Unemployment Benefits Eligibility  

General Benefits Eligibility Criteria

The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) determines whether or not people qualify for unemployment benefits on a case-by-case basis. You must, however, meet these three core eligibility requirements:

• You must be willing, able, and available to work, and you must be actively seeking employment.
• You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, as defined by District of Columbia law.
• You must have earned at least a minimum amount of wages before you were unemployed.

Typically, these criteria are designed to be easy to understand and easy to implement to avoid any confusion. The best way to know, however, if you qualify for unemployment benefits is through filing.

Work Eligibility Criteria

Just like every state, the District of Columbia determines your eligibility for unemployment benefits based on your earnings during a one-year “base period.” This base period is the earliest four of the five calendar quarters before you filed your benefits claim.

EXAMPLE: If you filed your unemployment claim in April 2019, then the base period will be from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.

A quarter is a three month period and you must have earned money in at least two of those quarters to pass this criteria.

If you do not meet this criteria, you can request the alternative base period, which is the most recently completed four quarters of wages. This alternative base period must be requested by calling the DOES unemployment office.

Wages Eligibility Criteria

You will need to meet all of the following wage eligibility requirements to qualify for benefits in Washington DC:

• Earned at least $1,300 in your highest paid quarter of the base period.
• Earned at least $1,950 during the entire base period.
• Earned wages in at least two quarters of the base period.
• During the entire base period, the earnings you received must be at least 1.5 times your earnings in the highest paid quarter of the base period, or within $70 of that amount.

Unemployment Availability Limits

Washington DC unemployment benefits can last up to 26 weeks before they are discontinued. During this time, you must be searching for suitable employment with an employer who pays a wage similar to that of the job you lost. The maximum Weekly Benefit Amount is $432.

You will lose your unemployment benefits the moment you receive a full-time job, regardless of how many weeks are left in your benefit term. Other disqualifying situations include:

• Failure to seek suitable work
• Turning down suitable work
• Fraudulently reporting your weekly claims
• Misreporting your wages in a part-time job

You can have a part-time job and still receive benefits, but your benefits will be decreased based on how much you make. The first $50 of your gross wages in a week will not affect your Weekly Benefit Amount. All money earned in excess of $50 per week will be decreased on a dollar-by-dollar basis.

EXAMPLE: If you receive $300 in unemployment benefits and earn $100 in a week, you will need to subtract $50 from $300 to determine your Weekly Benefit Amount of $250.

Unemployment Extensions

Federally funded unemployment extensions that were previously in effect due to the economic recession were discontinued in December 2013. No extensions are currently offered by the District of Columbia.