That's really helpful advice about how to log it - thank you! I've been making sure to do my 3 activities every week and documenting everything carefully. I definitely don't want any issues with my claim.

Just wanted to add my experience - I got approached by one of those "be your own boss" companies selling insurance that wanted me to pay for licensing fees and training materials upfront. When I called ESD directly, they told me any job that requires you to pay money to start working is automatically not considered suitable employment. They said real employers invest in YOU, not the other way around. Don't let these predatory companies take advantage of your unemployment situation - they specifically target people who are desperate for work. You're doing the right thing by questioning it!

Just went through this process myself about 6 months ago! One thing that really helped me was creating a checklist before I started. Make sure you have your business structure documents ready (LLC articles, partnership agreement, etc.) because they ask about ownership structure during registration. Also, if you're planning to have employees in multiple locations within Washington, you'll need to register each location separately. The whole process took me about 3 weeks from start to finish, but most of that was waiting for my EIN from the IRS first. Once I had all my documents together, the actual ESD registration was pretty straightforward through the online portal.

I just completed my Washington ESD registration a couple months ago and wanted to share what worked for me. The key thing is to gather everything upfront - your EIN, business license info, and estimated payroll numbers. I actually called the ESD Business Services line early in the morning (around 7:30 AM) and got through pretty quickly - they were super helpful in explaining which forms I needed. One tip: if you're unsure about your NAICS industry code, they have a lookup tool on their website that's really detailed. Also, don't forget that once you register, you'll get assigned a unemployment account number that you'll need for all future filings. The whole process from submission to getting my account number took about 10 business days. Make sure to bookmark the SecureAccess Washington portal because that's where you'll be doing all your quarterly reporting going forward!

One more important tip: When you file your new claim, there should be a section where you can explain special circumstances. Make sure to clearly state: "This is a new claim after requalifying from a previous disqualification. I have earned more than 7x my weekly benefit amount through Instacart work as required and have waited the mandatory 7 weeks." Being explicit about this can help flag your claim for proper processing.

UPDATE: Success! I followed everyone's advice here and it worked! Filed a completely new claim (instead of trying to restart the old one), mentioned specifically in the comments that I was requalifying after a disqualification, and used Claimyr to get through to an actual person who reviewed my case. The agent confirmed that my Instacart earnings DID count toward requalification, and they were able to update my status in the system. My claim is now showing as Pending rather than Disqualified! They said I should see a determination within 7-10 days. Thank you all so much for the help!!!

As someone who just started freelancing last month, this conversation has been incredibly valuable! I had no clue about the unemployment eligibility issues for 1099 contractors - definitely wish I'd known this before making the jump from my W-2 job. The savings fund idea is something I'm implementing immediately. I'm thinking of opening a high-yield savings account specifically for this and automating the transfers so I don't have to think about it. One thing I'm curious about - for those who've been doing this longer, how do you handle health insurance? I'm still on COBRA from my previous job but that's going to run out eventually. Is there any connection between health insurance options and unemployment eligibility, or are those completely separate issues? Also, does anyone know if there are any professional liability insurance options that include some kind of income protection for contractors? Seems like it might be worth exploring all possible safety nets. Thanks for all the real-world insights - this is exactly the kind of practical advice you don't get in the "start freelancing" articles online!

Just wanted to chime in as another freelancer who learned about the unemployment eligibility issue after it was almost too late! I've been doing 1099 marketing consulting for about 2 years now, and I actually ended up getting a part-time remote W-2 position specifically to maintain UI eligibility after reading horror stories like @c293784e7a45 shared. A few practical tips I've learned: 1. The emergency fund is absolutely critical - I do 20% of each payment because my income is super variable month to month 2. For W-2 work, look into remote customer support or virtual assistant positions that offer flexible scheduling around your freelance work 3. Keep a simple spreadsheet with date, client, hours worked, and payment amount for every single project - it takes 2 minutes but could save you weeks of headaches later Also wanted to mention that some coworking spaces in Seattle and Tacoma offer networking events specifically for freelancers dealing with these exact issues. Worth checking out if you're in those areas! The lack of traditional benefits as a contractor is definitely scary at first, but once you build these systems it becomes much more manageable. You're all asking the right questions early, which is way better than figuring it out during a crisis!

One last tip - if she runs into any issues with her claim or needs to speak with someone at Washington ESD, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me so much time and frustration trying to get through their phone system.

This is really valuable information! I work part-time at a local grocery store and had no idea that teens could be eligible for unemployment benefits. It's good to know that Washington state treats young workers the same as adults when it comes to UI eligibility. I'll definitely keep this in mind and share with my coworkers - a lot of us are teenagers working our first jobs and this kind of safety net knowledge is really important. Thanks for asking this question and to everyone who shared their experiences!