Unemployment if you quit or were fired in the District of Columbia
The state's rules for quitting and for being fired are different. This page gives the state's own words.
All about unemployment in the District of Columbia
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Quit, fired or refused work
If you quit
If you left your most recent job voluntarily without good cause connected with the work, you are disqualified. At the hearing, the employer must first show that you left voluntarily; then you must show good cause connected with the work.
Examples the state names:
- Working in unsafe locations or under unsafe conditions that would make a reasonable person leave
- Leaving to go with your spouse or domestic partner to a place too far to commute from
- Leaving to care for an ill or disabled family member
If you were fired
Being fired does not by itself stop benefits. You are disqualified if DOES finds you were fired for misconduct in your most recent work. The employer has the burden to prove the conduct happened and that it meets the legal definition of misconduct. DC law treats "gross misconduct" more harshly than other misconduct.
If benefits are denied for the separation
Quitting without good cause or being fired for gross misconduct: no benefits until you work in 10 weeks and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit amount. Being fired for other (simple) misconduct: no benefits for the first 8 weeks (or until you work 8 weeks and earn 8 times your weekly benefit), and your total benefits are reduced by 8 times your weekly benefit amount.
Refusing work
If you fail without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work, you cannot get benefits until you work in 10 weeks and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit amount.
Law: D.C. Code 51-110(a)-(d); D.C. Code 7 DCMR 311, 312
Official source: Source page
You usually must be unemployed through no fault of your own. In most states this means you lost your job because there was not enough work.
Able, available and looking for work
Job contacts per week: 2
You must make at least two verifiable work search contacts each week. Contacts can include applying for jobs in person, by mail, phone, online or email, going to a job fair, contacting possible employers, using an employment agency, or taking part in a DOES workforce program. Union members in good standing whose union seeks work for them may be exempt. A denial for missing work search applies only to the week you missed.
Records to keep
Keep a record of each contact: the date, employer name, job title, employer contact information and how you applied. DOES can ask to see it at any time during or after your benefit year. DOES has a work search log form.
Law: D.C. Code 51-109(4)(B)
Official source: Source page
To be paid for a week, you must be able to work, available to work and actively seeking work.
Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(12)
Noncitizens
What the state says
If you are not a U.S. citizen, have your Alien Registration Number ready when you apply. You must be authorized to work in the United States.
Common reasons for a denial and what federal law says →
Free help
Call 202-724-7000. Legal aid and other free help in the District of Columbia → Official sources →
More questions about unemployment in the District of Columbia
Can I get unemployment in the District of Columbia if I quit?
If you left your most recent job voluntarily without good cause connected with the work, you are disqualified. At the hearing, the employer must first show that you left voluntarily; then you must show good cause connected with the work.
Can I get unemployment in the District of Columbia if I was fired?
Being fired does not by itself stop benefits. You are disqualified if DOES finds you were fired for misconduct in your most recent work.