This makes me so angry for you! They make the process INTENTIONALLY CONFUSING! Everyone saying "you should have appealed" doesn't get that ESD never clearly tells you WHEN something becomes appealable vs when it's just "in process." It's not like they send a bright red letter saying "THIS IS YOUR FORMAL DENIAL, APPEAL NOW OR LOSE FOREVER." I hope you get your money but prepare to fight hard because they use these technicalities to avoid paying legitimate claims!!!

One more tip - if you do pursue this, be extremely specific in documenting the timeline. Write out exactly when you filed each week, what the status showed, what communications you received (or didn't receive), and any attempts you made to resolve the issue. The more detailed your documentation, the better chance you have with a late appeal. Also, if you get denied at the OAH level, remember you can appeal to the Commissioner's Review Office and then to Superior Court if necessary. Each level gives you another chance to make your case.

ESD is the WORST with these timing issues!!! My claim ended last year and they DENIED my final week even though I filed it properly! It took THREE APPEALS and 2 months to finally get my money. Their system is completely broken and inconsistent. Don't count on that money until it's actually in your account.

hey did ur payment come thru yet?? curious what happened

my cousin works at esd and says this happens ALL THE TIME. the base year thing confuses everyone. she says they get angry calls from employers like 'why am i getting charged when i didnt fire them???' all day long lol

Just to clarify for everyone in this thread: The UI tax charging system is based on an insurance model. Employers pay premiums (UI taxes) that go into a pool which funds benefits. When an employee becomes unemployed, the system looks back at who benefited from their labor during the base period (as evidenced by who paid their wages) rather than who caused the unemployment. In Washington, benefits are charged proportionally to all base year employers based on how much they paid you. So if 80% of your base year wages came from Employer A and 20% from Employer B, then Employer A would be charged for 80% of your benefits. Employers understand this is part of doing business, even if they sometimes get frustrated by it.

anyone else think its stupid they dont check ur job searches every week but then can randomly audit u??? feels like a trap to catch people and make them pay everything back. the whole system is designed to trip people up i swear

When I was on unemployment last year I got audited after like 6 weeks. They gave me 7 days to upload all my job search logs. I was lucky because I had kept good records but my friend didn't and he had to pay back like $4200 in benefits! So definitely keep track of everything even if it seems like they don't care about it week to week.

Just to clarify some confusion in this thread: The Workers' Benefits Credit does use a different payment processing system than regular unemployment, but both CAN send email notifications if you've opted in. However, the WBC system has been having some notification issues lately. The best way to check is directly in your eServices account under the 'Payments' tab. You should see a payment with 'processing' or 'issued' status before it hits your bank account. If it says 'issued' but hasn't arrived in 3 business days, that's when you should contact ESD.

FINALLY got my deposit this morning!!! Took exactly 5 business days from decision to deposit. Check your accounts today if you were approved on the 2nd!