Understand your benefits decision letter

• Your weekly benefit amount – the most you may receive in a week. This may change each week due to taxes, wages you earn and other factors.
• Your maximum benefits payable – the total amount potentially available on your claim.
• Employers you worked for in your base year.
• The wages and hours your employers reported each quarter for you in your base year.
• Your benefit year start and end dates. You can claim benefits on this claim only for weeks between these dates.
• Whether this statement is an initial determination or a redetermination.

The decision letter may also state that:

• You do not have a valid claim since you worked less than 680 hours in your base year.
• You may qualify for an alternate base year claim.
• We are requesting wages and hours from your former employers.
• You may be eligible for benefits during a scheduled break from working at an educational institution.

Note: This letter may not be our final decision if we are waiting to add combined wage, federal employment or military claims. Once we add those wages, you will receive a final decision letter.

What to do when you receive the letter

Check your wages and hours carefully. If any information is wrong, call the Unemployment Claims Center at 800-318-6022.

For current contact information and hours, contact us. If you have a hearing or speaking disability, you can call Washington Relay Service 711.

How long your claim is available

Your Washington unemployment claim is available for 52 weeks from the beginning of your benefit year. You cannot file another new claim in Washington until that benefit year ends. Most claims are eligible for up to 26 weeks of benefits.

If you received a $0 decision

You will receive a $0 decision if you are ineligible for benefits. You may be ineligible for one of the following reasons.

You did not work enough hours

You need to work at least 680 hours in your base year to be eligible for benefits.

We do not have a record of your hours and wages

We may not have your hours and wages on file. This usually happens when an employer does not provide this information in their normal reporting.

You do not requalify after previously receiving benefits

To requalify, you need to have returned to work and earned 6 times your new weekly benefit amount. You need to do this after the initial job separation and application date on the previous claim but before the effective date of the new claim.

Suppose you lost your job on July 1 and filed your first claim on July 8. You would need to return to work and earn six times your weekly benefit amount after July 1. You could then requalify for a new claim after the first claim's benefit year ends.

How to request a new decision

If you disagree with the wages or hours included in your letter, you can ask us to change our decision. When we change a decision about your benefits, we call it a redetermination.

You can request a new decision up to one year from the date on the letter. Follow the steps below to submit your request.

1. Gather your documents

   You will need:

   • Paystubs from the last 18 months.
   • W-2 form(s) from the last 2 years.

   • Other related information.

2. Submit your request

   Choose one of the options below:

   • Call the Unemployment Claims Center at 800-318-6022 (Check our contact us page for our current hours).
   • Submit a written request via fax to 800-301-1795.

   • Submit a written request by mailing it to:
     
     Claims Center Appeals
     P.O. Box 19018
     Olympia, WA 98507-0018

What to include in your written request

• A sentence asking us to change our decision (also known as a redetermination).
• The letter ID of your benefits decision letter (also known as an Unemployment Claim Determination letter).
• Names, addresses and dates of employment for the employer(s) you think are missing or incorrect.
• Copies of the paystubs, W-2 forms or other related information listed in step 1.

Laws and rules

• Claimant notices (WAC 192-120)