Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
To summarize for anyone reading this later: Washington state provides up to 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. Extensions are rare and depend on federal programs or high state unemployment rates. Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks, and unused weeks can be claimed if you become unemployed again within that period. Always verify your specific situation with Washington ESD directly.
Perfect summary! This thread answered all my questions about benefit duration. Thanks everyone!
Agreed, this was super helpful. Now I know exactly where I stand with my remaining weeks.
Great comprehensive discussion here! Just wanted to add that if you're approaching your 26-week limit, it's worth double-checking your benefit year end date in your ESD account. Sometimes people think they're running out of weeks when they actually have time left in their benefit year. Also, make sure you're keeping detailed records of all your job search activities - Washington ESD can audit these at any time and you don't want to lose benefits due to incomplete documentation.
This is such helpful advice! I've been worried about my documentation - I've been keeping a basic log but wasn't sure if it was detailed enough. What specific information should we be recording for each job search contact? Just company name and date, or do they want more details like contact person, method of contact, etc? I want to make sure I'm covered if they do audit my records.
You should definitely keep detailed records! For each job search contact, Washington ESD typically wants: company name, date of contact, method (online application, phone call, in-person, etc.), position applied for, and contact person if available. I also include the job posting source (like Indeed, company website, etc.) and any follow-up actions. It might seem like overkill, but if they audit you, having too much documentation is way better than not having enough. I learned this the hard way when a friend got flagged for insufficient job search records and had to provide weeks of back-documentation.
Join the conversation
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel a lot more prepared to file my claim now. Sounds like I can expect somewhere in the $600-700 range based on my salary, which would definitely help while I'm job hunting.
Good luck with your claim! The process is pretty straightforward once you get started.
And remember, if you run into any issues getting through to Washington ESD, that Claimyr service is there as an option. Sometimes you need to talk to a real person to get things sorted out.
Based on your $52k salary, you should expect around $600-650 per week in benefits. The calculation uses your highest earning quarter during the base period (typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). Washington's benefit formula is roughly 50% of your average weekly wage from that quarter, but there are minimum and maximum caps. Since you're filing for the first time, make sure to have all your employment dates, employer info, and reason for separation ready. The online application is pretty straightforward once you gather everything. Good luck!
This is really helpful! I'm also filing for the first time and was wondering about the same thing. Do you know if there's any difference in processing time between filing online vs by phone? I've heard mixed things about how long it takes to get approved.
Join the conversation
Just want to emphasize something that might not be obvious - when you file your initial claim, be completely honest about your work history and separation reason. Washington ESD will verify everything with your former employer anyway, and any discrepancies can delay or even disqualify your claim. I made the mistake of being vague about why I left a previous job (thinking it would help) and it actually created more problems during the review process. They had to do additional investigation which added weeks to my approval time. Also, if you worked for multiple employers during your base period, make sure to list ALL of them, even short-term jobs. Every bit of wages counts toward meeting those minimum requirements.
This is excellent advice about being completely honest on the application! I'm definitely going to make sure I list all my work history accurately. Since you mentioned working for multiple employers - I actually had a second part-time job for about 3 months during my 8 months at the retail store. It was just weekend shifts at a restaurant, but I should include that too, right? Even though it was only maybe 8-10 hours per week? I want to make sure I'm not leaving anything out that could help me meet the wage requirements.
Absolutely include that restaurant job! Even though it was only part-time weekend work, those wages will count toward your base period earnings and could make the difference in meeting the minimum requirements. Washington ESD looks at total wages from ALL employers during your base period, so every dollar helps. Plus, leaving it out could look like you're trying to hide something if they discover it during their verification process. Better to be thorough and include everything - part-time jobs, temporary work, gig work if you received W-2s or 1099s, etc. The more complete your work history, the smoother your claim process will go.
I went through this exact same situation last year and can confirm you should definitely qualify! With 8 months of steady work at 30-35 hours per week at $15/hour, you'll easily meet the wage requirements. I was working similar hours at about the same pay rate when I got laid off from my manufacturing job. The key things that helped me: 1) Apply online through the Washington ESD website as soon as possible - don't wait any longer since you were laid off 3 weeks ago, 2) Have your employer information ready (company name, address, dates worked, reason for separation), 3) Keep that layoff letter handy in case they need it during review. One tip - when you file your weekly claims, make sure to report that vacation payout you mentioned getting. It might delay your first payment by a week or two, but it's better to be upfront about it. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me from application to first payment. Don't overthink it - you clearly qualify based on everything you've shared!
This is super helpful, thank you! It's reassuring to hear from someone who went through a similar situation. I'm definitely going to apply this weekend - you're right that I shouldn't wait any longer. Quick question about reporting the vacation payout - do I need to report it on my initial application or just when I file my first weekly claim? I got about $800 for unused vacation days, so I want to make sure I handle it correctly from the start.
You'll report the vacation payout when you file your weekly claims, not on the initial application. The initial application focuses on your work history and separation reason. When you do your weekly claim certification (which you'll do every week to get paid), there will be questions about any money you received that week - that's where you'd report the $800 vacation payout for the week you received it. Just be prepared that it might delay your benefits for that specific week since Washington ESD treats vacation pay as wages. But once that's processed, your regular weekly benefits should start flowing normally.
Join the conversation
This is such a common issue that catches so many people off guard! I went through something similar last year and it's incredibly stressful when you're expecting that first payment. The monetary determination letter is basically just ESD saying "here's what we calculated you'd get IF everything checks out" - but then they still have to verify your ongoing eligibility each week. The "able and available" flag is probably the most frequent cause of the $0 processing status. It's great that you got it resolved so quickly with Claimyr! For anyone else reading this, I'd also recommend taking screenshots of your weekly claim answers before submitting, just in case you need to reference what you clicked later. The questions can be confusing and it's easy to misinterpret them.
Great advice about taking screenshots! I wish I had thought of that before submitting my claim. The questions really are confusing, especially the one about being "available for work" - I wasn't sure if that meant physically available that specific day or generally available to accept job offers. It's such a relief to see from this thread that these issues can actually be resolved quickly when you get the right help. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it really helped me understand what was happening with my claim!
This is exactly the kind of detailed thread that should be pinned for new claimants! The journey from panic to resolution here shows how important it is to understand that the monetary determination letter is just step one. I've seen so many people get confused by this same sequence - getting the determination letter and thinking they're all set, then seeing that dreaded $0 processing status. What really stands out is how different the timeline can be depending on whether you can reach an actual person vs. waiting for the system to process things automatically. The fact that @Abigail Spencer got it resolved in 90 minutes with Claimyr versus others waiting weeks really highlights the value of persistence in getting through to someone who can actually help. For future reference, I'd recommend anyone filing claims to read each question twice and maybe even look up the exact definitions of terms like "able and available" on the ESD website before answering. The system doesn't give you much room for interpretation errors!
Yara Nassar
I've been in a similar situation and can share some peace of mind. I'm a freelance consultant who travels frequently and have been filing my Washington unemployment claims from various locations without any issues. The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD cares about your work availability and job search compliance, not your physical location when clicking "submit." I've filed from Oregon, California, and even from a coffee shop in Montana - never had a single problem. Just make sure you're honest about being available for work opportunities in Washington and keep doing your required job search activities. The location permission your browser asks for is standard web functionality, not some tracking system. Don't overthink it!
0 coins
Dmitry Ivanov
•Thank you so much for sharing your real-world experience! As someone who's new to filing unemployment claims, I've been really stressed about every little detail. Hearing that you've successfully filed from multiple states without any problems is incredibly reassuring. I travel for job interviews and networking events, so knowing that Washington ESD focuses on availability rather than filing location takes a huge weight off my shoulders. Your advice about staying honest and keeping up with job search requirements is spot on - that's what really matters.
0 coins
Darren Brooks
•This is so helpful! I've been overthinking this whole location thing way too much. Hearing from someone who actually travels and files regularly without issues gives me confidence. I think I was getting caught up in all the technical aspects when really it's just about being honest and available for work. Thanks for sharing your experience - it really puts things into perspective for those of us new to this process!
0 coins
Victoria Stark
As someone who's new to the unemployment system, I really appreciate all the detailed responses here! I've been overthinking this location tracking issue way too much. It sounds like the consensus is that Washington ESD cares about work availability and honest reporting, not where you physically click submit. I travel occasionally for job interviews and family visits, so it's reassuring to know that temporary travel while filing claims shouldn't be a problem as long as I'm truthful about my availability and keep up with my job search requirements. The technical explanation about browser permissions being standard functionality rather than tracking also makes a lot of sense. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating all these unemployment questions!
0 coins
Carmen Lopez
•Welcome to the community! You're absolutely right that we can overthink these things when we're new to the system. I've been going through the same learning process and this thread has been so educational. It's great to see so many people sharing their real experiences rather than just speculation. The fact that multiple people have successfully filed from different locations while traveling really drives home the point that honesty and availability are what matter most. Good luck with your job interviews and family visits - sounds like you have the right approach of staying compliant while not letting anxiety about technical details hold you back!
0 coins
Dylan Hughes
•You're so right about overthinking this! I'm also pretty new to unemployment benefits and was getting really anxious about every little detail. This whole thread has been incredibly educational - it's amazing how much clearer things become when you hear from people with actual experience rather than just worrying about hypothetical problems. The multiple examples of people successfully filing while traveling really drove the point home for me. I feel much more confident now about focusing on the things that actually matter - being available for work and staying honest about my situation. Thanks for starting such a helpful discussion!
0 coins