Will my higher-paying holiday contract work affect next week's ESD unemployment benefit?
I'm a bit confused about how ESD handles one-time income spikes. I picked up a holiday gig as an independent contractor this week and made around $950 (way more than my weekly UI benefit amount of $573). I'm going to report it honestly on my weekly claim, but I'm wondering how this affects my benefits going forward. Does ESD just deduct from this week's payment, or will this overflow and reduce next week's benefit too? This was a one-time opportunity because of holiday demand, and my regular work is still super slow. Thanks in advance for any clarification!
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Jibriel Kohn
You're doing the right thing by reporting your earnings. When you report income that exceeds your weekly benefit amount (WBA), you simply won't receive benefits for that week. The excess amount does NOT carry over to reduce future weeks. Each week stands on its own in the ESD system. So your next weekly claim will be evaluated based solely on what you earn during that week, not this one.
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Joshua Hellan
•Thank you! That's a huge relief. I was worried I'd have to calculate some complicated deduction from next week's claim. So basically this week is just a 'zero benefit week' but my claim stays active as long as I keep filing, right?
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Edison Estevez
Hey there - I went thru this EXACT situation last December! Made like $1100 for a week of holiday work as a photographer. Just report ur earnings and u won't get paid for that week but thats it. Next week goes back to normal. No penalty or overflow or whatever. Just keep filing every week even when u make too much!! That's super important. ESD wants u to file EVERY single week even if u know you'll get $0.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•so what happens if u forget to file for a week where u made too much? does your whole claim get messed up or can u just skip that week since ur not getting anything anyway?
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James Johnson
I thought any amount over your weekly benefit would be deducted from future weeks too??!! Is that not true? The ESD website is so confusing on this.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•No, that's not how it works with Washington ESD. Each week is calculated separately. If you earn more than your weekly benefit amount in a given week, you simply don't receive benefits for that specific week. The excess doesn't affect future weeks at all. The thing you might be thinking of is that if you earn LESS than your weekly benefit amount, they deduct 75% of your earnings from your benefit for that week only. Make sure you're still filing claims every week regardless of earnings to keep your claim active.
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Mia Green
Has anyone had issues with ESD taking FOREVER to process claims with 1099/contract work reported? I always report my side gigs honestly but sometimes it triggers some kind of "review" that takes weeks to resolve and I don't get paid while they're reviewing. I spent HOURS trying to get through to an actual person at ESD last time this happened.
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Emma Bianchi
•I had this happen!!! So frustrating!! I reported some freelance work and then my claim got stuck in pending for like 3 weeks. I kept calling that 8am-4pm number and just got disconnected every single time. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent told me that sometimes contract work can trigger a review if the system thinks you might be regularly employed rather than doing occasional gigs.
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Sophia Rodriguez
Just want to add an important detail: make sure you're classifying your work correctly. Independent contractor (1099) work is different from regular W-2 employment. When you report earnings, ESD will ask which type it is. Getting this wrong can create problems with your claim. Also, if this contract work becomes regular, it could potentially affect your ongoing eligibility if ESD determines you're no longer unemployed or underemployed. But for a one-time holiday gig, you should be fine.
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Joshua Hellan
•That's a good point! It was definitely 1099 contract work - I was hired just for this one event through a staffing agency that specializes in holiday help. I'll make sure to classify it correctly when reporting. My regular industry is still very slow so I'm definitely still underemployed overall.
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Lucas Kowalski
The whole system is RIGGED to punish people for trying to work!!! I picked up extra hours ONE WEEK and then my claim got flagged for "working full time" and I had to PROVE I wasn't... took 2 months to fix and I almost got EVICTED waiting for my benefits to restart!!! The less you earn the better with these people trust me.
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Jibriel Kohn
•I understand your frustration, but that's not quite accurate. The system is designed to provide partial support when you're underemployed and full support when you're unemployed. Reporting occasional higher earnings won't flag your account as working full-time unless you actually worked full-time hours (32+ hours/week) or there was some misunderstanding. If you have issues like this in the future, contact ESD immediately for clarification rather than letting it go for months.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
so like what if u made exactly ur weekly benefit amount? do u get nothing that week or do u get something?
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Sophia Rodriguez
•If you earn exactly your weekly benefit amount, you would not receive any unemployment benefits for that week. You only receive benefits when your earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount. In that case, ESD deducts 75% of what you earned from your weekly benefit. But if your earnings equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount, you receive $0 for that week. Still file your weekly claim though!
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Edison Estevez
One more tip based on my experience - print out or screenshot the confirmation page after you submit your weekly claim with the high earnings reported. I had an issue once where ESD later questioned my reporting, and having those screenshots saved my butt! Just a good practice in general when dealing with unemployment stuff.
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Joshua Hellan
•That's great advice! I'll definitely do that. I've been taking screenshots of most of my ESD interactions just to be safe. Better to have documentation and not need it than the other way around.
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