Hi, so my six months of unemployment benefits is about to run out. I have been applying for jobs and interviewing this entire time with no luck. I read that unemployment has to be bad in order to extend and when I compared to two years ago where I had friends who were unemployed for a year and got benefits for a whole year, The unemployment benefit is worse now than it was back then. Right now it’s about 5% unemployment rate in Washington versus back in 2024 It was 4.4%.

Has anyone called or had any luck with requesting an extension? I read that you should still be submitting your weekly claims and that they might send you money again. Any truth to that?

Based on what I've read I think I can re-apply when my benefits run out end of this month (May).

My benefits went from June 1, 2025 to May 30, 2026. They stopped for about 6 months while I worked for a new employer and on/off from original employer. I restarted and they dry up in two days.

I logged about 1300 hours.

So I assume that on June 1, 2026 I can simply re-apply?

The new employer was in OR and original in WA so I can apply to either but not both is my understanding. Is that correct?

Hi all,

I recently had to quit my job due to following my husband, who was offered a higher paying position in California. I’m almost to 6 weeks without a decision (contacted representative who said they could bump it up when I did reach 6 weeks).

My question is—I’ve been doing my weekly UI claims, but does anyone know what additional documents they need to approve it? So far I’ve submitted:

1. Husband’s old job shutting down letter
2. Husband’s new job letter
3. Husband’s salary for the new job
4. An e-mail from my work’s HR stating my position could not be done out of state

Anything else I need to not be denied this week when it’s escalated? Thank you!

How do I file claims for previous weeks after restarting a claim? Online on their website it stătea "File online in eServices or use our automated phone system if you want to either:

Start claiming with your current week. Claim consecutive past weeks you missed. (It's important to go in order. Start with the oldest week)." So it seems like claiming previous weeks is possible but when I went in today it only showed this week's claim and dint allow me to do any others.

u/Far-Cap7839

I'm going to be visiting family in another state for 3 weeks. It's unstructured time so I could easily work while there. In my field of work it's the norm to work remotely and I need remote work as an accommodation due to well documented disabilities anyway. I see in the guidance you would typically put unavailable if you're out of state for similar reasons, would this be an exception to that guideline? And if so, is there anything I should do to make sure my claim doesn't get questioned?

Doing a weekly file claim and it doesn’t really give me the options of telling them that I got my last paycheck from the last pay period. Does anyone know if I’m just looking in the wrong place or if I have to call separately for that? Please let me know, thanks.

I was fired from my job on 8/14 due to performance. I filed for unemployment on 8/17 and additional paperwork was requested, which I completed. My claim has been stuck in adjudication since 8/25 with no change. I have since filed 2 weekly claims. May I please have some guidance on how to move this forward?

Due to potentially bad advice I think I've done a number of mistakes here, hoping if I act quick enough I can avoid too much headache. Any help is appreciated

My employer reduced my hours to zero due to having no work available. I asked r/unemployment when I should apply and they said to apply now, that week, because I'm able to apply on the first sun-sat business week of having worked less than my normal hours (would have been the week before anyway because they started reducing my hours a week before they cut them completely). Then I learned that I'm supposed to apply the week after the separation occurred.

Timeline: Aug 13: my last day physically worked (hours reduced this week) Aug 18th I ask my employer why I have no hours and they tell me it's because it's slow and that management would call me later that day. Never received a call so I applied that night. I claimed August 18th as my date of separation. I've had no contact with my employer since this date.

A week later I have an issue "separation from a job" under documents. What can I submit if there has been no communication since? Should I have told them I quit so I have it in writing? I don't want to talk to my employer again..

I have screenshots of them telling me I have no hours due to work slowing down. I also have screenshots of them asking me to clock out for time that I was working like 2 weeks prior, which I refused, and I believe is a huge factor in why they decided to cut my hours. I don't know if this could help me in any way. My biggest problem is how do I submit a document of separation if there isnt any?

Also, do I need to cancel my claim and submit a new one because I filed a week early? I genuinely can't tell since I didnt work for the week that I filed and my hours were already reduced the week prior. But if my date of separation is August 18th and my claim started August 17th that's a big problem right?? Again, any help is very much appreciated.

I tried to log into unemployment and it said my social security number was being used for an email that I did not recognize, so I completely restarted over and it went through the second time but when I went to submit my application it says my social security number must match the social security number when I created my account.

I tried calling the support number and it just keeps kicking me out. is there anybody that can help me or give advice?

Hi, I have a question.

I work from home, so this is all done at home, not at any office.

I joined the morning meeting like always. A little after, my manager called me and let me know that I have been laid off. They said they would pay me for the month of December.

Do I apply for unemployment today? Wait until tomorrow? Sunday?

I started the application. It is asking "You are applying for benefits this week, so your claim year start date is Nov 30 2025. Is this the date you want your claim to start?" Do I start it today? Tomorrow? Sunday?

Thanks.

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Got it, so under the following laws is how the job separation will be adjudicated

The recommendation last time and every time for a job separation under this is

• 1. Documentation to show that they are a registered domestic partner or otherwise a spouse. Like a marriage license. Simply because this is specifically listed in the law

• 2. A brief statement describing that they (husband) stayed In his job for as long as possible prior to the relocation, and how and why Simply because this is what is specifically required in the law. I can guide you on what to make if you want - and what we make can also be confirmed in a free 15 minute consultation with the law firm associated with our community. SEE BELOW

• 3. A document showing that you were required to relocate Sounds like you already uploaded this

  -------Next step: check for any other eligibility issues-----

1. Login to eServices, do the multifactor authentication
2. Click on your active claim
3. Click on the link that says upload a document
4. What is listed there is the title of the eligibility issue, in this example the open issue is an overpayment waiver. That is unlikely to be your issue, it's just an example of an issue and how it's listed on this screen. Share the eligibility issue with the moderator to help make a plan

• You tell me what is listed here and I will tell you how to solve it

If it is only your job separation then we need to complete these tasks and get this created, corrected, confirmed, and uploaded as an attachment to a message in eServices to ESD, If there are any other eligibility issues we must deal with them before we take the next step

examnple breakdown of statement

----- Best Practice -----

• SUBMIT your package of information to me for review or corrections prior to submitting it.

• Yes, I work for a law firm and any material we create can be vetted for free (if necesary)

I am filing the unemployment claim. From the first 4 of the last four quarters, three are in Washington. The other one is out of state. My former employer didn't report wages properly in Washington, so the current Washington estimate is 0. I flagged this to my former employer, and they are going to fix it.

Meanwhile:

1. Should I file the Unemployment Claim now?
   
2. Should I file the Combined Wage Claim? (W/R/T this, I don't want Washington to reach out to the other state, and the other state to reply with the wrong information)

I am approved for the paid family medical leave benefit because my mother has cancer and I’ve had to miss out on a decent bit of work to help take care of her. I still have another 140 hours of benefits left, paying up to 20 hours a week if I don’t work that week at all.

I returned to work today and was informed by my manager that, due to no fault of my own and only due to budget-related reasons, my contract will not be extended at the end of this month. He and I already discussed this possibility before my most recent absence so it’s not a surprise and I don’t blame him at all. He’s been very supportive of me. He’ll provide a good reference and will even share feedback on refining my portfolio so I can job hunt more effectively.

I believe my contract expires on December 31. By my estimate, I would have about two months of PFML money left to claim and collect.

Would I be able to continue collecting the PFML benefit funds until it runs out once I’m jobless, and then start collecting unemployment after that? Or do I have to file for unemployment immediately after losing my job?

Would it be better to alternate weeks for which benefit I claim to keep them both active and extend them? I believe I can only collect one or the other in a given week, not both. Since PFML pays more, I would prefer to use up that entire benefit before collecting unemployment.

ALSO: I am not married and my employer provides my health insurance. I understand that many subsidies for health insurance are expiring now, but I would rather have some kind of health insurance instead of nothing. In order to buy insurance from the state, should I file for unemployment on January 1?

So im a union equipment operator and work is spotty right now that it’s winter so im on unemployment here and there. The hours they are basing my claim off of were about a year and a half ago and I’ve made significantly more since then. How can I get them to relook at my claim and use more recent hours than the ones they used to begin with?

I was laid off at the end of October and approved for benefits. Since then my old company has come back to me asking me to freelance for them a few hours here and there, which I said yes to. Last week I reported this in my weekly claim, it was 1.5 hours of income which I reported as self-employment income. This seemed right to me since I am not a W-2 employee of this company.

After I submitted that claim, I got a followup set of questions asking things like "How long have you been self-employed?" and "What hours during the week are you self-employed?" I don't know how to answer these questions, because I'm not self-employed really. I'm just working a few hours here and there. I am not pursuing self-employment as a career path, and I remain fully available to begin full time work at any time. The implication I'm getting from the questions is that if I am "self-employed" then I will not be eligible for benefits, so I want to make sure I'm navigating this right. So the questions are

1) Did I originally classify this properly when I said it was self-employment income?

2) How do I answer the questions above in my situation?

3) They are asking for documentation, what kinds of things are they looking for?

Thanks all

Filed on 9/7, stuck in adjudication since 9/14. After 11 weeks of filing and have no contact, finally today the status date has updated to 11/25/25 under pending issues (separation from a job). Only the date changed, the status is still the same. I have not received any notices or any other communication. What does this mean? Im so anxious ugh

I was laid off from a contract position at the end of September, and since my last job was in Oregon, it took time for the approval of my unemployment to go through. I already had a trip planned in October and was out of state for a month after I was approved, so I, of course, was denied for those weeks I was gone. But, I did the job search stuff and kept logs of everything for weeks ending 11/8, 11/22, and 11/29. I came down with some severe Bronchitis the week of the 15th, so I didn't do anything for that week. is it normal to not hear or know if I'm getting paid or not? I can't get a hold of anyone for the life of me at the phone number they keep telling me to call. I know we had a government shutdown, and that's been affecting things. The confusion I have mainly comes from the fact that under my Weeks Summary, it says Disqualified on every single one, besides this last week. But, under the Decisions Status area, those weeks aren't listed with anything. What should I do at this point? It's a little ridiculous, I'm lucky enough to have a husband who's working, and we've been able to scrape by these last two months-barely-on his income alone. But if it were just me, I'd be extremely close to becoming homeless. Any advice at this point in time would be greatly appreciated. thank you

Hello!

Apologies if this has already been addressed, I couldn’t find an answer in my search. I’m on an approved UI claim and want to make sure I am correctly disclosing my income on my weekly claim.

As part of the hiring process for a new role I am being asked to create a work sample for the hiring team to review. The work sample has taken about 6 hours to complete and the company is sending a $300 visa gift card to thank me for my time and effort. I am curious as to if a gift card qualifies as wages and if I should report it, or consider it a gift?

Please let me know thank you!

If anyone has any advice on this page, I would really appreciate Any help. I went applied for unemployment, July 11th after strong encouragement from a friend that I should. I waited longer then I should because the employer told me I voluntarily resigned but my friend told me that I actually have a case of workplace discrimination and wrongful termination and should apply for unemployment. This is what I sent to unemployment: “I was forced to resign due to workplace discrimination and retaliation. After 19 years with Island County, I experienced escalating harassment from my supervisor that targeted my documented disabilities (PTSD, ADHD, Bipolar). Despite repeated requests for reasonable accommodations over 2+ years, I was denied help and subjected to verbal abuse behind closed doors and other hostilities by my supervisors.

In early 2025, this harassment caused a mental health crisis with suicidal ideation. My psychiatrist removed me from work, and I began state-approved PMLA leave on February 6, 2025.

My state-approved PMLA leave ran through May 3, 2025. Since this was a Saturday, my actual return-to-work date was Monday, May 5, 2025 - not May 1st as the County incorrectly claimed in an email to me and will likely try to incorrectly claim to you. I have the emails and claim documented.

On April 30, 2025, I saw my psychiatrist for clearance to return, but he determined I wasn't ready due to ongoing workplace trauma. That same day, I emailed HR requesting a leave extension and formally reporting the discrimination I had endured.

Instead of helping, on May 6, 2025 (the day after my actual return date), HR Director sent me an ultimatum demanding I return to work May 7th or they would consider it a "voluntary resignation." This was issued while I had just filed a discrimination complaint and requested medical leave extension.

I was forced to "resign" because continuing employment was impossible under these retaliatory conditions. A reasonable person in my situation would have felt compelled to leave. I did not voluntarily quit - I was constructively discharged in retaliation for reporting discrimination.

I am actively seeking new employment while pursuing legal action for these violations.”

I have been having no luck with legal assistance and my situation is becoming more and more desperate. Unemployment has me as active status pending adjudication and it has been six weeks.

I have a phone in hearing tomorrow to appeal my claim (employer states I quit, but I claim it as a layoff). Not sure what I should expect at something like this? Anyone have a prior experience they could hopefully fill me in on?

Hey all, really hoping someone here can help me out or has dealt with something similar.

I recently applied for unemployment in Washington State but got denied because I wasn’t physically in WA when I filed. At the time, I had to take an emergency flight out to Virginia due to a personal crisis and ended up crashing on a friend’s couch for a bit — I was basically homeless for a short period. I applied for benefits while I was in VA, but it wasn’t by choice, and it was temporary.

Now I’m back in Washington and trying to figure out my next move.

The denial letter cited the fact that I wasn’t physically in-state at the time of applying. So I’m wondering: • Should I file an appeal and explain the situation • Or would it be better to just start over with a new claim since I’m back in-state?

Has anyone run into this kind of issue before? Not trying to game the system — just had a rough patch and now trying to get back on track.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I know generally all income is taxed, but when I did some Googling it looked like WA FMLA premiums should not apply to severance payments?

I'm looking for a reliable source, like a .gov website, but the best I can find is this info from Paychex: Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave | Paychex

I’m a federal worker, and I’ve applied for unemployment before, under the same wage, and received the maximum benefit of 1,000 dollars a week. Now I’m receiving the lowest amount. I think it has to do with my pay Stubs needing to be reviewed. I’ve already received my first payment. Is there somewhere I should reload my pay Stubs? Are my wages just still under review?

My main job is laying me off at the EOY, I work a part time job at a church and am wondering if this will screw me in getting benefits.

Thanks!

So I was an out of state resident (Oregon to be exact) who worked in Washington state. I've had to move around a bunch and the jobs i worked didn't work out in the end and I was told to file unemployment in Washington State as the first two quarters for 2025 would not have monetary value towards a claim. (This was voice by my own states unemployment) I had had a previous claim but i was able to find a job and now that i am reclaiming i had a refile and have been waiting six weeks now. I am getting to a point where finances are difficult but have found a new job that wont be able to help me in time and I have been trying to call to see what is being the problem on the multiple weeks pending but have always called multiple times to no avail. the one time i got through i was only told that I "had done everything right" and that nothing more can be done.

I refiled on the 15th of June and was given a letter describing my benefits and I looked for eligible work until i found a new job recently. I have even sent messages weeks ago asking but can't even view them now. I was hoping to reach out to anyone to see what I could do to escalate but i am unsure of who to contact or how to as when i looked up the legislator for the district i worked in it wanted a Washington home address and prompted to talk about a bill or imitative number and i am very much confused as to how to go about this.

I have my case ID, proof of jobs applied for and even denied and eventually the proof i found a new job. I even have call logs for when I tried and failed to speak to someone at the unemployment office in Washington state.

Also I would like to point out that that I had two jobs in my home state of Oregon that I was terminated from. I also looked at the upload documents section but its only tells me that no action is needed. Finally I had my case refiled on the 15th of June but the status says determined and I am still reporting things weekly.

I would ask for help on how to move forwards with this as it is a very unusual case and I have no idea how I should approach this.