My neighbor works for ESD (not saying this to brag just giving context lol) and she says September is when they do a lot of quarterly reviews. Apparently they're going through and checking everyones job search logs right now so that might be it. Do you upload your job search logs or just keep track of them yourself?

Just checking in - any updates on your situation? Were you able to reach ESD?

wait i'm confused... so if u start a job but dont get paid for 2 weeks, how r u supposed to pay bills? seems like the system is designed to make ppl fail tbh

Just to follow up on what everyone's saying - you definitely report based on when you work, not when you get paid. However, if you're worried about making ends meet, see if your new employer offers direct deposit. Many employers with two-week pay periods will still process your first week's pay sooner if you have direct deposit set up. Worth asking your HR department about this option.

did u check ur spam folder in email?? esd sent me an important message that went to spam and i almost missed the deadline to respond!!

Good idea! Just checked spam and found nothing from ESD, but I did add esd.wa.gov to my safe senders list to make sure future emails don't get filtered. Thanks!

my brother had same issue but his was cuz he had worked in oregon for 3 months of his base year and they had to verify with oregon employment department too. maybe if u worked in diff state thats holding it up?

UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed they were waiting on those documents I just uploaded. She said once they review them (1-2 business days) my claim should process and I should see payments for all back weeks within 48 hours after that. I also called 211 and they're helping with emergency rent assistance for this month! Thank you all SO MUCH for your help - especially checking that correspondence folder, which was the key to everything!

Just to follow up, if your claim is heading into week 4 of processing with no movement, I'd recommend trying to speak with an agent. While delays are common, something that takes longer than 4 weeks often has a specific issue that needs addressing.\n\nSometimes claims get flagged for manual review due to your employment history, earnings pattern, or other factors that aren't visible to you in the online system. An agent can see these notes and tell you if there's something specific holding things up.\n\nKeep filing your weekly claims, and remember that you must complete and document your 3 job search activities each week, even while your initial claim is processing. When your claim is approved, you'll only get paid for weeks where you properly completed and submitted your weekly claims with job search activities.

I'm definitely keeping up with my weekly claims and job search activities. Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks exactly. If I don't see any movement by the end of next week, I'll try harder to reach an agent. Thanks for the advice!