Just wanted to add that Washington ESD also has a really helpful online chat feature during business hours if you can't get through by phone. I used it when I first registered my bakery and the agent walked me through the whole process step by step. It's usually faster than calling and you get a transcript of the conversation afterwards which is nice for keeping records. The chat is available on their employer services page - look for the little chat bubble icon.

As someone who just went through this process last month for my tech consulting business, I can confirm that the online chat feature mentioned by Fatima is a game changer! I was able to get all my questions answered in about 15 minutes and the agent even sent me direct links to the forms I needed. One thing I'd add is that when you do register, make sure to set up email notifications for quarterly reports - Washington ESD will email you reminders before each deadline which really helps with staying on top of payments. Also, if you're using payroll software like QuickBooks or ADP, most of them can automatically calculate and file your unemployment taxes, which saves a ton of time once you get past the initial registration hurdle.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I've gone ahead and logged it as a WorkSource activity with "WorkSourceWA.com" as the location. I'll also be attending their orientation workshop tomorrow which will count as my second activity. For my third activity, I've applied for a job I found on Indeed. Hopefully my claim goes through without any issues!

Great to hear you got it sorted out! Just a tip for future weeks - you can also count things like updating your resume on WorkSource, using their job matching tools, or taking any of their online skills assessments as separate WorkSource activities. I've found their career exploration tools really helpful too and they all count toward your requirements. Good luck with your claim!

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the helpful advice here! I was really stressed about the timing and process, but now I have a clear plan. I'll set up my account this weekend, gather all my employment documents, and then file my claim the day after my last day of work. It's reassuring to know that so many people have gone through this successfully. One question though - should I expect any confirmation email or notification after I submit my initial claim?

As someone who recently went through this process, I can confirm the advice here is spot on. File the day after your last day of work, not before. I made the mistake of filing too early thinking it would save time, but it actually caused delays because Washington ESD had to adjust my claim start date. Also, be patient with the phone system - it's frustrating but the online system at esd.wa.gov works much better for most things. Make sure you have your Social Security card, ID, and pay stubs ready before you start. The whole process took about 20 minutes online once I had everything organized. Don't stress too much - thousands of people do this successfully every week!

I'm dealing with a similar situation and found this thread really helpful! One thing I wanted to add based on my research is that Washington ESD actually has a specific form (Form ESD 847) that they use for pension reporting. If you can get this form filled out by your pension administrator ahead of time, it can really speed up the process. Also, for anyone who might be in a similar boat - if you have multiple small pensions from different jobs (like I do), you need to report ALL of them, even if individually they seem insignificant. Washington ESD will calculate the total impact across all pension income. The good news is that if the combined employer contribution portion is under a certain threshold, the reduction to your UI benefits might be minimal. I'm still waiting to hear back from Washington ESD about my specific case, but at least I feel prepared now thanks to all the advice shared here.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also 62 and was just laid off, but I have a different situation - I'm receiving survivor benefits from my late husband's pension. Does anyone know if survivor pension benefits are treated the same way by Washington ESD as regular retirement pensions? I'm worried about how this might affect my unemployment eligibility since the survivor benefits aren't technically from my own employment history. The monthly amount is similar to what the original poster mentioned, and like them, it doesn't cover all my expenses so I really need the unemployment benefits to bridge the gap while I'm job searching.

This thread is incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I'm dealing with a similar lockout situation right now and feeling so much less panicked after reading through everyone's solutions. I had no idea about the SAW connection between WorkSource and ESD, which explains why both of my accounts stopped working at the same time yesterday. I made the same mistake of trying to reset passwords on each system separately, which clearly made things worse. Going to try the SAW portal directly after waiting the full 24 hours, and I'm so relieved to know about the phone filing backup option. It's frustrating that ESD doesn't explain these connections better in their error messages, but at least we have this community to help each other figure it out. Has anyone noticed if certain browsers work better than others for these systems? I've been using Safari and wondering if I should switch to Chrome for state websites.

I'm going through this exact same issue right now! Both my ESD and WorkSource accounts stopped working yesterday after I tried to update my contact information. I had no idea about the SAW connection - that explains everything! I've been frantically trying to reset passwords on both systems separately, which clearly backfired. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief. I'm going to wait the full 24 hours and then try the SAW portal directly like everyone suggests. Also calling the automated line tonight to file my weekly claim since I can't afford to miss the deadline. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions! It's so frustrating that ESD doesn't explain these system connections upfront, but at least we have each other to figure it out.