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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Honestly the hardest part isn't the 26 week limit, it's dealing with Washington ESD when you have problems. Their phone system is horrible and you can never get through to ask questions.
Good luck with your claim! Construction unemployment is really common, especially this time of year, so Washington ESD is used to processing those claims. Should be pretty straightforward for you.
Thanks for all the help everyone! I feel way more prepared to file my claim now.
You got this! Just stay on top of your weekly filings and job search and you'll be fine.
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The maximum benefit amount in Washington is actually pretty good compared to other states. $999 per week is decent money while you're job hunting. Just make sure you're actively looking for work because they do check up on that.
How often do they check your job search activities? Is it random or do they review everyone?
I think it's mostly random audits, but they can also investigate if someone reports that you're not really looking for work. Better to just follow the rules.
Good luck with your claim! The benefit amount calculation seems complicated at first but once you understand the formula it makes sense. Don't stress too much about getting the exact number ahead of time - you'll find out for sure when you file and they process your claim.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I feel much more confident about filing my claim now.
You're welcome! This forum has been super helpful for me too when I was figuring out the unemployment system.
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For anyone still confused about this - yes you owe federal taxes on unemployment, no you don't owe Washington state taxes (since we don't have state income tax), and yes you should either have taxes withheld or save money for tax time. It's really that simple.
Simple in theory but nobody explains this when you first apply for benefits.
Fair point. The system definitely could do a better job of explaining the tax implications upfront.
Just want to add - if you can't afford to pay your tax bill when you file, don't just ignore it. The IRS has payment plans and hardship programs. It's always better to communicate with them than to hope they forget about you.
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I feel a lot less panicked about this now and have a plan for moving forward.
Good luck! Tax season is stressful enough without the unemployment complications but you'll get through it.
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You also need to be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the U.S. They'll verify your work authorization as part of the eligibility process.
Good point. I assume they check that against Social Security records or something.
If you have any questions about whether your specific situation qualifies, it's worth calling Washington ESD or using one of those callback services. Better to know upfront than file and get denied later.
Agreed. I wasted weeks thinking I qualified when I actually didn't meet the earnings requirement. Would have saved time knowing that earlier.
Thanks everyone, this has been really helpful. I think I meet the requirements but I'll double-check my earnings first.
Zara Malik
Good luck with the application! Based on everything you've shared, it sounds like he should qualify. The 5 months plus the previous restaurant work should put him over the wage threshold for sure.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Thank you! I feel much more confident about this now after reading everyone's responses.
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Luca Greco
One last tip - if you run into any technical issues with the online application or need to speak with someone at Washington ESD for any reason, that Claimyr service really does work. Used it myself when I had questions about my base period calculation. Much better than trying to call during normal business hours.
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Paolo Rizzo
•I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully we won't need it but good to know it's there if we do.
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Amina Sy
•Most people don't need to call Washington ESD at all if their situation is straightforward, but it's definitely nice to have that option available.
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