


Ask the community...
The whole system is designed to make it hard for people in genuine need. But don't give up - if you have a legitimate reason for quitting, keep pushing through the process.
Last thing - make sure you understand the appeals process in case your initial claim gets denied. Many people don't realize they can appeal and just give up.
One more thing - make sure you understand your rights in the appeals process if it comes to that. You can present evidence and have witnesses testify at unemployment hearings.
Bottom line: respond to Washington ESD promptly, provide all requested documentation, and don't take it personally if they approve benefits. The system errs on the side of helping unemployed workers.
Just remember that even with tax withholding, you should still keep good records of all your unemployment payments and any work you do on the side. Makes tax filing much easier.
Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I had no idea unemployment was taxable and I've been on it for 2 months already. Better late than never to get this figured out.
one more tip - if you get denied for any reason, don't give up! you can appeal the decision. a lot of people don't realize that and just accept the denial
been reading this thread and just wanted to say that washington's UI system is actually pretty good compared to what my friends in other states deal with. the amounts are decent and the process isn't too terrible if you have all your paperwork ready
Lindsey Fry
This whole conversation makes me feel better about filing. I was worried I wouldn't qualify for much but sounds like the calculation is pretty straightforward once you understand it.
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Ashley Simian
•Yeah it's not as complicated as it first seems. The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool too if you want to estimate it yourself.
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Saleem Vaziri
Thanks for all the info everyone! I've been putting off filing because I didn't understand how it worked. This thread answered most of my questions.
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Oliver Cheng
•Don't wait too long to file! You can't get benefits for weeks before you actually submit your application.
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Saleem Vaziri
•Filing this weekend for sure. Thanks for the reminder!
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