Why is Washington ESD taking so long to pay my unemployment benefits?

same boat here, filed 4 weeks ago and nothing yet. called like 50 times but can never get through

Washington ESD has been overwhelmed since the pandemic and they never really caught up. Your claim might be stuck in adjudication which means they're reviewing something about your eligibility. Check your SecureAccess Washington account under 'Correspondence' to see if they sent you any requests for information.

I had the same issue last year and it turned out my previous employer contested my claim. Washington ESD doesn't always notify you right away when there's a dispute. You might want to try getting through to an actual agent to check what's causing the delay.

Washington ESD payment delays are usually caused by one of these issues: 1) Identity verification pending 2) Employment separation dispute 3) Weekly claim reporting errors 4) Job search requirement not met 5) System glitches that require manual review. The problem is they don't communicate well about which issue is causing your delay.

this is exactly why the unemployment system is broken! they make you jump through hoops and then don't pay you for months. meanwhile bills keep coming and landlords don't care about washington esd delays

Check your claim summary page carefully. Sometimes there's a small note about 'additional review required' or 'verification pending' that's easy to miss. Also make sure you're not missing any of the work search requirements - they can hold payments if you're not logging enough job contacts.

6 weeks is way too long for a regular UI claim. I work in HR and most of our laid-off employees get their first payment within 2-3 weeks if everything is straightforward. Something is definitely wrong with your claim.

update - i finally got through to someone at washington esd after using claimyr and turns out my claim was stuck because my employer reported the wrong separation date. took 5 minutes to fix once i actually talked to a human

For anyone still waiting on payments, document everything! Keep records of all your weekly claims, job search activities, and any attempts to contact Washington ESD. If you end up needing to appeal or escalate, you'll need that documentation.

washington esd is probably the worst run agency in the state. they had years to fix their systems after the pandemic mess and nothing has improved

Have you tried contacting your state legislators office? Sometimes they can help escalate Washington ESD issues when people are facing financial hardship due to processing delays.

been waiting 5 weeks myself. this thread is making me think i should try that claimyr thing too

The key thing to understand is that Washington ESD processes thousands of claims every week and they're still using outdated systems. Your claim might be fine but stuck in a queue somewhere waiting for manual review.

Pro tip: if you do get through to an agent, ask them to explain exactly what was causing the delay and get a reference number for the fix. That way if it happens again you have documentation.

Same situation happened to my neighbor. Turns out Washington ESD had the wrong bank account number in their system even though she entered it correctly. Took 2 months to figure out because she couldn't get through to fix it.

washington esd really needs to hire more staff or fix their phone system. it's ridiculous that people have to pay third parties just to reach their own government agency

For anyone still reading this thread - I had a 7 week delay and it was because my previous employer initially said I quit instead of being laid off. Washington ESD has to investigate any discrepancy between what you report and what your employer reports, which can take weeks or months.

Update for anyone following: I used Claimyr and got connected to a Washington ESD agent today. Turns out my identity verification was pending even though I never got notified. Agent cleared it and said payments should start next week. Thanks everyone for the help!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue - filed 5 weeks ago and still waiting on my first payment. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like there could be hidden holds or verification issues that Washington ESD doesn't communicate clearly. I'm definitely going to try using Claimyr based on the success stories here. It's ridiculous that we have to pay a third party service just to reach our own state agency, but if it gets my payments moving I'll take it. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this frustrating situation.

I'm in week 8 of waiting for my first payment and this thread has been incredibly helpful. Like many others here, my claim shows "active" but weekly claims just say "processed" with no payment dates. I've been doing everything right - job searches, weekly reporting, all of it. What's most frustrating is the complete lack of communication from Washington ESD about what's actually wrong. Based on all the success stories with Claimyr, I'm going to try that tomorrow. It shouldn't cost money to reach our own government agency, but at this point I'm desperate. Has anyone had luck with the legislative contact suggestion? I'm in King County and wondering if my representative's office might be able to help too.

I'm in the exact same situation - filed 7 weeks ago and still haven't received a single payment from Washington ESD. My claim status shows "active" and I've been doing all my weekly certifications religiously, but every week it just says "processed" with no payment date. I've tried calling hundreds of times but can never get through their phone system. Reading through all these responses has been eye-opening - it sounds like there are all sorts of hidden issues that can hold up payments without any clear notification. I had no idea about identity verification holds, employer disputes, or system glitches that require manual review. Based on all the success stories here, I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow. It's frustrating that we have to pay a third party just to access our own state benefits, but I'm behind on everything at this point. Has anyone tried contacting the Washington State Auditor's office about these systemic issues? It seems like there should be some accountability for an agency that's failing so many people who desperately need these benefits.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare - filed my claim 5 weeks ago after being laid off and haven't seen a penny yet. My status shows "active" but every weekly claim just sits at "processed" forever. What really gets me is that I've been following all the rules perfectly - doing my 3 job searches per week, logging everything in WorkSourceWA, filing on time every week. But Washington ESD gives you zero information about what's actually holding things up. After reading everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced there's some hidden issue with my claim that they're just not telling me about. The success stories with Claimyr are really encouraging though - it sounds like most of these delays are simple fixes that just need a human to actually look at the account. I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow because I can't keep waiting indefinitely while my bills pile up. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third party just to reach our own state agency, but if it works it's better than losing my apartment over Washington ESD's broken phone system.

I'm in the exact same boat - filed 8 weeks ago and still haven't received my first payment despite doing everything correctly. Reading through all these experiences has been both frustrating and reassuring to know I'm not alone. What really bothers me is how Washington ESD leaves us completely in the dark about what's causing delays. My claim shows "active" and weekly certifications show "processed" but no payments ever come. Based on all the success stories here with Claimyr, I'm definitely going to try that service - it seems like most issues are simple fixes that just need a human to actually look at the account. It's ridiculous that we have to pay a third party to reach our own state agency, but I'd rather spend some money than keep waiting indefinitely while bills pile up. Has anyone had success combining Claimyr with contacting their state representative? I'm thinking of trying both approaches simultaneously since this delay is causing serious financial hardship.

I'm dealing with the exact same situation - 6 weeks since filing and zero payments from Washington ESD. Like others here, my claim shows "active" but weekly certifications just say "processed" with no payment dates. I've been perfect with my job searches and weekly reporting, but clearly something is stuck in their system that they're not telling me about. Reading through everyone's experiences has been really helpful - sounds like most delays are caused by simple issues like identity verification holds, employer reporting errors, or system glitches that need manual review. The success stories with Claimyr are really encouraging since it seems like these problems can often be fixed in minutes once you actually reach a human. I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow because I can't keep waiting indefinitely while my rent and utilities pile up. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third party just to access our own state benefits, but Washington ESD's phone system is completely broken. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - at least now I know there are actual solutions instead of just waiting and hoping things magically get fixed.

I'm in week 7 of waiting and this thread has been incredibly helpful - finally understanding that these delays are often caused by hidden issues Washington ESD doesn't communicate. Like everyone else, my claim shows "active" but weekly certifications just say "processed" with no payment dates. I've been doing everything correctly - job searches, weekly reporting, all of it. Based on all the Claimyr success stories here, I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow. It's frustrating that we have to pay a third party to reach our own state agency, but I'd rather spend some money than keep waiting indefinitely while bills pile up. The lack of transparency from Washington ESD is the worst part - they just leave us guessing what's wrong instead of clearly communicating the issue. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!

I'm in the exact same situation - filed 4 weeks ago and still waiting on my first payment. My claim shows "active" and I've been doing all my weekly certifications and job searches perfectly, but every week just shows "processed" with no payment date. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm realizing there must be some hidden issue with my claim that Washington ESD isn't telling me about. The success stories with Claimyr are really encouraging - it sounds like most of these delays are simple fixes that just need a human to actually look at the account. I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow because I can't afford to keep waiting while my bills pile up. It's absolutely insane that we have to pay a third party just to reach our own state agency, but if it gets my payments moving it's worth it. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone and there are actual solutions out there!

I'm going through the exact same thing - filed 5 weeks ago and still haven't received a single payment from Washington ESD. My claim shows "active" and I've been doing everything correctly with my weekly certifications and job searches, but every week just says "processed" with no payment date. Reading through all these experiences has been really eye-opening - I had no idea there could be so many hidden issues like identity verification holds or employer reporting errors that they don't clearly communicate to us. Based on all the success stories with Claimyr here, I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third party just to reach our own state agency, but I'm desperate at this point with bills piling up. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - at least now I know there are actual solutions and I'm not alone in dealing with Washington ESD's broken system!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue - filed my claim 6 weeks ago after a company layoff and still haven't received a single payment. My claim shows "active" and I've been religiously filing my weekly certifications and doing my job searches, but everything just sits at "processed" with no payment dates. Reading through all these experiences has been both frustrating and enlightening - I had no idea about all these hidden holds like identity verification or employer disputes that Washington ESD apparently doesn't communicate clearly. The Claimyr success stories throughout this thread are really encouraging since it sounds like most of these delays are simple issues that can be resolved quickly once you actually reach a human. I'm definitely going to try that service tomorrow because I can't afford to keep waiting while my rent and utilities pile up. It's absolutely insane that we have to pay a third party just to access our own state benefits, but Washington ESD's phone system is completely useless. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess and there are actual ways to get help!

I'm in week 4 of waiting for my first payment and this thread has been incredibly helpful. Like so many others here, my claim shows "active" but weekly certifications just say "processed" with no payment dates. I've been doing everything right - 3 job searches per week, logging them in WorkSourceWA, filing on time every week. What's most frustrating is the complete silence from Washington ESD about what's actually wrong. Based on all the Claimyr success stories throughout this thread, I'm convinced that's my best option at this point. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third party service just to reach our own state agency, but their phone system is completely broken. I'd rather spend some money to get my payments flowing than keep waiting indefinitely while bills pile up. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - knowing that most of these delays are simple fixes that just need a human to look at them gives me hope that this nightmare will end soon!