Who is entitled to unemployment benefits in Washington - complete eligibility breakdown?

To be entitled to Washington unemployment benefits, your sister needs to meet several basic requirements: 1) She must have earned enough wages during her base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters), 2) She must be unemployed through no fault of her own, 3) She must be able and available for work, and 4) She must actively search for work. The wage requirement is currently at least $3,850 in her base period with earnings in at least 2 quarters.

The gig work might complicate things. Washington ESD looks at whether you're an employee vs independent contractor. If she was getting 1099s for the gig work, that might not count toward her wage requirements. But if she was laid off from the retail job specifically, that should qualify as long as she meets the wage thresholds.

I've been calling Washington ESD for weeks trying to get through about my own eligibility questions and it's impossible! The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through, I get disconnected. Has anyone found a better way to actually talk to someone there?

Don't forget about the job search requirements! Even if she's entitled to benefits, she'll need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep a log. Washington ESD is pretty strict about this and they do audit people.

ugh the whole system is so complicated!! I got denied initially because I didn't understand the base period thing and filed too early. Had to appeal and everything. Your sister should definitely make sure she has all her wage info before filing.

Another thing to consider - if she quit her job instead of being laid off, she might not be entitled to benefits unless she had good cause. But layoffs are usually pretty straightforward for eligibility.

The part-time work history might actually help her! Washington calculates benefits based on your highest earning quarter, so even if she only worked 8 months, if she earned enough during her best quarter she could still get a decent weekly benefit amount.

She should file as soon as possible! Benefits are only backdated to the week you file, not when you became unemployed. Every day she waits is money she's potentially losing.

Just to add - she'll need to be able and available for work each week she claims. So if she's planning any vacations or has health issues that prevent her from working, she needs to report that on her weekly claims.

I had a friend who worked part-time retail and she qualified no problem. The key is making sure you meet that wage threshold in your base period. If your sister was making decent hours at retail for 8 months, she should be fine.

Pro tip: when she files, make sure she has her Social Security number, driver's license, and all her employer information handy. The online system times out if you take too long entering info.

Don't stress too much about it. If she was laid off through no fault of her own and worked steadily for 8 months, she's very likely entitled to benefits. The Washington ESD eligibility requirements are pretty standard - it's more about having the right documentation and filing correctly.

One more thing - if she gets denied for any reason, don't panic! She can appeal within 30 days. Sometimes the initial determination is wrong, especially if there's any confusion about her work history or the reason for separation.

If she's still having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone after filing, I second the recommendation for Claimyr. I was stuck in adjudication for weeks and couldn't get through to anyone. Used their service and finally got connected to resolve my issue. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human!

Based on everything shared here, your sister should definitely apply! With 8 months of steady retail work and a clear layoff (not a quit), she likely meets the entitlement requirements. The key things to remember: 1) File ASAP since benefits start from when you file, not when you were laid off, 2) Have all her employer info and wage records ready before starting the online application, 3) Keep that layoff letter from her employer as documentation, and 4) Don't worry about the DoorDash gig work - her W-2 retail wages are what matter for regular unemployment benefits. If she runs into any issues getting through to Washington ESD by phone later, the Claimyr service mentioned above seems to really help people connect with agents. Good luck to her!