Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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My friend thought she didn't need to job search during furlough and got her benefits cut off. Had to appeal and everything. Don't risk it - just do the searches.
Appeals take forever too. Much easier to just follow the rules from the start.
Definitely not worth the risk. I'll stick to the job search requirements.
Been furloughed twice in the last 3 years and learned this the hard way. Washington ESD doesn't care about your employment status - if you're claiming benefits, you follow all the rules. Period.
Yep, learned the same lesson. They're not flexible about exceptions.
Got it. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Just to circle back on getting through to ESD if you need to - I used Claimyr last month when I couldn't reach them about my claim and it worked perfectly. Saved me probably 20+ hours of trying to call manually.
That's pretty impressive if it actually works. The ESD phone system has been a nightmare for years, not just during COVID.
Yeah, it's been a game changer for anyone who needs to actually talk to someone there. The regular phone lines are still basically unusable during peak times.
Final thought - when you present your findings, it might be worth contextualizing against teen unemployment during the 2008 recession to show how COVID compared to other major economic disruptions.
Excellent suggestion for historical context! That comparison would really help illustrate the magnitude of the COVID impact on teen employment. Thanks for all the helpful input everyone!
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Just to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I ended up using them again last month when I had issues with my weekly claim certification. Really helped cut through the phone tree confusion and got me to someone who could actually help with my specific issue.
I'm definitely going to check that out. This thread has been super helpful in understanding the process, but it sounds like getting to the right person is still the biggest challenge.
Exactly. Understanding the process is half the battle, but actually reaching the right department is the other half. Good luck with your claim!
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Remember to report any income you earn while collecting unemployment, even part-time work. You can still get partial benefits but you have to report it.
What if I do some freelance work? Does that count as income I need to report?
Yes, any income needs to be reported including freelance work, even if it's just a few dollars. Better to over-report than under-report.
The whole system seems intimidating at first but once you get the hang of filing weekly claims it becomes routine. The key is just getting that initial application submitted.
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm going to file my application tonight.
That's the spirit! You've got this. Come back and update us on how it goes.
Miranda Singer
One more question - do you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits?
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Hailey O'Leary
•Yes, unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld when you set up your claim, or you'll owe them when you file your tax return.
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Cass Green
•I learned this the hard way. Definitely have them withhold taxes unless you're planning to set money aside yourself.
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Finley Garrett
Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses. This thread should be pinned for people who are new to unemployment.
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Madison Tipne
•Agreed! Way better than trying to navigate the Washington ESD website alone.
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Talia Klein
•And remember, if you do need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your specific situation, don't waste hours trying to get through on the phone. Services like Claimyr really do work for getting connected to an actual person who can help.
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