The word on the street is that the DOES website won’t be set up to accept claims from independent contractors and gig workers until April 28th. And once you have filed your initial claim it will take another 14 - 21 days to get your payment. The good news is that DOES is making assurances that everyone who is eligible for unemployment (and the additional $600 on top of the weekly benefit) will get paid. I know that at a lot of people are concerned about how they are going to pay their bills and provide for their families. Please hang in there and see more info below on the unemployment benefits process.

If you are an independent contractor or gig worker and you want to be notified of when you can apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance send an email to pua@dc.gov. DOES promises to notify everyone as soon as they can apply.