A claimant establishes monetary eligibility based on the type, location, and amount of work performed during a specific one year period, called the “base year”. The base year is determined when the claim is filed. Usually, if all wages during the base year were earned in a state other than Washington, the claimant is subject to that state’s UI laws and regulations instead of Washington’s; in this case, a UI claim is filed against that other state (Interstate Claim).

In Washington, the regular base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the filing date of the claim.

“Regular” Base Year

To establish monetary eligibility in Washington, a claimant must have worked a minimum of 680 hours during the base year in employment on which an employer is required to pay the state UI tax or to reimburse the agency for any benefits paid. Some employment, such as real estate or outside commission sales, may not be covered employment. If the claimant did not work the required 680 hours during the regular base year, an alternate base year can be used. The alternate base year is the last four completed calendar quarters prior to the filing date of the application.

Alternate Base Year

The claimant is limited to a one year period to draw benefits on the claim. This period is called the “benefit year”. The first day of the benefit year (effective date of the claim) is the Sunday of the week in which the application is filed; the benefit year ends 52 weeks later. Another Washington claim cannot be filed until the first benefit year expires.

If the claimant meets the minimum monetary eligibility requirements, the weekly benefit amount and maximum benefits potentially available are calculated using wages earned in the base year. The weekly benefit amount (WBA) is calculated as 4% of the average of the total wages reported in the two highest quarters of the base year. The total amount a claimant can potentially receive on a claim is called the maximum benefits payable (MBP). It is calculated as either 1/3 of the total base year wages or 30 times the WBA, whichever is the smaller amount. The WBA and MBP are calculated and will not change during the benefit year. If a claimant stops claiming and then wants to start claiming again before the benefit year expires, that same claim is restarted. Any balance left of the MBP is available as long as the claimant meets all nonmonetary eligibility requirements.

Since the MBP defines the total of regular benefits (excluding extensions) that can be paid to the claimant during a benefit year and it is never more than 30 times the WBA, the claimant may receive the total of the MBP before the benefit year expires. Another benefit year cannot be established until the year expires on the first one. Also, no benefits can be paid for weeks after the benefit year expires. More simply put, this means that the claimant is entitled to benefits only until the benefit year expires or the MBP is paid out, whichever comes first.

In addition, claimants who file another claim immediately after a benefit year expires must meet an additional requirement to qualify for the second claim: In addition to having worked 680 hours in the new base year, the claimant must have also worked and earned an amount equal to six times the new WBA after the start of the first claim. This prevents claimants from establishing monetary eligibility for a second claim based entirely on work performed before the first claim was filed.