UPDATE: WOW you guys were right! I just checked my account and my status changed from pending to paid!! It happened exactly 5 business days after contacting the governor's office. No calls, no emails, no explanation - the money is just scheduled for deposit tomorrow. For anyone else stuck in pending purgatory, especially with standby status issues, the governor's office escalation DOES work - just be patient for about a week. I also had my employer call the employer line yesterday after seeing the advice here, so that might have helped too. THANK YOU all for the advice and support during this stressful time. This forum has been more helpful than any official ESD resource.

This is such a relief to read your update! I've been stuck in pending for 3 weeks now and was starting to lose hope. Your story gives me confidence that the Governor's office route is worth trying. I'm also dealing with a standby situation where my employer said they'd bring me back but I haven't heard anything from ESD about approval. I'm definitely going to call both the Governor's office AND ask my HR department to call that employer line. It sounds like having your employer proactively call really helped speed things up. Thanks for sharing your experience and coming back to update us - it means a lot to those of us still waiting!

SUCCESS! Finally got my documents uploaded after trying the Internet Explorer suggestion and following the sequence someone mentioned. The upload button was literally hidden at the bottom of a long message. Washington ESD's website design is absolutely terrible but at least it's done now.

I had the exact same frustrating experience last month! What finally worked for me was using Edge browser and going to the Messages section first. Look for the message about document verification, click on it, then scroll ALL the way down past the wall of text - there's a tiny "Upload Documents" button at the very bottom that's super easy to miss. Also make sure your files are named simply without spaces or special characters. The whole process is ridiculously unintuitive but once you find that hidden button it should work. Don't give up!

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm going to call Washington ESD tomorrow morning to set up a payment plan. Feel much better knowing I have options and that 30-day deadline to work with.

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone, try calling right when they open at 8 AM. I found the lines are usually less busy first thing in the morning. Also, have all your information ready including your Social Security number, the overpayment notice, and a rough idea of what you might be able to afford monthly for a payment plan. This will help speed up the process once you do get connected with an agent.

One last thing - if you ever need to appeal your unemployment tax rate, you have to do it within 30 days of getting the rate notice. Don't wait if you think there's an error.

As someone who just went through this process last year, I'd recommend setting up a simple spreadsheet to track your quarterly payments and deadlines. It really helps stay organized, especially when you're juggling multiple state requirements. Also, if you're planning to grow your team, keep in mind that your experience rating will start kicking in after year three, so maintaining good employee relations and documentation becomes even more important for keeping those rates low long-term.

I've been claiming for about 2 months now and can confirm the 2-3 day timeline is pretty reliable. One thing I'd add is that if you're ever unsure about your payment status, you can also check the "Payment Information" section in your Washington ESD online account - it shows if your payment is "Paid" or "Pending" which helps you know if it's processing normally or if there might be an issue that needs attention.

I've been on unemployment for about 3 months and the timing has been pretty consistent - usually Tuesday morning for me with Wells Fargo. One tip I'd add is to make sure you complete your weekly claim submission before noon on Sunday if possible. I noticed when I filed later in the day, sometimes it would push my deposit to Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Also, if you ever have questions about a specific payment, the automated phone system (1-800-318-6022) can actually give you payment status without having to talk to an agent - just have your Social Security number ready.