To begin the process of filing for your unemployment benefits in Washington D.C, you will need to have the following information:

• Your social security number
• Your most recent 30-day employer’s name, address, phone number and dates of employment
• Your Alien Registration Number, if you are not a US Citizen
• Your DD214, if you are ex-military
• Your Standard Form 8 or Standard Form 50, if you are a former federal employee
• Severance pay information (only applicable if you did or will receive severance pay)

After you file your initial Unemployment Insurance claim in the District of Colombia, you must submit weekly certifications and meet all eligibility requirements to receive benefits.

Please note that establishing your claim does not begin the issuance of payments to you. You must complete your weekly certification for each week in order to receive benefit payments.

Weekly certification is the process used to verify that you were unemployed during the week and are eligible to receive a benefit payment. During the certification process, you will be asked a series of eligibility questions, including questions regarding earnings for the week. 

You must submit your weekly certification between 12:00 a.m. on Sunday and 11:59 p.m. on Saturday for the prior week. The earlier in the week you file, the earlier your certification will be processed. In order to have your certification processed on the same business day, you must submit the form before 6:00 p.m. If you file after that time, your certification will be processed on the next business day.

Weekly certifications submitted over the weekend are processed the first business day of the following week. If you do not complete your certification within the timeframe listed above, you will not receive benefits for the week and you will be required to reopen your claim prior to receiving any further benefits.