Unemployment benefits in Washington
Washington calls it Unemployment Insurance (unemployment benefits), run by Employment Security Department (ESD). You may get $383 to $1,208 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens EServices on the state's site.
Or call 1-800-318-6022 · Claims agents: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon (Pacific time). The automated phone line for weekly claims runs from 12:01 a.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Friday. · TTY 711 (Washington Relay)
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have worked at least 680 hours in covered employment in your base year (or alternate base year).
Law: RCW 50.04.030; RCW 50.20.010
If you quit
If you quit, you can get benefits only if your reason is one of the good-cause reasons in Washington law.
If you were fired
Being fired does not by itself stop benefits; for example, being let go because you did not have the skills for the job may not.
Law: RCW 50.20.050(2), 50.20.066, 50.20.080
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$383–$1,208
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
How to file in Washington
Apply online in eServices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (fastest). You can also apply by phone at 1-800-318-6022 during Claims Center hours.
Apply within 2 weeks after you lose your job; if you wait longer, ESD may ask you for more information.
What to have ready
- Your full name as shown on your ID (use the exact name on your Social Security card), birth date and Social Security number
- Your Washington driver's license or ID, if you have one, and your mailing address, phone and email
- If you are not a U.S. citizen: your work authorization (immigration document) information
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. File a weekly claim for each week (Sunday to Saturday) after the week ends, online in eServices or by phone at 1-800-318-6022.
Appeal a denial
- Appeal (hearing before an administrative law judge) — 30 calendar days from the date ESD mailed or delivered the decision, whichever is earlier
- Petition for review — 30 calendar days from the date the OAH decision (Initial Order) was mailed or delivered to you, whichever is earlier
- Petition for judicial review in superior court — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- OAH decides whether to handle your appeal through a brief adjudicative proceeding (written review) or a telephone hearing.
Overpayments and waivers
An overpayment means ESD paid you benefits you were not eligible for, for example because you got wages or back pay for a week you claimed, did not answer an information request in time, or new facts showed you were not eligible.
- Respond within
- If ESD asks you about a possible overpayment, you have at least five working days plus mailing time to send information about it and whether you were at fault; the notice gives the deadline.
- Appeal within
- 30 days from the date ESD mailed or delivered the overpayment decision, whichever is earlier
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: RCW 50.20.190; WAC 192-220
Someone filed a claim in your name
If someone applied for benefits using your information (for example, you got an ESD letter or a 1099-G you did not expect, or your employer was notified of a claim you did not file), report it with ESD's online imposter fraud form. Reporting locks your eServices account. You can also call the Office of Special Investigations at 1-800-246-9763.
National steps
- Report it to the state where the claim was filed and follow its instructions. Some states ask for a police report or a sworn statement.
- If you got a 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state will send a corrected 1099-G. When you file taxes, report only the income you actually received; do not wait for the corrected form.
- Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
- You can also report unemployment identity fraud that happened after March 2020 to the U.S. Department of Justice National Center for Disaster Fraud. You must still report it to the state.
U.S. Department of Labor: report unemployment identity fraud
Free help in Washington
Legal aid
- Unemployment Law Project (nonprofit; free or low-cost help with unemployment appeals) · 1-888-441-9178
- CLEAR legal aid hotline (Northwest Justice Project) · 1-888-201-1014
- Washington Office of Civil Legal Aid
Language help
You can call the Claims Center for help in English or Spanish. For other languages, call 1-800-410-0758. If you need an interpreter for an appeal hearing, say which language (including American Sign Language) in your appeal.
- Help in languages other than English and Spanish: 1-800-410-0758
- Overpayment collections (Benefit Payment Control): 1-866-697-4831
- Office of Special Investigations (fraud): 1-800-246-9763
- Office of Administrative Hearings (appeal hearings): 1-800-366-0955
Agency guides and handbooks
- ESD: Unemployment benefits
- ESD: Unemployed Worker's Handbook (PDF)
- ESD: Estimate your benefit
- ESD: Appeal an unemployment benefits decision
- ESD: Appeal hearings and proceedings
- Washington Office of Administrative Hearings
The agency's unemployment page (ESD)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in Washington
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in Washington
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in Washington
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in Washington
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in Washington
- Since January 1, 2026, workers unemployed because of a strike can get benefits starting the second Sunday after the strike began, for up to 6 weeks.
Law: RCW 50.20.090, 2025 c 352
- Since June 14, 2026, if your employer announced a layoff in writing and let workers volunteer to be laid off, and you volunteered and were laid off, you count as unemployed through no fault of your own.
Law: RCW 50.20.055, 2026 c 150
- Washington counts hours, not dollars: you need 680 hours of work in your base year (RCW 50.04.030; ESD).
Changes in 2024–2026
July 7, 2024: lack of access to care for a child or vulnerable adult added as a good-cause reason to quit (through July 8, 2029). January 1, 2026: striking workers can get up to 6 weeks of benefits; 2026 c 161 amended the rule on paying back benefits if back wages are later paid for strike weeks. June 14, 2026: volunteering for an announced layoff no longer counts as quitting. July 5, 2026: weekly benefit range rose to $383-$1,208 (from $366-$1,152).
Law: 2025 c 352, SB 5041; 2026 c 150, RCW 50.20.055
Questions about unemployment in Washington
How do I file for unemployment in Washington?
Apply online in eServices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (fastest). You can also apply by phone at 1-800-318-6022 during Claims Center hours. You can use a free computer or phone at any WorkSource center.
How much is the weekly benefit in Washington?
The weekly benefit is $383 to $1,208. Maximum: new claims opened on or after July 5, 2026 (through June 2027). ESD adds your gross wages in the two base-year quarters when you earned the most, divides by 2, and multiplies by 3.85%, rounded down to the dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Washington?
Up to 26 weeks. Most people can get up to 26 weeks of regular benefits in a 52-week benefit year.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Washington?
Appeal (hearing before an administrative law judge): 30 calendar days from the date ESD mailed or delivered the decision, whichever is earlier. File as early as you can.