Who can receive unemployment compensation through Washington ESD - eligibility requirements?

You can definitely apply for partial unemployment in Washington! The basic eligibility requirements are: 1) You must have earned enough wages in your base period (usually first 4 of last 5 quarters), 2) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, 3) You must be able and available for work, and 4) You must actively search for work. For partial benefits, if you're working reduced hours, you can still qualify as long as your weekly earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5.

just applied last week and got approved even though im still working 15 hours. as long as you make less than your weekly benefit amount you should be good

There are actually quite a few categories of people who can receive unemployment compensation in Washington. Regular UI is for people who lost their job through no fault of their own, but there's also standby status for certain union workers, benefits for people in approved training programs, and even some self-employed folks might qualify under certain circumstances. The key is meeting the monetary requirements and being available for work.

I was struggling to get through to Washington ESD to ask about my eligibility - kept getting busy signals and disconnected calls. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call on my own!

The wage requirement is the big thing most people don't realize. You need to have earned at least $1,036 in your highest earning quarter AND have total base period earnings of at least 1.5 times your high quarter. So if you made $2,000 in your best quarter, you'd need at least $3,000 total in the base period.

Don't forget about the work search requirements! You have to be actively looking for work and document your job search activities. They've gotten stricter about this since COVID ended.

Also important - you have to be able and available for work. If you have restrictions like can only work certain hours or days, that might affect your eligibility. Washington ESD is pretty strict about this.

been on unemployment twice in the past 5 years and the process gets easier once you understand it. first time was confusing as hell but now i know exactly what to expect

The system is designed to help people who lose work through no fault of their own. If you quit without good cause or got fired for misconduct, you won't qualify. But if your hours were reduced or you got laid off, you should definitely apply.

Another option people don't know about is if you're in certain training programs approved by Washington ESD, you might not have to do the job search requirements. Worth looking into if you're considering going back to school or learning new skills.

Just remember that even if you qualify initially, you have to keep meeting the requirements every week. Miss filing a weekly claim or mess up the work search documentation and you could lose benefits.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I had questions about my partial unemployment claim. Really helped me get through to someone who could explain my specific situation. The hold times at Washington ESD are just ridiculous otherwise.

One thing that trips people up is thinking you have to be 100% unemployed. Partial unemployment is a real thing and can really help when your hours get cut. Don't assume you don't qualify just because you're still working some.

The whole system is confusing but basically if you worked enough to meet the wage requirements and you're unemployed or underemployed through no fault of your own, you should apply. Washington ESD will determine if you qualify.

Also worth mentioning that certain groups have special considerations - veterans, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence. If any of those apply to you, there might be additional support available.

Bottom line - if you think you might qualify, just apply. The worst that happens is they say no, but if you do qualify, those benefits can really help bridge the gap while you look for more work or wait for your hours to pick back up.