Survivors of domestic violence or stalking

You may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you left a job to protect yourself or your immediate family members from domestic violence or stalking.

You need show that you had to leave work to protect yourself or your immediate family members.

Washington state laws about domestic violence and stalking.

  1. Enroll in Washington's Address Confidentiality Program

    When people apply for benefits, we provide their mailing address to their employer.

    But if you want your current address to be confidential, enroll in Washington's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) before you apply.

    The Washington State Secretary of State's Office offers this program. It provides a substitute mailing address to keep home addresses confidential. You do not need an anti-harassment order to use a confidential address.

    We'll give you information about the ACP when you apply.

  2. Apply for benefits

    Once you have an address from the ACP, apply online through eServices or by phone.

    Our online system will try to verify the ACP address with the post office database. But the system will accept the address you provide.

    Learn how to apply for unemployment benefits and how to submit your weekly claims.

  3. Respond to our requests for information

    Please respond to all requests from us by the due date. In some cases, you might need to address our questions by speaking to an agent. Continue to file your weekly claims.