The ESD system is COMPLETELY BROKEN for trades and seasonal workers!!! I spent 6 weeks trying to get my benefits approved during my last training period and then they wanted all kinds of additional documentation that wasn't listed anywhere on their website. By the time it was approved, my training was almost over. Make sure you start this process EARLY and document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of every page you submit, record the names of every ESD agent you talk to, and follow up constantly. The system is designed to make you give up!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to: 1. File my initial claim at the start of Christmas break 2. Complete my waiting week during that time 3. Do the required job searches during the Christmas break period 4. Request the Training Benefits application for my February apprenticeship training 5. Get documentation from my training coordinator about the mandatory nature of the training 6. Keep detailed records of everything I submit I really appreciate all the insights and warnings about potential pitfalls. This community has been super helpful!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed this was definitely an error. Apparently there was a glitch in their system where some letters for claims filed in January 2025 had the delivery addresses mixed up. She flagged my account to make sure future communications come directly to me and said they're aware of the issue and working on fixing it systemwide. She also noted that while employers do get notified about claims and some general determination info, they shouldn't be receiving my detailed claim correspondence. She's escalating this as a privacy concern to their IT department. Thanks everyone for your help and confirming I wasn't overreacting about this!

wait but did u ever get the actual info that was supposed to be in the letter?? like was it important or just general stuff?

This timing difference is actually normal with ACH transfers. First payments are often processed differently (sometimes as a test transaction) than subsequent payments. What's happening is that ESD has initiated the payment, but it's still in the banking system pipeline. Few things to be aware of: 1. Most banks don't process ACH transfers on weekends or holidays 2. Some banks hold deposits for 24-48 hours before showing them as pending 3. ESD processes payments in batches, not individually If it's been less than 3 business days, I wouldn't worry yet. If it goes longer than that, then you should contact ESD to verify the payment was properly processed. You can check your payment history in eServices under "UI Claim" and look at the Payments tab to see the exact date it was processed.

Quick update - my payment from Monday just hit my account this morning. It took exactly 2 business days as others have mentioned. Hope yours comes through soon!

My sister works for ESD (not speaking officially obvs) and she says ppl get confused about this all the time. The 6x rule is real but its actually about "requalifying" after you've already received benefits in your benefit year and had a break in your claim. For a totally new benefit year after your old one expired, its all about the 680 hrs in your base year. Also if your hours got reduced, def look into partial unemployment! You can sometimes get benefits if you're working part time depending on how much you earn compared to your weekly benefit amount.

Thanks everyone for the responses! Just to update - I called ESD (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through in about 35 minutes). The agent confirmed I need BOTH the 680 hours AND earnings of at least 6x my previous weekly benefit amount. She checked my records and said I've earned enough to meet the 6x requirement but I'm still about 120 hours short of the 680 hours. So I'll need to keep working for another month or so before I can file a new claim. She also said I might qualify for partial unemployment now since my hours were cut significantly, but I'd need to file a new claim to find out for sure. I'm going to stick it out a bit longer to hit that 680 hour mark first.

Don't forget that you CAN appeal if they end up denying your claim! I had to appeal my adjudication decision and won at the hearing. The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is separate from ESD and actually gives you a fair shot.

Update from my previous comment: I checked with a colleague who works directly with ESD, and there's currently a backlog in construction industry claims specifically. There were several large layoffs in the sector this quarter, and they're reviewing employer tax compliance more carefully for construction companies. This likely explains your extended wait time compared to claims from other industries.