Update: I filed my claim yesterday and it was approved this morning! Thanks everyone for the encouragement to just go ahead and file. Wish I had done this months ago but at least I'm getting benefits now. The application really was straightforward like everyone said.

Congratulations on getting approved so quickly! This is a great example for others who might be hesitating to file late. I've seen too many people miss out on months of benefits because they thought there was some arbitrary deadline. Washington's system is actually pretty forgiving when it comes to late filing - the real penalty is just losing those months you didn't file for. Good luck with your job search, and don't forget to keep documenting everything in WorkSourceWA!

I've been collecting unemployment for about 8 months now and here's what I've learned about ESD payment timing. They actually process claims in waves throughout the week, not just on one specific day. If you file your weekly claim on Sunday morning, you're usually in the first batch that gets processed Sunday night/Monday morning, which means direct deposit hits Tuesday. But if you file later on Sunday or on Monday, you might be in the next batch and get paid Wednesday. One tip I wish someone had told me earlier: set up account alerts with your bank so you know the exact moment your deposit hits. Chase and Wells Fargo both have push notifications that saved me a lot of anxiety during those first few weeks when I was broke and constantly checking my balance. Also, make sure you're actually set up for direct deposit and not the debit card. I know someone who waited an extra week thinking they had direct deposit but ESD was still sending payments to the debit card they never activated.

Just wanted to add my experience since I've been dealing with ESD for about 6 months now. The timing really does depend on when you file AND your bank's processing schedule. I have Bank of America and when I file Sunday morning, I almost always get my deposit by Tuesday afternoon. But here's something I learned the hard way - if you miss filing on Sunday and have to file on Monday or Tuesday, it can push your payment back to Thursday or even Friday. One thing that helped me was creating a Sunday morning routine where I file my claim right after I wake up, usually around 8 AM. That way I'm in that first processing batch and get the earliest possible deposit. Also, if you're really tight on money like I was when I started, some banks will let you see pending deposits before they officially clear - might be worth asking your bank about that feature. The direct deposit vs debit card thing is real too. I started with the debit card and it was consistently 1-2 days slower than when I switched to direct deposit. Plus no ATM fees to worry about with direct deposit!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful answers! This cleared up a lot of confusion I had about the weekly claim process.

Another thing that helped me was printing out the WA State work search log template from their website and filling it out weekly. It makes tracking your job search activities much easier when you need to provide documentation. Also, if you're doing gig work like DoorDash or Uber, make sure you understand how to report those earnings correctly - they count as self-employment income and there are specific rules about when and how to report them on your weekly claims.

I went through something very similar earlier this year and wanted to share my experience. I had a lump sum severance that wasn't tied to specific weeks, and I followed the same approach everyone's recommending here - answered NO to the severance question until I actually received the payment. One thing I'll add is to keep documentation of your severance agreement once you sign it. When I reported my lump sum payment in the week I received it, ESD asked me to upload a copy of the agreement to verify it wasn't allocated to specific time periods. Having it ready made the process much smoother. Also, don't stress too much about the exact category when reporting it as income - there's usually an "other income" or "severance" option that works fine. The important thing is just being honest about receiving the money during that specific week. You're handling this the right way by asking questions upfront rather than guessing!

I just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - if you're still unsure about anything after following all this great advice, you can also check with your former employer's HR department. They usually have experience with how their severance packages interact with unemployment claims and can sometimes provide clarification on whether your specific payment structure is tied to post-employment periods or not. In my case, HR was actually able to provide a letter stating that my severance was a lump sum payment for signing the separation agreement and wasn't allocated to any specific weeks after termination. Having that documentation gave me extra peace of mind when filing my claims. Also, just want to echo what others have said - definitely keep filing your weekly claims even during the week you might not receive benefits due to the severance payment. Missing even one week can cause unnecessary complications with your claim status. Good luck with everything! It sounds like you're being really thoughtful about handling this correctly.

Update us when you hear something! I'm in a similar situation and curious how long it ends up taking for you.

I'm in almost the exact same situation - filed about 2.5 weeks ago after being laid off from my retail job and still showing pending status. Reading through all these responses is actually really reassuring that this timeline seems pretty normal. I've been doing my weekly claims religiously and checking my account obsessively like some of you mentioned. The stress about bills is real though! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps to know we're not alone in this waiting game.