myjobcontacts › States › California
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in California?
Short answer: California does not set a fixed number of job searches per week. If you must look for work, you need to do at least one work search activity each week and answer Yes to "Did you look for work?" when you certify. Your Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award (DE 429Z) gives your exact instructions.
Each week
No set number
The week
Sunday through Saturday (the week ends at midnight Saturday)
Request payment
Certify every two weeks.
Official log form
Work Search Record (part of the RESEA Questionnaire) (DE 8531)
Keep records
Keep a record of your work search dates and employer contacts so it is ready if EDD asks.
Special cases
- Union members who get work through a hiring hall. Your notice may tell you to stay registered with your union and meet its dispatch rules. Some members must also look for work on their own.
- Part-time work instructions. Some people are told to look for part-time work each week instead of full-time work.
What counts as a work search in California
- Applying for jobs with employers likely to have openings
- Answering job ads or listings
- Applying for or taking tests for civil service jobs
- Creating a CalJOBS account and uploading your resume
- Using services at an America's Job Center of California office
- Creating profiles on job search websites
- Telling friends, former employers or community members you are looking for work
- Going to networking events for work in your field
- Registering with your union hiring office and following its placement rules
- Taking short courses that help you get a job but still let you work full-time
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
When you certify every two weeks, you answer "Did you look for work?" for each week. You do not send in your work search list. EDD says to keep a record of your search dates and contacts that you can show right away if asked. UI Online has an optional Work Search Record screen. If you certify by paper and EDD marked the box under question 3, you must list your job contacts on the back of the form.
When: Certify every two weeks. EDD emails or mails you when it is time. Online through myEDD is fastest.
Where: myEDD (UI Online).
When the search starts: When you get the EDD notice that explains your work search requirements.
Keep a work search log
Keep a record of your work search dates and employer contacts so it is ready if EDD asks. EDD does not give a set number of years. EDD’s form is the Work Search Record (part of the RESEA Questionnaire) (DE 8531). It asks for: date applied, company name, company address, person contacted, type of contact (in person, phone, online), type of work applied for, results (interview scheduled, job offered, etc.).
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as EDD’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- You are in state-approved training, like California Training Benefits
- You are in an employer's Work Sharing program
- You have a job offer for work that starts soon
- You are on a temporary layoff and will go back to work within 30 days
- You have a specialized skill with few job openings in your area
- A trade dispute has greatly cut job openings in your area
- Your industry had a seasonal shutdown and there is little chance of other work
Union members: If your union controls hiring in your job, your notice may tell you to register with the union and meet all reporting and dispatch rules. Union members answer Yes to "Did you look for work?" if they met those rules. Being out of good standing with your union can affect your benefits.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
EDD does not collect your list each week. If you answer No to "Did you look for work?" or EDD has a question, you may get a phone eligibility interview and be asked about your search.
RESEA: You may get a RESEA appointment notice. Before the appointment you must update your resume in CalJOBS and fill out the RESEA Questionnaire (DE 8531), listing your job search from the past two weeks. You also must attend at least one more reemployment service. Missing it may affect your benefits.
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
If you do not follow your work search instructions, you can lose benefits for that week.
Sign up with the job bank
Most people must register in CalJOBS and post a resume within 21 days of getting the Notice of Requirement to Register for Work (DE 8405). If you miss this, your benefits could be delayed or stopped. CalJOBS.
Keep every job contact in one place
myjobcontacts is a free work search log. Pick your state and it shows how many contacts you still need this week, reminds you before you request payment, and prints a clean log if EDD ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in California ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in California?
California does not set a fixed number of job searches per week. If you must look for work, you need to do at least one work search activity each week and answer Yes to "Did you look for work?" when you certify. Your Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award (DE 429Z) gives your exact instructions. Some people have a different number: Union members who get work through a hiring hall; Part-time work instructions.
What counts as a work search in California?
Applying for jobs with employers likely to have openings; Answering job ads or listings; Applying for or taking tests for civil service jobs; Creating a CalJOBS account and uploading your resume, 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 California?
When you certify every two weeks, you answer "Did you look for work?" for each week. You do not send in your work search list. EDD says to keep a record of your search dates and contacts that you can show right away if asked. UI Online has an optional Work Search Record screen. If you certify by paper and EDD marked the box under question 3, you must list your job contacts on the back of the form. Keep a record of your work search dates and employer contacts so it is ready if EDD asks. EDD does not give a set number of years.
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in California?
If you do not follow your work search instructions, you can lose benefits for that week.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in California?
You are in state-approved training, like California Training Benefits. You are in an employer's Work Sharing program. You have a job offer for work that starts soon. Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does California check or audit work search records?
EDD does not collect your list each week. If you answer No to "Did you look for work?" or EDD has a question, you may get a phone eligibility interview and be asked about your search.
Checked against EDD’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026.
Sources
- EDD - Job Seekers: Returning to Work
- EDD - Unemployment Eligibility Requirements
- DE 1275B Unemployment Insurance Benefits: What You Need to Know (Rev. 5, 2-24)
- EDD - Step 5: Certify for Benefits
- EDD - RESEA
- DE 8531 RESEA Questionnaire with Work Search Record
- DE 1275A A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services (Rev. 49, 2-12)
- EDD - Benefit Audit Forms
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.