Perfect summary. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. This community is really helpful!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago in Washington. The key thing to remember is that severance timing matters more than the amount. When I got my $6,000 severance as a lump sum, I filed my UI claim immediately after my last day of work. Washington ESD determined that since my employer didn't allocate the severance to specific weeks, it didn't delay my benefits. I started receiving payments within 3 weeks of filing. My advice: file your claim right away and let ESD make the determination rather than trying to guess. Also, keep every piece of severance documentation - they may ask for it during the review process.

Final piece of advice - if you run into any issues with your claim or need to speak with someone at Washington ESD, don't give up on trying to reach them. The phone system is frustrating but persistence pays off. Or use one of those callback services like someone mentioned earlier if you can't get through on your own.

Just to reinforce what everyone else has said - there's absolutely no downside to filing immediately after losing your job. I made the mistake of thinking I needed to wait for some kind of "official" termination paperwork from my employer and it cost me. Washington ESD doesn't care about your employer's internal processes - they just need to know you're unemployed and when it started. The application itself takes maybe 30-45 minutes if you have your basic employment info ready. Don't overthink it - just get it submitted as soon as you can!

Bottom line: unemployment is taxable income, you'll get a 1099-G showing how much you received, and you should either have taxes withheld or set money aside. Washington state has no income tax so it's just federal taxes you need to worry about.

One more thing to keep in mind - if you end up finding a new job before the end of the year, make sure to tell your new employer about the unemployment income when filling out your W-4. They might need to withhold extra taxes from your paychecks to cover what you'll owe on the UI benefits. I made this mistake once and ended up owing way more than expected because my new job's withholding didn't account for the unemployment income I'd received earlier in the year.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's incredibly frustrating when employers fabricate reasons to avoid paying unemployment! I went through something similar last year where my boss claimed I was "unprofessional with customers" when actually they were just cutting costs and didn't want to admit it was a layoff. Here's what really helped my case: I documented EVERYTHING in chronological order, including dates, times, and any witnesses present. Since you mentioned the new manager wanted their own team, that's actually a really strong point in your favor - it shows the real reason for termination wasn't your performance or conduct. A few things that made a difference for me: - I requested my complete personnel file from HR (they have to provide it within 10 days in WA) - I gathered any positive feedback, emails, or performance reviews from before the new manager arrived - I stayed factual and calm during my adjudication interview, never getting emotional even though I was furious The adjudicator ended up approving my claim because my employer couldn't provide specific evidence of their accusations - just vague statements. It took about 5 weeks total but I got all my back pay. Don't lose hope! Employers who lie often can't back up their claims when ESD digs deeper. You've got this!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! My former employer is claiming I was "unreliable" and had "attitude problems" - complete lies because they were restructuring and didn't want to pay severance or unemployment. The new management just wanted to clean house and bring in their own people. What's really helping my case is that I kept detailed records of everything - emails, performance reviews, even screenshots of my timesheet showing I was never late or absent without approval. The adjudicator seemed very interested when I pointed out that all these supposed "issues" only became problems after the new manager arrived, despite me having 2+ years of good reviews before that. I'm about 3 weeks into adjudication too and I know how nerve-wracking the wait is. But from talking to others who've been through this, employers who make false claims often struggle when ESD asks them for specific dates, documentation, and witness statements. They're banking on ESD just accepting their word, but the adjudicators are trained to spot inconsistencies. Stay strong and keep gathering any evidence that shows you were a good employee before this new manager showed up. The pattern of timing really works in your favor - it's pretty obvious what's really going on here!

I'm in a similar boat - been working commission-only sales at a furniture store for about 3 years and they just announced they're closing next month. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful! I've been putting off applying because I wasn't sure if commission workers even qualified, but it sounds like as long as I have my W-2s (which I do) and my employer was paying unemployment taxes, I should be eligible. One question - did anyone have issues with the varying income affecting their job search requirements? Like, are they expecting me to look for the same type of commission-based sales jobs, or can I apply for hourly positions too while I'm collecting benefits? I'm wondering if I should stick to my industry or if branching out would cause any problems with ESD.

I went through a very similar situation as a commission-only mortgage loan officer when my company went out of business in 2023. The whole process was definitely more involved than I expected, but I did get approved after about 5-6 weeks. A few things that helped me that I haven't seen mentioned yet: - Keep copies of your pay stubs/commission statements that show taxes were withheld (this proves your employer was treating you as a W-2 employee) - If your brokerage used a payroll company, try to get contact info for them since ESD might need to verify the unemployment tax payments directly - Be prepared for them to ask about any 1099 income you might have received on top of your W-2 commission (some real estate agents get referral fees as 1099 income which can complicate things) The income verification took the longest for me, but once they confirmed everything, my weekly benefit amount was actually calculated pretty fairly based on my stronger quarters. Don't let the extra paperwork discourage you - commission workers definitely have rights to unemployment benefits in Washington! Just start gathering your documents now and be patient with the process.