Who pays unemployment benefits - Washington ESD employer taxes confusion

Your employer doesn't pay your benefits directly. Washington ESD pays your weekly unemployment benefits from the unemployment insurance fund. Employers pay quarterly taxes into this fund based on their payroll and experience rating. Your boss is being dramatic - your individual claim doesn't come straight out of his pocket.

employers do pay unemployment taxes but its not like they write you a check every week lol. its more like car insurance - they pay premiums and if something happens the insurance company pays the claim. washington esd is basically the insurance company here

Here's how it actually works in Washington: Employers pay unemployment insurance taxes quarterly to Washington ESD. The tax rate depends on the employer's 'experience rating' - basically how many former employees have filed successful unemployment claims. More claims = higher tax rate for that employer. But your weekly benefits come from the state unemployment insurance fund, not directly from your employer's bank account.

I had a similar situation where my employer was being weird about me filing for unemployment. I couldn't get through to Washington ESD to ask questions about whether he could interfere with my claim. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual Washington ESD agent on the phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. The agent confirmed that my employer couldn't prevent me from getting benefits as long as I was eligible.

Your boss sounds like a jerk. Even if unemployment claims do affect his tax rate eventually, that's literally the cost of doing business. You paid into that system through your work too - it's not charity.

The experience rating system is actually pretty complicated. Employers get different tax rates (anywhere from 0.16% to 6.02% in Washington) based on their history of layoffs and unemployment claims. New businesses start at a standard rate until they build up enough history. So yes, your claim could eventually affect your employer's costs, but that's how the system is designed to work.

Wait, so if I quit my job can my employer still get charged for my unemployment? I thought you had to be laid off to get benefits.

I used to work in HR and dealt with unemployment claims all the time. The employer gets notified when someone files a claim and can contest it if they think the person wasn't eligible. But most legitimate layoffs aren't contested. It's usually only when there's a question about whether someone was fired for misconduct or quit voluntarily.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED ANYWAY! Employers pay pennies in taxes compared to what they save by laying people off instead of giving raises or benefits. Then they complain when their 'experience rating' goes up. Maybe don't lay people off if you don't want to pay unemployment taxes!

Just want to add that your employer also can't retaliate against you for filing unemployment if you're still working part-time or something. That's illegal in Washington state.

been trying to get more info about how employer taxes work because I'm thinking of starting my own business. anyone know what the starting tax rate is for new employers in washington?

My friend's boss told her she couldn't file for unemployment because the company was 'going through a rough patch' financially. That's complete BS right?

Does anyone know if employers can see how much you're getting in weekly benefits? My old boss keeps asking nosy questions about my unemployment.

I remember when I first got laid off I was so confused about all this stuff. Wish someone had explained it this clearly back then. The Washington ESD website isn't very clear about how the funding works.

Another thing to remember is that you as an employee also contribute to unemployment insurance through your wages, even though it's not a separate line item on your paystub. It's built into the overall tax structure. So you've been paying into this system too.

If you're still having trouble getting information from Washington ESD directly, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier is worth checking out. I used it last month when I needed to talk to someone about my claim status and it saved me hours of trying to call.

Bottom line: file your claim if you're eligible, don't let your employer guilt trip you, and remember that you've earned this benefit through your work. The system exists for exactly this situation.