myjobcontacts › States › Arizona

How many job searches do you need for unemployment in Arizona?

What counts as a work search in Arizona

• Applying for a job, including with a former employer
• Contacting or visiting employers that have or may have openings
• Going to a job interview, in person or online
• Going to a job fair, job club or networking event in your field
• Using reemployment services at an ARIZONA@WORK office, including RESEA activities and workshops
• Looking for work in Arizona Job Connection or another job site
• Creating or updating a resume, or uploading it to a job board
• Creating a profile on a professional networking site
• Registering with a temp agency, private employment agency, or a school or union placement office
• Applying for or taking a civil service exam

More on this in what counts as a work search contact.

How to report your job contacts

When you file your weekly claim in CACTUS, you enter each work search activity: the date, how you applied, the employer's website or address, the company name, the type of work and what you did. DES also asks you to keep your own log with contact names, phone numbers and confirmations, in case it asks for more.

When: File your weekly claim after the week ends, starting Sunday. Each claim covers the week before. If you skip more than two weeks in a row, your claim goes inactive.

Where: CACTUS (Comprehensive Arizona Claims Tracking Unemployment Insurance System).

When the search starts: Every week you file a claim, including your first week.

Keep a work search log

Keep your work search records for at least 2 years from the start date of your claim. DES can audit your work search for up to two years. DES’s form is the Work Search Log (UB-101-A). It asks for: date, type of contact, name and address of employer contacted, phone number, name of person contacted, type of work sought, results / comments.

The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as DES’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.

Who doesn’t have to search

• You are on a shared work (work sharing) plan
• You earned more than your weekly benefit amount that week, so you get no benefits for it

Union members: Staying registered and actively checking in with your union hiring hall counts as a work search activity. We found no rule that excuses union members from the weekly search.

See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.

Reviews, audits and RESEA

DES may audit your work search entries for up to two years from your claim's start date. It may ask you for more details, so keep confirmation emails, screenshots and contact names.

RESEA: Some people are picked for a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA). Taking part in RESEA activities counts as a work search activity.

What to expect: unemployment work search audits.

If you miss your number

If you do not report at least 4 activities on 4 different days, you may not be paid for that week. If an audit later finds you did not meet the rule, you may have to pay back benefits.

Sign up with the job bank

You must be registered with the Arizona Employment Service (Arizona Job Connection). For most people this happens as part of the online UI application. If DES mails you extra steps, finish them by the deadline or your payments can be delayed or denied. Arizona Job Connection (AJC).

Questions people in Arizona ask

How many job searches are required for unemployment in Arizona?

You must do at least 4 work search activities each week, on at least 4 different days. You enter each one when you file your weekly claim.

What counts as a work search in Arizona?

Applying for a job, including with a former employer; Contacting or visiting employers that have or may have openings; Going to a job interview, in person or online; Going to a job fair, job club or networking event in your field, and 6 more on the list above. Check your notice for anything your state added for you.

Do I have to keep a work search log in Arizona?

When you file your weekly claim in CACTUS, you enter each work search activity: the date, how you applied, the employer's website or address, the company name, the type of work and what you did. DES also asks you to keep your own log with contact names, phone numbers and confirmations, in case it asks for more. Keep your work search records for at least 2 years from the start date of your claim. DES can audit your work search for up to two years.

What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in Arizona?

If you do not report at least 4 activities on 4 different days, you may not be paid for that week. If an audit later finds you did not meet the rule, you may have to pay back benefits.

Who doesn’t have to look for work in Arizona?

You are on a shared work (work sharing) plan. You earned more than your weekly benefit amount that week, so you get no benefits for it. Your notice will say if this applies to you.

Does Arizona check or audit work search records?

DES may audit your work search entries for up to two years from your claim's start date. It may ask you for more details, so keep confirmation emails, screenshots and contact names.

Checked against DES’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm who doesn’t have to search, the job bank link, what happens if you miss your number on an official page, so check your notice for those.

Sources

• DES - Work Search and Your Eligibility for Unemployment Benefits
• A.R.S. 23-771 Eligibility for benefits
• DES Work Search Instructions for UI Claimants
• UB-101-A Work Search Log
• DES - File a Weekly Unemployment Insurance Claim
• DES video: How to File a UI Weekly Claim (CACTUS)
• DES - Arizona Employment Service Registration
• ABC15: Arizona launches new CACTUS portal (Sept 2025) not official

Work search rules in every state

myjobcontacts is not a government website and this is not legal advice. Rules change, and your own claim notice or letter is what counts. If something here doesn’t match what your state told you, follow your state.