Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
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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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Also remember that Washington state has some specific rules about what constitutes 'suitable work' that you have to accept. Generally it's work that's reasonably related to your skills and experience, pays at least 70% of your previous wage, and is within a reasonable commute distance.
It varies, but generally within your local labor market area. For most people that's about a 1-hour commute each way.
That seems reasonable. I'm in the Seattle area so there should be plenty of opportunities within that range.
Just wanted to add that if you have any questions about your specific situation, it's really worth getting connected to someone at Washington ESD directly. I know people mentioned Claimyr earlier - I ended up using them too after spending days trying to get through on my own. The website is claimyr.com if anyone wants to check it out. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to understand how the rules apply to your particular case.
Yeah the written information can only take you so far. Every situation is a little different.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. I think I have a much better understanding now of what I need to do to apply.
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One last thing - if you're worried about security, you can always set up a separate checking account just for unemployment deposits. Some people prefer to keep it separate from their main banking.
That's actually a really smart idea. Might help with budgeting too.
I do this and it's great for keeping track of exactly how much unemployment income I'm getting.
Bottom line: any legitimate bank or credit union should work fine. Just avoid anything sketchy and make sure your account info is correct when you set it up. Washington ESD's direct deposit system is pretty reliable once it's working properly.
Thanks everyone for all the help! Feeling much more confident about setting this up now.
Good luck! You'll be glad you set up direct deposit instead of dealing with the debit card.
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For anyone still waiting - check your spam folder! My payment notifications were going to spam for some reason and I didn't realize I was getting paid for like a week lol
lol that must have been a nice surprise when you finally checked
best kind of surprise! thought I was broke but had like $1200 sitting there
Thanks for this thread everyone. Starting my claim next week and now I know what to expect with the timing. Seems like patience is key but good to know about Claimyr if I run into issues.
Good luck with your claim! File everything promptly and keep good records - makes the whole process smoother.
will do, thanks for all the detailed explanations throughout this thread
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Just want to add that if you're self-employed or an independent contractor, you might not be eligible for regular UI benefits. You'd need to check if you qualify for other programs or if you've been paying into the system voluntarily.
Good point. A lot of gig workers found this out the hard way when they tried to file for unemployment.
Thankfully I'm a regular W-2 employee, so I should be covered. This thread has been really helpful in understanding how the benefit calculation works.
One more tip - when you do get your benefit determination letter from Washington ESD, read it carefully and make sure all the wage information is correct. If there are errors, you need to appeal quickly to get them fixed.
I believe it's 30 days from when the determination is mailed, but don't quote me on that. Best to appeal as soon as you notice an error.
And this is where services like Claimyr become really valuable - getting through to ESD to discuss appeal issues or benefit calculations is nearly impossible otherwise. I've used them twice now when I needed to actually talk to someone about my claim.
Mila Walker
PSA for everyone - if you're currently getting unemployment from Washington ESD, log into your account and elect tax withholding NOW. Don't wait until tax time to deal with this.
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Logan Scott
•This is good advice. I wish I had done this from the beginning.
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Faith Kingston
•Agreed. The 10% withholding option covers most people's tax liability on unemployment benefits.
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Chloe Green
I'm a tax preparer and see this confusion every tax season. Yes, unemployment is taxable income. Yes, you should have taxes withheld if possible. And yes, you need to report the full amount on your tax return.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Wish more people knew about this beforehand. It would save a lot of stress.
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Chloe Green
•Absolutely. I always recommend clients elect withholding on any unemployment benefits to avoid surprises.
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