Who can verify unemployment status for Washington ESD claims?
I'm dealing with a situation where I need official verification of my unemployment status from Washington ESD. My landlord is asking for documentation proving I'm actively receiving unemployment benefits, and I'm not sure what the proper process is. Can anyone tell me who has the authority to verify unemployment claims? I've been receiving weekly UI payments for about 6 weeks now, but I need something official that shows my current status. Do I need to get this directly from Washington ESD or can other agencies provide this verification?
62 comments


Logan Greenburg
Washington ESD is the only agency that can provide official verification of your unemployment status. You can get a benefit verification letter through your SecureAccess Washington account online, or you can request one by calling their main number.
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Angelica Smith
•Thanks! I'll check my SAW account first. Do you know if the verification letter shows current benefit amounts?
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Logan Greenburg
•Yes, it typically shows your weekly benefit amount, claim dates, and current status. Very helpful for landlords or other official purposes.
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Charlotte Jones
I needed the same thing last month and had to call Washington ESD directly. The online system wasn't working for me at the time.
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Angelica Smith
•How long did it take to get through to someone? I've heard their phone lines are really busy.
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Charlotte Jones
•It was a nightmare honestly. Spent hours on hold multiple times before I got through.
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Lucas Bey
If you can't get through to Washington ESD by phone, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helps people connect with ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Might save you the headache of calling repeatedly.
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Angelica Smith
•That's interesting, I hadn't heard of that before. Is it just for making calls or can they help with other Washington ESD issues too?
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Lucas Bey
•From what I understand, it's mainly for getting through to ESD agents when you need to speak with someone directly. Perfect for situations like yours where you need specific documentation.
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Harper Thompson
•I'm always skeptical of third-party services for government stuff. Are you sure this is legit?
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Caleb Stark
Your employer from your last job might also be able to verify dates of employment and termination, but for official unemployment benefit verification, Washington ESD is definitely your best bet. I work in HR and we get these requests sometimes.
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Angelica Smith
•That's good to know. My landlord specifically wants proof of current benefit status though, so I think I do need it from Washington ESD directly.
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Caleb Stark
•Exactly right. For current benefit verification, only Washington ESD can provide that official documentation.
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Jade O'Malley
ugh this is so frustrating... I've been trying to get verification for weeks now and keep getting the runaround. Why is everything with Washington ESD so complicated??
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Angelica Smith
•I feel your pain. The whole system seems designed to make things difficult.
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Logan Greenburg
•Have you tried the online portal? Sometimes that's faster than calling.
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Jade O'Malley
•Yeah I tried that first but kept getting error messages. Finally had to call and wait forever.
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Hunter Edmunds
For what it's worth, I had good luck with that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Used it when I needed to talk to someone about my adjudication status and it actually worked. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Angelica Smith
•Good to hear a success story. I might try that if the online option doesn't work out.
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Harper Thompson
•Okay maybe I was being too skeptical. If it actually works that's pretty cool.
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Ella Lewis
Just want to confirm - yes, Washington ESD is the only official source for unemployment benefit verification in our state. I work at a property management company and we see these requests all the time. The verification letter from ESD is what we need to see.
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Angelica Smith
•Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. Appreciate the confirmation from someone who deals with this regularly.
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Ella Lewis
•No problem! The letter usually processes pretty quickly once you request it through the proper channels.
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Andrew Pinnock
I remember when I needed this same thing last year, took me three tries to get the right person on the phone at Washington ESD. They kept transferring me around.
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Angelica Smith
•That sounds really frustrating. Did you eventually get what you needed?
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Andrew Pinnock
•Yeah eventually, but it took way longer than it should have. The verification letter itself was fine once I got it.
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Brianna Schmidt
Another option is to check if your weekly claim confirmations are sufficient for your landlord. Sometimes they'll accept those as proof of ongoing benefits rather than requiring the official verification letter.
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Angelica Smith
•That's a great point. I should ask my landlord if the weekly confirmations would work before going through the hassle of getting the official letter.
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Brianna Schmidt
•Exactly! Always worth asking what specific documentation they actually need.
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Alexis Renard
just went through this same thing last week... washington esd is definitely the only place that can do official verification but their phone system is terrible
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Angelica Smith
•How did you end up getting through to them?
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Alexis Renard
•kept calling early in the morning and finally got lucky. took like 2 hours on hold though
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Camila Jordan
This whole verification process is such a pain. I needed mine for a mortgage application and it took weeks to get the right documentation. The system is broken.
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Angelica Smith
•Weeks?? That's crazy. I hope I don't have to wait that long.
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Camila Jordan
•This was during a really busy period though. Hopefully it's faster now.
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Lucas Bey
Since a few people have mentioned phone difficulties, I'll mention Claimyr again - it really does help cut through the wait times. I used it when I had questions about my job search requirements and got connected much faster than usual.
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Angelica Smith
•I'm definitely going to check that out if I can't get through the normal way. Thanks for the tip!
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Tyler Lefleur
•That actually sounds really useful. I hate spending hours on hold with government agencies.
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Madeline Blaze
Pro tip: if you log into your SecureAccess Washington account, look for the 'Correspondence' or 'Documents' section. Sometimes verification letters are automatically generated there.
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Angelica Smith
•I'll definitely check that section. I haven't explored the full online portal yet.
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Madeline Blaze
•It's worth poking around in there. Sometimes the documents you need are already available without having to request them.
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Max Knight
I work at a bank and we accept Washington ESD verification letters for loan applications all the time. They're definitely the official source for this kind of documentation.
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Angelica Smith
•Good to know from someone in the financial industry. Sounds like the ESD letter is widely accepted.
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Max Knight
•Yes, it's one of the standard documents we see. Very legitimate and widely recognized.
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Emma Swift
Whatever you do, don't try to create your own verification document. I've seen people get in trouble for that. Only use official Washington ESD documentation.
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Angelica Smith
•Definitely wouldn't try that! I need something official that will hold up to scrutiny.
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Emma Swift
•Smart thinking. The official letter is worth the extra effort to obtain.
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Isabella Tucker
Update: I just successfully got my verification letter through the online portal! Took about 5 minutes once I found the right section. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Angelica Smith
•That's awesome! I'm going to try the online method first then. Fingers crossed it works for me too.
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Isabella Tucker
•Hope it works out for you! The online system definitely seems to be the fastest option when it's working properly.
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Logan Greenburg
•Great to hear a success story! The online portal is usually the most efficient way to handle these requests.
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Jayden Hill
For anyone else reading this thread later - make sure to check what your landlord or whoever is requesting actually needs. Sometimes they'll accept screenshots of your weekly claim history instead of the formal verification letter.
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Angelica Smith
•That's a great point. I should clarify exactly what format they need before jumping through hoops.
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Jayden Hill
•Exactly! Sometimes the formal letter is overkill for what they actually need to verify.
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LordCommander
Just want to add that if you're dealing with a time-sensitive situation, calling Washington ESD early in the morning (like 8 AM) seems to have shorter wait times than later in the day.
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Angelica Smith
•Good timing tip! I'll try that if the online route doesn't work.
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LordCommander
•Yeah, I've noticed the phone lines are definitely busier in the afternoons. Early morning calls seem to go through faster.
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Lucy Lam
Final thought - if you're having trouble with verification, that Claimyr service people mentioned might be worth trying. I used it for a different issue but it did help me get through to an actual person at Washington ESD pretty quickly.
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Angelica Smith
•Thanks for the recommendation! It's good to have that as a backup option.
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Lucy Lam
•No problem! Sometimes you need all the help you can get dealing with government agencies.
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Sophie Hernandez
I went through this exact same situation about 2 months ago when my property manager needed proof of my unemployment benefits. The SecureAccess Washington portal is definitely your best bet - I was able to download an official verification letter within minutes. It shows your weekly benefit amount, claim start date, and current status which is exactly what most landlords need. If for some reason the online system isn't working, calling first thing in the morning (around 8 AM) tends to have shorter wait times. Good luck!
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•That's really helpful to know it worked so quickly for you! I'm definitely going to try the SecureAccess Washington portal first. It sounds like that's the most reliable method based on what everyone's saying. Thanks for sharing your experience - it gives me confidence that I can get this sorted out without too much hassle.
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