File your weekly claim

Log in to your account each week to file your weekly claim.

Don’t wait! Start filing weekly claims as soon as your application is approved.

Weekly claims are how you get paid once your leave begins. If you used a paper application, file weekly claims by calling the Customer Care Team. If you applied online, file your weekly claims by logging in to your Paid Leave account.

By law, submitted weekly claims must be processed within 14 days. If approved for payment, you can expect payment in 3 – 5 business days due to bank processing.
You must file your weekly claim for every week of your approved leave period, even if you do not want to receive benefits that week.

Claim weeks always start on Sunday and end the following Saturday, regardless of what day your work week starts. You can file a weekly claim after the week ends.

Note: If you applied using a paper benefit application or chose U.S. Bank ReliaCard as your preferred payment method, you will have received a card in the mail after submitting your application. After your weekly claim is approved, your payments will be automatically loaded to this card. Learn more on the ReliaCard Visa Flyer.

The waiting week is the first approved week you claim while on leave.

You will not be paid for this week. During your waiting week, you may use paid time off from your employer without impacting your Paid Leave benefits.

There is no waiting week for parental bonding leave, medical leave taken during the postnatal period, family leave for the loss of a child or family leave for military exigency.

Hours worked and other types of leave can affect your payments.

You cannot collect unemployment insurance benefits or workers’ compensation benefits at the same time as Paid Leave.

If you worked or received other benefits, like employer-provided time off, you must include it in your weekly claim questionnaire. This includes time worked at a second job, even if you’re not taking leave from that job. Note: This may affect your payment amount, unless your employer offers supplemental benefits.

A supplemental benefit is a payment from an employer to a worker to make up the difference between the worker’s regular wage and the benefit paid by Paid Leave. This could be a salary continuation or paid time off, including holiday pay. These payments must be in addition to any Paid Leave benefits the worker receives. Ask your employer if this option is available to you. If your employer offers supplemental benefits, this will NOT affect your weekly payment because you do not report supplemental paid time off on your weekly claim.

For private short-term disability, contact your short-term disability plan to see if you can file for disability payments at the same time as Paid Leave in case your plan has any restrictions.

For child support withholding, we share and receive information with the Division of Child Support (DCS). We will withhold child support from your benefit payment if we are aware that you have an obligation. If you have questions or believe that child support was withheld from your benefit payment in error, contact DCS at 800-442-5437 or dshs.wa.gov/esa/division-child-support.

You will answer one question at a time as you fill out each weekly claim.

As you answer, you’ll be directed to the next question that applies to you. You may not see every question below during each weekly claim you file.

Do you want to receive Paid Leave benefits for this week?

You can take Paid Leave as needed: full weeks, partial weeks, or you can skip weeks.

Select Yes to claim benefits for this week OR if this is your first weekly claim and your leave requires a waiting week.
Select No if you do not want to claim benefits. You will not receive a payment for this week.

Did you or will you receive Unemployment Insurance benefits?

Unemployment benefits are for those who are unemployed or partially employed. This is a different program than Paid Leave.

Select Yes if you received or will be receiving Unemployment benefits for this week.

It is unlawful to receive benefits from Unemployment and Paid Leave for the same week.
It is your responsibility to choose which program to use.

Did you or will you receive Workers’ Compensation for an on-the-job injury?

Workers’ Compensation is for on-the-job injuries where you can’t work. It is paid by Labor & Industries or by your employer’s private insurer.

Select Yes if you received or will be receiving Workers’ Compensation for this week.

It is unlawful to receive benefits from Workers’ Compensation and Paid Leave for the same week.
It is your responsibility to choose which program to use.

Short-term disability is different than Workers’ Compensation. Check with your short-term disability plan to see how receiving Paid Leave could impact those benefits.

Did you work any hours this week?

Select Yes if you worked for any employer during this week, including self-employment, even if it is not the employer you are taking leave from.

How many hours did you work?

Enter the total number of hours you worked this week for all employers, including self-employment, even if it is not the employer you are taking leave from.

Round up your hours to a whole number.
Only include hours worked within your approved leave dates.

Did you miss at least 8 hours of work in a row?

Select Yes if you missed at least 8 hours of work in a row for this week, for example:

A full 8-hour shift, or
The last 4 hours of one shift and the first 4 hours of the next shift, or
Two 4-hour shifts in a row.

Did you use any paid time off such as vacation, sick or holiday pay?

Select Yes if you used vacation, sick, holiday pay or other paid time off that is not a supplemental benefit.
Select No if you didn’t use any paid time off, OR if your paid time off is a supplemental benefit.

Some employers allow workers to use paid time off that is supplemental or in addition to your Paid Leave benefit. Check with your employer to see if your paid time off is supplemental.

How many hours of paid vacation, sick or holiday pay did you use?

Enter the total number of hours of paid vacation, sick time, holiday pay or other paid time off you used this week.

Round up your hours to a whole number.
Only include hours used during your approved leave dates.
Do not include hours that are considered supplemental by your employer.

We cannot pay you if the hours you reported as working or as paid time off is equal to or more than your typical workweek hours. Your typical workweek hours are the average number of hours you worked per week in your qualifying period. Full-time salaried employees are always calculated at 40 hours per week.