Will Washington ESD know if I drive for Uber while on unemployment benefits?

Thanks for the heads up. Do you know how much I can earn before it affects my weekly benefit amount?

In Washington, you can earn up to 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing your payment. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you could earn up to $600 and still get some unemployment. Anything over that and you get zero for that week.

Oh wow, that's exactly what I was worried about. How did they find out?

They match up your SSN with 1099 forms that get filed. DoorDash reported my earnings to the IRS and Washington ESD eventually caught it during their quarterly wage matching.

Good to know someone else is doing gig work. How do you track all the earnings?

I keep a spreadsheet with dates and amounts. Also screenshot my earnings in the app each week before filing my claim. Makes it easier when tax time comes around too.

Interesting, I'll check that out. I've been trying to call for weeks with no luck.

Never heard of this but anything is better than calling Washington ESD directly. Their phone system is a nightmare.

That's exactly what most people do. You can control your hours with gig work so many folks work just enough to supplement their unemployment without losing the whole benefit.

Makes sense. Better to have steady income plus some gig money than to risk losing everything by working too much.

I get the frustration but the rules are there to prevent abuse. If people could work full time and still collect full unemployment, the system would go broke.

I guess that makes sense but it still feels punitive when you're just trying to survive.

So if I earn $200 driving Uber but spent $30 on gas, I report the full $200?

Exactly. Report the $200. You can deduct business expenses on your tax return but not on your unemployment claim.

That's reassuring to hear from someone actually doing it. Do you work specific days to maximize earnings?

Yeah I usually work Friday and Saturday nights when demand is highest. Can make $150-200 in about 6-8 hours those nights.

Good point, I almost forgot about that requirement. I've been applying to regular jobs but the gig work takes up some of my time.

Yeah you have to balance it. The gig work can't interfere with your availability for full-time employment either.

Report it for the week you actually performed the work, not when you received payment. So if you drove on Tuesday, report it for that week even if you don't get paid until the following week.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!

That's awesome! I'm definitely going to try it. Did they charge a lot for the service?

The main thing is it actually works. Way better than the usual routine of calling 50 times and getting hung up on.

How long do appeals usually take? I want to avoid that whole process if possible.

Appeals can take 6-8 weeks minimum, sometimes longer. Definitely easier to be accurate upfront.

That's a good system. I tend to forget details if I don't write them down right away.

Exactly! And it makes filing your weekly claims so much easier when you have accurate records.

I hadn't thought about that. So I need to make sure I'm still available for regular job interviews and stuff?

Right, you have to remain available for suitable full-time work. Gig work should be supplemental, not your main focus.

Yes, you report exactly what you earned each specific week when you file your weekly claim. So $50 one week, $200 the next week.

ok thanks that makes sense i guess

It really does work. I was skeptical at first but desperate times call for desperate measures. At least with Claimyr you can actually talk to a human.

Yeah exactly, the current system is completely broken for actually getting help.

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I feel much more confident about doing this the right way now.

You got this! Just be honest and thorough with your reporting and you'll be fine.

True, and at least I'll be doing something productive while job searching instead of just sitting around.

Exactly the right attitude! Plus gig work can sometimes lead to other opportunities.

Haha yeah that would be a nice problem! For now I'm just hoping to make ends meet until I find something permanent.

That's the smart approach. Use it as a bridge while you continue looking for regular employment.

That's really helpful advice about tracking expenses! I hadn't even thought about the tax implications yet. Which mileage tracking app do you recommend? I want to make sure I'm prepared for everything that comes with doing gig work while on unemployment.