The Employment Security Department (ESD) of Washington administers unemployment benefits in Washington State, which are among the most generous in the country. Washington State has a user-friendly website that explains unemployment benefits.
Eligibility
To receive unemployment payments, you must have worked 680 hours in the last year and your employer (or if you were self-employed, you) must have paid the state unemployment insurance for those hours. To collect from Washington State, you must have worked all 680 in the state. Furthermore, the Department will review the reason you left your job (layoffs are almost always eligible, whereas if you were fired or voluntarily quit, the Department will review your specific case and determine eligibility), and you must be physically able and actively seeking work.
Benefits
The ESD calculates and distributes unemployment benefits weekly. The amount of money you receive from ESD depends on the amount you were making during the last year of your last job. In Washington State, the minimum amount that anyone can receive per week is $135 and the maximum is capped at $570.
Calculating Benefits
To estimate how much you can potentially receive, go to the benefits calculator (see "Resources"). Alternatively, add together your total wages from your two highest-earning three months (or quarters) in the last years. Divide that number by two and multiply it by .0385; the resulting number is an estimate of your weekly benefit check.
Time Frame
Applicants filing in Washington State will receive 52 weeks of benefits (ESD calls this a "benefit year"). When those 52 weeks are over, you may be able to apply for an extension of benefits, ranging from 13 to 26 additional weeks.
Logistics
You can apply for benefits online and have your application reviewed within a couple weeks. Benefits will be mailed to you as a check or directly deposited into your bank account. The IRS considers benefits to be income, and hence unemployment benefits are taxable. While receiving benefits, you will be required to file a job search log with ESD, which you can do online.
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