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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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Just wanted to share my experience registering last month - the online registration actually worked pretty smoothly once I found the right page. I gathered all my documents first (EIN, business license, NAICS code) and it took about 20 minutes to complete. The trickiest part was figuring out my estimated quarterly payroll since I haven't hired anyone yet, but I just put a conservative estimate based on my business plan. Got my account number via email within 3 business days. Way easier than I expected after reading all the horror stories about their website!
That's really encouraging to hear! I was getting worried about the online system after reading some of the earlier complaints. Quick question - for the estimated quarterly payroll, did you base it on what you think you'll pay one employee or your total expected payroll for all future hires? I'm planning to start with just one part-time person but might expand later in the year.
This is super helpful! I've been dreading the online registration after hearing mixed reviews, but your experience gives me hope. When you estimated the quarterly payroll, did you have to be really precise or can you adjust it later if your actual hiring timeline changes? I'm in a similar boat where my staffing plans might shift depending on how busy the first few months are.
I just went through this registration process myself two weeks ago for my consulting business! Here's what I learned: definitely gather all your documents first like others mentioned, but also make sure you have your business bank account info ready - they ask for routing and account numbers during the online registration. The whole process took me about 30 minutes once I had everything organized. One tip that saved me time - if you're not sure about your NAICS code, there's actually a lookup tool right on the registration page that lets you search by keywords describing your business type. Way more convenient than going to the census website separately. Good luck with your retail shop!
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I'm in a similar boat - got laid off from my retail job about 3 weeks ago and kept putting off filing because I was embarrassed about needing unemployment benefits. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening. I had no idea that you lose those weeks permanently! Going to file my claim first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's helping people like me and Julian realize we need to act fast even when we're feeling overwhelmed about the whole process.
Don't feel embarrassed about filing for unemployment - you paid into this system through your payroll taxes and it exists exactly for situations like yours and Julian's! I made the same mistake when I first got laid off thinking it was somehow "giving up" to file for benefits. Now I tell everyone: file immediately, no matter how confident you are about finding work quickly. The job market is unpredictable and those benefits can be a lifesaver. Good luck with your claim tomorrow - you're doing the right thing by acting now instead of waiting even longer.
The advice here has been spot on - you definitely haven't missed your deadline, but those 6 weeks of lost benefits really sting. I went through something similar when I got laid off from my manufacturing job last year. Waited about a month thinking I'd bounce back quickly, and it ended up costing me around $1,600 in benefits I'll never get back. The hardest part is accepting that the money is just gone, but don't let that discourage you from filing now. Washington's unemployment system isn't perfect, but once you get your claim going, it does provide crucial support while you're job hunting. Make sure you have all your employment documentation ready before you start the online application - employer info, dates, reason for separation, etc. And definitely start tracking your job search activities in detail from day one because those weekly certifications require specific information about what you did to look for work each week.
This is such valuable advice, thank you for sharing your experience! $1,600 is a huge amount to lose - really drives home how expensive waiting can be. I'm definitely going to get all my paperwork together tonight before I start the application. Do you happen to remember how long it took for your benefits to start once you filed? I'm hoping it won't take too long since I need to start replacing my income ASAP. Also appreciate the reminder about documenting job search activities - sounds like Washington ESD is pretty strict about that requirement.
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Bottom line from my experience: Washington ESD is generally reliable with payment timing once you understand their process. Direct deposit is faster than debit card, and credit unions/smaller banks might add an extra day. Don't stress too much if it takes the full expected timeframe.
This whole thread has been incredibly helpful. I wish I had found it before I started panicking about my payment timing!
Agreed, this is the kind of practical info Washington ESD should provide upfront instead of making us figure it out ourselves.
This thread is exactly what I needed! I'm in a similar situation - filed my first weekly claim yesterday and I'm already anxiously checking my bank account every few hours. It's reassuring to see that 1-4 business days is normal for direct deposit, especially with smaller banks. The tip about making sure WorkSourceWA requirements are up to date is something I hadn't even thought about. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know what to expect when you're navigating this system for the first time.
Welcome to the club! I totally get the anxiety of checking your account constantly - I was doing the same thing when I first started. One thing that helped me was setting up mobile banking alerts so I'd get notified when the deposit hits instead of obsessively checking. Also, make sure you know which week you're claiming benefits for since that can affect timing too. The community here is really supportive and knowledgeable, so don't hesitate to ask if you run into any other issues with the Washington ESD system.
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Just wanted to add my voice as another newcomer who found this thread during my own ESD phone nightmare! I've been stuck in adjudication for almost 3 weeks now and have been calling multiple times daily with zero success - just that infuriating "high call volume" message followed by the disconnect. This community has been incredibly helpful and I'm planning to try several of the strategies mentioned here. I'm going to attempt the 7:58am employer line approach tomorrow morning, and I've already looked into the Claimyr service as a backup option. It's both comforting and deeply frustrating to see how widespread this problem is - the fact that we need to crowdsource workarounds just to access basic unemployment services really highlights how broken the system has become. Sofia, congratulations on getting your issue resolved! Your detailed update gives me hope that persistence will eventually pay off. I'll definitely report back with my results to hopefully help the next person who finds themselves in this same impossible situation. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where we can actually get useful information when the official channels completely fail us!
Welcome to the community, Victoria! I'm also brand new here and discovered this thread the exact same way - through desperate Googling after weeks of failed ESD phone attempts. It's honestly both a relief and completely maddening to see how many of us are stuck in this same broken system. I've been in adjudication for about 2 weeks now and was starting to feel like I was losing my mind with the constant disconnects. Reading through everyone's experiences and strategies has given me actual hope for the first time in weeks. I'm planning to try the 7:58am employer line trick tomorrow too - maybe we'll both have success stories to share! I've also bookmarked all the backup options people have mentioned (Claimyr, state rep contact, etc.) just in case. It's incredible that this community thread has more practical solutions than the entire ESD website. Thanks to Sofia and everyone else who's taken the time to document their experiences and help fellow newcomers navigate this nightmare. Here's hoping we both get through tomorrow and can pay it forward by sharing our results with the next wave of frustrated people who find this thread!
New member here who just discovered this incredible thread! I've been battling the ESD phone system for nearly a month now - stuck in adjudication with absolutely no way to reach a human being. Like so many others here, I was starting to think I was going crazy or missing something obvious. Reading through all these experiences has been both validating and incredibly helpful. I'm definitely going to try the 7:58am employer line strategy tomorrow morning, and I've already researched the Claimyr service and my state representative's office as backup options. It's amazing (and honestly depressing) how this single community thread contains more actionable solutions than the entire official ESD website and support system combined. Sofia, huge congratulations on getting your issue resolved - your detailed success story gives me real hope! And thank you to everyone who's taken the time to document their strategies and results. This community is literally saving people's sanity when our own government systems are completely failing us. I'll make sure to report back with my results to hopefully help the next desperate person who stumbles across this thread. The mutual support here is incredible and much needed during what's already such a stressful time for all of us!
Ezra Beard
I'm in a very similar situation - my hours just got reduced from 38 to 25 per week and I wasn't sure if I qualified for anything. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the Shared Work program or that there were alternatives to just applying for jobs to meet the search requirements. One question I have after reading everything: If I file my initial claim now but my hours reduction doesn't start for another two weeks, do I still need to file weekly claims during those two weeks when I'm still working full time? Or do I wait until my hours actually get cut to start the weekly filing process? Also, has anyone had experience with how long the adjudication process typically takes for partial unemployment claims? I'm trying to plan my budget around when I might actually start receiving benefits.
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Natalie Chen
•Great questions! From what I understand based on the other responses here, you should file your initial claim right away even before your hours get cut - that establishes your claim effective date. But for the weekly claims, you'd wait until you actually start working the reduced hours to begin filing those, since you report your actual hours worked and wages earned each week. As for adjudication timing, it seems like it varies a lot based on what others have shared. @Diego Castillo mentioned 3 weeks total from filing to first payment, while @Elijah O Reilly'said 6 weeks due to adjudication delays. @Natalie Adams also mentioned it being a long process. It might depend on how straightforward your case is - voluntary hours reduction by employer should be pretty clear-cut compared to more complex situations. I d definitely'recommend asking your employer about that Shared Work program @Amara Torres mentioned since it sounds like it eliminates the job search requirements and might process faster. Worth a shot!
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CosmosCaptain
I went through partial unemployment when my hours were reduced from 40 to 24 per week about 6 months ago. A few tips that might help: First, definitely file your initial claim as soon as you know about the reduction - don't wait until it actually happens. The effective date matters for when benefits can start. Second, the weekly benefit calculation can be tricky to estimate beforehand. I was making about $18/hour and thought I wouldn't qualify for much, but between the partial benefit and the new $25 weekly supplement, I was getting around $180/week which really helped cover my rent shortfall. Third, keep really good records of everything - your old schedule, new schedule, pay stubs, any documentation from your employer about the hours reduction being involuntary. ESD may ask for proof that this wasn't your choice. The job search requirement was annoying but manageable. I mostly did online workshops and updated my resume/LinkedIn rather than actually applying places since I wanted to keep my current job. Just document everything properly. One last thing - if you have any issues with your claim getting stuck, don't waste weeks trying to call ESD. Use one of those callback services or try contacting your local WorkSource office for help navigating the system. The sooner you get it resolved, the better.
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Connor O'Neill
•This is really comprehensive advice, thank you! The $180/week example at $18/hour is super helpful - I make about $16/hour so this gives me a good ballpark of what to expect. I'm definitely going to start documenting everything now before my hours actually get reduced. Your point about the callback services is interesting - I saw @Sophia Russo mention something similar earlier about Claimyr. Good to know there are alternatives to sitting on hold for hours if issues come up. I m'hoping my case will be straightforward since it s'a clear employer-initiated hours reduction, but it s'good to know about backup options. One quick follow-up question: When you were doing the online workshops for job search requirements, did you find them through WorkSource specifically, or were there other sources that ESD accepted? I want to make sure I m'doing activities that definitely count toward the requirement.
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