiving benefits. This includes applying for jobs, attending job fairs, networking events, or completing WorkSourceWA activities. You need to keep a log of all your activities in case Washington ESD asks for it.

also you have to be a us citizen or have work authorization, and you have to live in washington or work in washington when you lost your job

Don't forget about the waiting week! There's no waiting week anymore in Washington, so you can get paid for your first week of unemployment if you're eligible. This changed a few years ago.

If you're on standby status with your employer (temporarily laid off but expecting to return), you might still qualify for benefits. Different rules apply though - you don't have to do the job search requirements but you have to be available if your employer calls you back.

I tried calling Washington ESD for weeks to ask about eligibility and could never get through. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and got connected to an agent within minutes. They were able to explain exactly what wages I needed and helped me understand my base year calculation.

Make sure you apply as soon as possible after losing your job. Benefits are calculated from the week you file your claim, not from when you actually lost your job. Every week you wait is money you're leaving on the table.

One thing people don't realize is that you can work part-time and still collect some unemployment benefits. As long as you report your earnings and work less than full-time, Washington ESD will adjust your weekly benefit amount. It's called partial unemployment.

If you were a 1099 contractor or self-employed, you generally can't get regular unemployment benefits. You might qualify for other programs but not traditional UI benefits since you didn't pay into the unemployment insurance system.

Another eligibility requirement is that you have to register with WorkSourceWA within a certain timeframe after filing your claim. It's free and they have job search tools and resources that can help with your work search requirements.

if you have kids make sure to look into dependent allowances too, you can get extra money added to your weekly benefit amount for each dependent child under 18

Military veterans might have different options too. There are special programs for vets and you might be able to use your military service as part of your work history for eligibility purposes.

Don't forget that if you're denied benefits, you have the right to appeal the decision. You only get 30 days from the date of the determination letter to file an appeal, so don't wait if you think the decision is wrong.

I was worried I wouldn't qualify because I'd only worked at my job for 8 months, but it turned out I had wages from a previous job in my base year that counted. Don't assume you don't qualify - let Washington ESD make that determination.

Just to add - if you're getting severance pay, pension payments, or other separation pay, this might affect your unemployment benefits. You need to report all income to Washington ESD or you could face overpayment issues later.

Last thing - make sure you file your weekly claims EVERY week, even if you haven't received your determination yet. If you skip weeks, you can't go back and claim them later. The system doesn't automatically file for you.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I'm going to file my claim this week and see what happens. Sounds like I probably qualify but won't know for sure until Washington ESD reviews everything.