Job search requirements

Yes. You are required to complete at least one approved job search activity, even if you are on PUA. We strongly encourage you to complete at least three activities because:

• The PUA program expired on the week ending Sept. 4, 2021. 
• It can prevent possible issues in the future. If we need to re-evaluate your claim, and find past weeks of yours are eligible for regular unemployment instead of PUA, completing three searches will meet the requirement for regular unemployment benefits and may prevent issues or overpayments on past weeks. You can learn more about why we would re-evaluate your claim on the Potential new claim alert page of our website.

Yes. If you are unemployed, it is required by law that you must complete the required job search activities to remain eligible for benefits.

• Keep in mind that there are many activities that can be done virtually.
• You can also keep looking for suitable work that can be done from home.

Yes. By law you do need to complete the job search activities to remain eligible for benefits. If you are receiving PUA, you need to complete at least one. If you are receiving regular unemployment you need to complete at least three.

Three things to know:

1. Most activities do not include applying for jobs with other employers.
2. There are approved activities specific to self-employed and business owners to make meeting this requirement more relevant to you.
3. You can complete any of the approved activities to meet the requirement. You don’t have to stick to only those approved for self-employed and/or business owners.

Yes. You are required to look for suitable full-time work, even if you took a part-time job.

Yes. You must continue to meet the job search requirement to remain eligible for unemployment benefits, even if you are caring for someone else. This includes children who are out of school or daycare due to the pandemic.

Are you receiving Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits? This program is different from Unemployment Insurance and has different requirements. If you are receiving Paid Family and Medical Leave because you are temporarily off work and caring for a family member who is ill or injured, the job search requirement does not apply. Go to paidleave.wa.gov for more information about that program. You cannot receive both unemployment insurance and Paid Family and Medical Leave at the same time.

Reinstating standby in our system is taking longer than anticipated and it may create some complications for certain standby requests.

You may be initially denied standby and later approved if you:

• Are connected to an employer, and
• Have a return to work date, and
• Used standby earlier in the pandemic, and
• Do not have sufficient weeks left of standby on your active claim to be approved for a new request of standby.

If this applies to you, the old weeks of standby will be cleared once we update our system. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

If the conditions above do not apply to you, check your denial letter for the reason/s you were denied standby.

3 things to know:

1. You must meet the job search requirements until you hear from us that you are approved for standby.
   • Do you already have a return to work date with your current employer? You still must complete the required number of job search activities until you are approved for standby.
   • If you have a job and a return date to that employer, we strongly encourage you to complete job search activities that do not require you apply for jobs or make an employer contact. This will help to not jeopardize your current employer relationship.
2. You may receive a denial letter that says you don’t have enough weeks of standby available, but you may later be approved for standby when our system is fully updated.
   • We expect our system to be fully updated for these standby requests in August.
   • Complete the required job search activities (not necessarily applying with other employers if you have a job and a return date to that employer) until you receive an approval letter.
3. Denial of standby does NOT mean you are denied unemployment benefits.
   • Standby ONLY waives the job search requirements. It has nothing to do with eligibility for benefits.

While claiming unemployment benefits, you must be:

• Able to work.
• Available for work.
• Actively seeking suitable work, unless we've told you otherwise.
• Registered for work with a WorkSource employment center or local employment center (if living outside of Washington).

While collecting unemployment benefits, you must typically look for suitable work and keep a record of your job search to remain eligible for benefits. You are required to log a combined total of three approved job search activities each week. You can log this information online when you file your weekly claim or you can use our paper job search log, if you file on the phone. WorkSource has programs and services that can help you get back to work faster

It is very important that you understand your responsibilities when it comes to conducting and documenting your job search to avoid mistakes which could result in you having to repay the benefits you receive. 

No. You cannot do the exact same activity more than once and have it count. For example:

• You cannot watch the same video multiple times, or apply for the same job multiple times, and have it count.
• You can watch different videos relevant to job search within the same week (for example, one on interview best practices and one on resume writing), or apply for different jobs within the same company, and have each application count.

If you live in Washington, you are automatically registered for work through a Washington state WorkSource office once you file your unemployment claim. The assignment is based on your zip code. If you live outside of Washington, you must register with your local American Job Center within one week from the date you receive your first unemployment benefit payment. If you originally file for benefits from Washington then move within the United States or to Canada and continue to meet all eligibility requirements, you’ll remain eligible for benefits. You must look for work and register for work where you live. Go to WorkSourceWa.com to locate the WorkSource office closest to you.

If you live in another state or relocate to a new area, you must register for work with an American Job Center within one week from the date your first payment is issued on your new or reopened claim. You can locate an American Job Center using the website at servicelocator.org. In many cases you may be able to register online. Contact your local office to find out how to complete the registration process.

If you do not register for work, you will be denied benefits for each week you are not registered.

Yes, but only in limited circumstances. Nearly everyone – including PUA recipients – must look for suitable work. Exceptions are:

• We approve you for a training program, such as Commissioner Approved Training or Training Benefits.
• We approve you for SharedWork.
• We approve you for standby.
• We approve you for Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP).
• You are dispatched through a full-referral union.
• You are partially unemployed (and approved by the department).
• You are an active registered electrical apprentice in an approved electrical apprenticeship program.
• You are approved for attending the classroom portion of mandatory apprentice training.
• You are part of a strike or lockout.

You only need to complete one job search activity if you are:

• Receiving PUA. We do, however, strongly recommend you complete three approved job search activities if you are receiving PUA. See the question about PUA on this page to learn more.
• Left work due to domestic violence or stalking. If the department has determined you left work for good cause due to being a victim of domestic violence or stalking, you only need to complete one approved activity per week to remain eligible for benefits.

All other claimants are required to complete at least three approved job search activities. We will notify you of your job-search requirements at the time you file your unemployment claim.

Note: If you are a full-referral union member, you must look for work by meeting your union’s dispatch requirements. A full-referral union means a union that refers its members to jobs by referral or dispatch.

We will notify you in writing through the preferred correspondence method you selected. You must look for work unless you have been notified by the department that you don’t have to. If you are required to look for work, you must meet Washington state’s job search requirements each week you claim benefits (unless we inform you otherwise).

When inquiring about a position, you must take all steps necessary to apply for the position for the contact to count as a job search activity. You make an employer contact when you ask about or apply for a job. If you have applied for, or inquired about the job, and discovered that the employer is not hiring or accepting applications, you may still count your inquiry as an employer contact if you were unaware the employer was not hiring or accepting applications. You should note that fact in your job search log. You can contact an employer by:

• Email
• Fax
• Internet
• Mail
• Phone
• Meeting in-person
• Virtual meeting using conferencing services like Skype, Zoom, etc.
• An employer’s self-service kiosk

If you use eServices to submit your weekly claim, you can answer “yes” to the job search question each week you complete your required activities. We will require that you enter the details of your job search activities on your weekly claim in order to be eligible for benefits. We highly recommend you use our job search log to keep track of your job search activities. You do not need to provide us with proof of your activities unless we ask for it. 

If you submit weekly claims by phone, you’ll need to keep a written log of your job search activities. We prefer you use the job search log that we provide, but you’re welcome to keep track of your job search activities on any document you choose.

Highly recommended: Keep a written record of your job search

We prefer you use the job search log that we provide. Please use dark ink and print clearly.

You can keep track of your job search activities on any document you choose. If you do not use our log, be sure to document the required information to demonstrate you are making an active search for suitable work. You will need to show us this documentation if we ask for it.

Why keep a written record of job search activities?

We may contact you for proof of your job search activities even after you’ve stopped claiming each week.

No, but we may request to see it at any time. You must keep it at least 30 days after the end of your benefit year or 30 days after you stop receiving benefits, whichever is later. You don’t need to send it to us unless we request it.

We conduct random reviews of job search activities to make sure you are looking for suitable work. If you are selected for a review or we have a question about your job search, we will request a copy of your job search log(s) and you must provide them as instructed.

We may send you a letter to schedule a review of your job search activities to make sure you are looking for suitable work, review your eligibility for benefits and, when appropriate, provide feedback on how to improve your job search. Read the letter carefully to see if your interview is by phone or in-person. Have your job search log(s) ready. If your log is missing or incomplete, or you are not making a genuine attempt to find suitable work, we may deny benefits. You then have to pay back benefits for all the weeks you didn’t meet the job search requirements.

Even if you can show you have complied with the job search requirements, we may suggest how to modify your job search efforts or improve your documentation. We may also schedule you for an additional appointment to confirm you are meeting the requirements.

If you cannot show you are making a genuine attempt to find suitable work, we could deny your benefits. If we deny your benefits, you must pay back benefits you received for weeks you did not meet the job search requirements. In addition, we will schedule a review of your job search activities for all weeks you claimed.

You must accept an offer of suitable work based on your skills, abilities and other factors for your occupation in your labor market. If there are limited jobs in your occupation or geographical area, you may have to expand your job search. For example, you may have to consider looking for a job virtually, or in a different field or location.

You can’t limit your search to jobs that start in the future. For example, if you’re a school bus driver on summer break, you can’t limit your search to jobs that start in the fall or work that will end when school begins. Learn more on the Refusal of work page on our website.

WorkSource offices in Washington state, and affiliates in other states, are partners in the American Job Center network. They provide employment and training services to job seekers and employers. Most services are free. To locate the nearest WorkSource office for you, visit WorkSourceWA.com.

If you live outside of Washington, find the nearest American Job Center at careeronestop.org or call 877-872-5627. WorkSource offices offer valuable classes, workshops and other services that may help meet your weekly job search requirements.

Below is a list of virtual and in-person services WorkSource provides:

• Skills assessment and career guidance.
• Strategies for finding a job.
• Information about how much jobs pay, and which jobs are in demand.
• Referrals to job openings, virtual and in-person hiring events.
• Referrals and appointments for job search assistance services.
• Assistance preparing your resume and getting ready for job interviews.
• Sharing job search strategies with other job seekers.
• Referrals to formal training programs as well as access to free online training.
• Referrals to food banks, free credit counseling, health, housing, utilities assistance and many other community resources to help you cope with unemployment. You also can call 211 for additional resources.

If you have exhausted your 26 weeks of regular unemployment and your federal PEUC, you may be eligible for Extended Benefits, which allows up to 13 additional weeks of benefits. This program has strict job search requirements, which are different from regular unemployment job search requirements. The consequences for not meeting these job search requirements are high. If you apply and qualify for Extended Benefits, we’ll send you instructions for conducting your job search. Learn more about Extended Benefits and how to apply on the Benefit extensions page.