Unemployment Estimate

All states

Unemployment benefits in Washington

$1,208Maximum weekly benefit

$1,208 a week1

The details

How the weekly amount is figured
3.85 percent of the average of your two highest base year quarters, capped at $1,208.1
Maximum weeks
Total benefits are the smaller of 26 times the weekly amount or one third of base year gross wages.1
Base period
The first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you apply. An alternate base year may apply.1

The sources we read do not say: minimum weekly benefit, waiting week, how to apply.

ESD gives no effective date for $1,208. The US DOL January 2026 table lists $366 to $1,152, an earlier figure.

Sources

  1. Calculate your benefit, Washington Employment Security Department, checked 1 November 2026
  2. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, January 2026, US Department of Labor, checked 1 November 2026

Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source used only because the official page could not be read.