Washington Unemployment Benefits 2026: $1,208 Max, How to File

Washington pays a weekly unemployment benefit of $383 to $1,208 on claims opened on or after July 5, 2026, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD). That was a $17 increase to the minimum and a $56 increase to the maximum. If you opened your claim between July 6, 2025 and July 4, 2026, your claim stays on the earlier range of $366 to $1,152.

Benefits last up to 26 weeks, but RCW 50.20.120 caps your total at the lesser of 26 times your weekly amount or one-third of your base-year wages. The figures reset each July for new claims, based on the state average wage.

ESD runs the program. For how unemployment works nationally, including federal tax on benefits, see our guide to unemployment benefits by state.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers regular state unemployment insurance in Washington under Title 50 RCW. It does not cover federal programs for federal civilian employees or veterans (UCFE/UCX), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, extended benefits (ESD says Extended Benefits are not available in Washington at this time), paid family and medical leave, or claims filed in other states.

Who is eligible for unemployment in Washington

You may be eligible if you lost work through no fault of your own, worked enough hours in your base year, and are able to work, available for work and actively looking. ESD decides each claim.

Your base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts (RCW 50.04.020). Washington measures it in hours, not dollars: RCW 50.04.030 requires wages in covered employment for at least 680 hours of the base year.

If you do not reach 680 hours in the standard base year, ESD uses an alternate base year made of the last four completed calendar quarters. ESD puts it this way:

"You need to have 680 hours of work in your base year. If you didn't work 680 hours, you may be eligible for an alternate base year (ABY) claim."

A second claim has an extra test. You cannot start a new benefit year on wages already used in a prior one unless you have earned at least six times your new weekly benefit amount since your last separation (RCW 50.04.030).

Each week you claim, RCW 50.20.010 requires that you be able to work, available for work in any trade you are reasonably fitted for, and actively seeking work.

How much unemployment pays in Washington

Under RCW 50.20.120, your weekly benefit amount is 3.85% of the average of your two highest-paid quarters in the base year. ESD's steps:

1. Add your two highest quarters and divide by 2.
2. Multiply that average by 0.0385 and round down to the dollar.
3. If the result is more than $1,208, you get $1,208. If it falls between $383 and $1,208, you get that amount.
4. If it is less than $383, ESD figures your estimated weekly wage (the two-quarter average times 4, divided by 52) and pays the lesser of that wage or $383, rounded down.

That last step reflects the statutory rule that no one's weekly benefit can exceed their own average weekly wage.

ESD's own examples. A two-quarter average of $10,508 times 3.85% is $404.56, so the weekly benefit is $404. A two-quarter average of $32,000 works out to $1,232, which is above the cap, so the benefit is $1,208. You can estimate your own amount with our Washington unemployment calculator.

Washington pays no dependents allowance. The amount depends only on your wages.

How the maximum and minimum are set. RCW 50.20.120 fixes both figures each June 30 for benefit years that begin in the following 12 months. The maximum is the greater of $496 or 63% of the state average weekly wage; the minimum is 20% of that average weekly wage. ESD announces the new figures in a June news release, and they apply to claims opened from early July.

How long unemployment lasts in Washington

Regular benefits last up to 26 weeks within your benefit year, the 52 weeks that start when you first apply. Washington does not shorten or lengthen this based on the state unemployment rate.

Your total benefit is capped. RCW 50.20.120(1) says the maximum payable in a benefit year is "the lesser of twenty-six times the weekly benefit amount ... or one-third of the individual's base year wages." Lower-wage or irregular workers can therefore run out before 26 weeks.

Example (hypothetical figures). With a weekly benefit of $404, 26 weeks would be $10,504. If your total base-year wages were $24,000, one-third is $8,000. Your total is the smaller figure, $8,000, which is about 19.8 weeks at the full weekly rate.

The waiting week

Washington has one unpaid waiting week per benefit year. ESD explains:

"The first week you file for benefits and meet the weekly requirements is your waiting week. You do not get paid for your waiting week."

If you do not meet the weekly requirements in your first week, that week does not count, and you serve the waiting week the next week you do. Payment starts with your second eligible weekly claim.

Quitting your job: good cause in Washington

Washington is strict about quits. RCW 50.20.050 says good-cause reasons to leave work "are limited to reasons listed" in the statute. A quit without one disqualifies you starting the week you leave, for seven calendar weeks, and until you get new covered work and earn seven times your weekly benefit amount.

The statutory good-cause reasons include:

• Leaving to accept a bona fide offer of bona fide work.
• Your own illness or disability, or the death, illness or disability of a family member. You must have made reasonable efforts to keep the job (such as asking for leave or an accommodation) unless that would have been futile.
• Care for a child or vulnerable adult in your care becoming inaccessible, for separations on or after July 7, 2024 and before July 8, 2029.
• Moving to follow your spouse or domestic partner's job outside your labor market area.
• Protecting yourself or your immediate family from domestic violence or stalking.
• A cut of 25% or more in your usual pay or your usual hours.
• A worksite change that makes your commute materially longer or harder than is customary.
• Worksite safety deteriorating, or illegal activity at the worksite, that the employer did not fix after you reported it.
• A change in your usual work that violates your religious convictions or sincere moral beliefs.
• Leaving to enter a state-approved apprenticeship program.
• Following a minor child who moved outside your labor market, for separations on or after July 7, 2024.
• A change of six hours or more to a regular shift start or end time that had been stable for the prior 90 days, made on a nontemporary basis, for separations on or after July 7, 2024.

Most of these carry conditions in the statute, so read the full list in RCW 50.20.050 or ESD's quitting guidance before you decide. Washington's general rules on ending employment are in our guide to Washington at-will employment laws.

Volunteering for a layoff. Under HB 2264 (Chapter 150, Laws of 2026), if you were separated on or after June 14, 2026, you are treated as unemployed through no fault of your own when your employer announced a planned layoff or reduction in force in writing, you volunteered to be included, and the employer let you go as a result of that plan.

Being fired: misconduct and gross misconduct

Being fired does not automatically block benefits. You are disqualified only if the discharge was for misconduct connected with your work.

RCW 50.04.294 defines misconduct to include willful or wanton disregard of the employer's or a coworker's rights, deliberate violation of standards the employer has a right to expect, and carelessness or negligence that causes or would likely cause serious bodily harm, or that shows substantial disregard of the employer's interest. Examples in the statute include insubordination, repeated inexcusable tardiness or absences after warnings, dishonesty related to the job, and violating a reasonable company rule you knew or should have known about.

The statute also says what is not misconduct: inefficiency or poor performance from inability, ordinary negligence in isolated instances, and good-faith errors in judgment.

The penalty under RCW 50.20.066 is disqualification for ten calendar weeks and until you get new covered work and earn ten times your weekly benefit amount. A discharge for gross misconduct (for example, a work-connected crime you were convicted of or admitted) cancels all hourly wage credits from that job, or 680 hours of credits, whichever is greater.

Striking workers

Washington now lets striking workers collect for a limited time. Under RCW 50.20.090, as amended by SB 5041 (Chapter 352, Laws of 2025) effective January 1, 2026, you may receive weekly benefits for no more than six calendar weeks during a strike at your employer, subject to the program's other limits.

ESD says benefits are not allowed until the second Sunday after the strike begins, and the one-week waiting period still applies. If a final court judgment finds the strike prohibited by state or federal law, you must repay benefits received during the strike. These strike provisions are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2035. See ESD's page on strikes, lockouts and labor disputes for how it applies to a current strike.

Work search requirements

ESD's rule is direct:

"Each week you submit a claim for unemployment benefits, you need to complete 3 job search activities and keep a record of your job search."

Activities can include contacting employers, WorkSource activities, job fairs, workshops and job-search websites, but you cannot repeat the same exact activity. If ESD determines you left work as a survivor of domestic violence or stalking, you need only 1 approved activity per week, and ESD can direct some claimants to do more than 3 (WAC 192-180-010). Keep your log for at least 30 days after your benefit year ends or your benefits stop, whichever is later.

You must also create an account at WorkSourceWA.com within one week after ESD notifies you of your benefit rights. ESD can waive job search in some situations, such as for Referral Union members who report they are eligible for dispatch, or when ESD notifies you in writing. A job search waiver does not waive the able and available requirement.

If you worked in at least 40 weeks of your base year and never more than 17 hours a week, you count as a part-time worker under RCW 50.20.119, and RCW 50.20.100(3) lets you look for suitable work of 17 or fewer hours a week.

Working part-time while on unemployment

You can work part-time and still collect a reduced benefit. Under RCW 50.20.130, ESD subtracts 75% of your weekly earnings above $5 from your weekly benefit.

For example, if you earn $205 in a week, $200 is above the $5 disregard, and 75% of $200 is $150. A $404 weekly benefit would drop to $254 that week. Once 75% of your earnings above $5 equals or exceeds your weekly benefit, the payment for that week reaches zero.

Days you are unavailable for work also reduce the weekly payment, and being unavailable three or more days makes the whole week unavailable.

How to apply and file weekly claims

Apply online through ESD's eServices portal, available 24 hours a day, or call the Claims Center at 800-318-6022 (Washington Relay: 711). ESD's how to apply page recommends applying within 2 weeks of leaving your job; a later application may prompt more questions. An online application can be backdated 2 weeks.

After your claim is filed, you must file a weekly claim to be paid. Each claim week runs Sunday through Saturday, and you cannot claim a week until it is over. You can file online in eServices or by phone; the automated phone line runs from 12 a.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Friday. If you applied late in the week, allow 2 business days before your first weekly claim.

Keep filing weekly while you wait for a decision or appeal. Weeks you do not claim are not paid, even if you later win. Separately, your former employer may owe you final wages; see Washington final paycheck laws.

Denials and appeals

You have 30 days to appeal. RCW 50.32.020 runs the deadline from the date of notification or mailing of the determination, whichever is earlier, and ESD tells claimants to appeal "within 30 days from the date we send our decision." A late appeal needs an explanation and may be dismissed if you lack good cause.

The appeal levels are:

1. ESD review. ESD first looks at your appeal and may change its decision.
2. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). If ESD does not change it, an administrative law judge holds a hearing and issues an Initial Order.
3. Commissioner's review. You can petition the ESD Commissioner within 30 days of the date of notification or mailing of the judge's decision, whichever is earlier (RCW 50.32.070).
4. Court. Judicial review of the Commissioner's decision goes to superior court under the state Administrative Procedure Act (RCW 50.32.120). Under RCW 34.05.542, the petition must be filed with the court and served on the agency, the Attorney General's office and all parties of record within 30 days after service of the final order.

Keep submitting weekly claims for every week you want paid while the appeal is pending. If you win, ESD pays the weeks you claimed and are eligible for. If an employer appeals and wins, you may have to repay benefits you received.

A disagreement about the amount of your benefit works differently. Under RCW 50.20.160, the determination of your benefit amount is not appealed; you can ask ESD to reconsider it within one year of the date it was delivered or mailed.

Overpayments and fraud

If ESD pays you benefits you were not entitled to, it issues an overpayment assessment, which you can appeal within 30 days. ESD may recover the money by deducting it from future benefits. If you do not repay and do not set up repayment terms, RCW 50.20.190 imposes interest of 1% per month on the outstanding balance.

ESD may waive an overpayment that was not caused by fraud, misrepresentation, willful nondisclosure or your own fault, if recovery would be "against equity and good conscience" (RCW 50.20.190).

Fraud carries escalating penalties under RCW 50.20.070. A first finding adds 26 weeks of disqualification and a 15% penalty on the overpaid amount; a second adds 52 weeks and 25%; a third or later adds 104 weeks and 50%.

Does Washington tax unemployment benefits

No. The Department of Revenue states that "Washington does not currently have an individual income tax," so your benefits are not taxed by the state. A new 9.9% income tax created in 2026 (SB 6346) begins January 1, 2028, and applies only to individuals and married couples filing jointly with annual adjusted gross income exceeding $1 million.

Benefits are taxable federally. ESD sends a Form 1099-G each January and lets you choose to have 10% of your weekly benefits withheld for federal income tax. Our national unemployment guide covers the federal rules.

Recent changes

• July 5, 2026: the minimum rose to $383 and the maximum to $1,208 for new claims.
• June 14, 2026: volunteers in an announced layoff or reduction in force are treated as unemployed through no fault of their own (HB 2264).
• January 1, 2026 (SB 5041, 2025): striking workers can receive up to six weeks of benefits, with provisions expiring December 31, 2035.
• July 7, 2024: new good-cause quit reasons for inaccessible child or vulnerable-adult care, following a minor child, and shift changes of six hours or more. Since September 3, 2023, the illness and disability reason covers any "family member," not only immediate family.

Common myths

• "The Washington maximum is $1,152." That applied to claims opened July 6, 2025 through July 4, 2026. New claims opened on or after July 5, 2026 top out at $1,208.
• "Everyone gets 26 weeks." Your total is the lesser of 26 times your weekly amount or one-third of your base-year wages.
• "Quitting always disqualifies you." Not if your reason is on the statutory good-cause list.
• "Strikers get nothing." Striking workers can receive up to six weeks, starting no earlier than the second Sunday of the strike.
• "Washington's new income tax applies to unemployment." Washington has no individual income tax today, and the 2028 tax applies only to filers with adjusted gross income above $1 million.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Washington unemployment insurance, not legal advice or a benefit determination. Only the Washington State Employment Security Department decides whether you are eligible and how much you receive. Information verified on October 7, 2026. If your claim has been denied, consider consulting a lawyer licensed in Washington or a legal aid office.

Related

• Unemployment benefits by state
• Washington unemployment calculator
• Washington at-will employment laws
• Washington final paycheck laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in Washington in 2026?

$1,208 a week for claims opened on or after July 5, 2026, according to ESD. Claims opened July 6, 2025 through July 4, 2026 top out at $1,152.

What is the minimum weekly unemployment benefit in Washington?

$383 for claims opened on or after July 5, 2026, set at 20% of the state average weekly wage. If your estimated weekly wage is below $383, ESD pays the lower of the two.

How is Washington unemployment calculated?

ESD averages your two highest-paid base-year quarters and multiplies by 3.85%, rounding down to the dollar, under RCW 50.20.120. The result is held between $383 and $1,208 for claims opened on or after July 5, 2026.

How many hours do I need to qualify for unemployment in Washington?

At least 680 hours of work in your base year, under RCW 50.04.030. If you do not meet it in the standard base year, ESD checks the alternate base year (the last four completed quarters).

How long does unemployment last in Washington?

Up to 26 weeks in a 52-week benefit year. Your total is the lesser of 26 times your weekly amount or one-third of your base-year wages, so some claimants run out sooner.

Does Washington have a waiting week for unemployment?

Yes. ESD does not pay the first week you file and meet the weekly requirements, and you serve only one waiting week per benefit year, according to ESD. The waiting week requirement is in RCW 50.20.010.

Can I get unemployment in Washington if I quit my job?

Only if your reason is on the good-cause list in RCW 50.20.050, such as a pay or hours cut of 25% or more, domestic violence or stalking, or unsafe working conditions the employer would not fix. Otherwise you are out for 7 weeks and until you earn 7 times your weekly amount in new covered work.

Can striking workers get unemployment in Washington?

Yes, for up to 6 weeks while a strike is in effect. Under RCW 50.20.090, payments cannot start before the second Sunday after the strike begins, and the waiting week still applies.

How much can I earn part-time while on unemployment in Washington?

Under RCW 50.20.130, ESD subtracts 75% of your weekly earnings above $5 from your weekly benefit. You must report all earnings for the week they were earned.

How long do I have to appeal a Washington unemployment decision?

30 days from the date ESD sends the decision. A late appeal needs an explanation and may be dismissed without good cause.

Does Washington tax unemployment benefits?

No. Washington has no individual income tax, according to the Department of Revenue. Benefits are still federally taxable, and ESD lets you have 10% withheld.