myjobcontacts › States › Massachusetts
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in Massachusetts?
Short answer: You must do at least 3 work search activities each week and report them when you file your weekly claim. They can all be on the same day. If you do not do 3, you are not eligible for benefits that week.
Each week
3 work search activities
The week
Sunday through Saturday
Request payment
File for the week that just ended any day from Sunday through Saturday of the next week.
Official log form
Keep records
Keep proof of your work search for 1 year after you stop requesting benefits (per a 2021 DUA announcement).
What counts as a work search in Massachusetts
- Sending an application, resume, or letter of interest to an employer or through a job site like MassHire JobQuest
- Visiting employers in person who might be hiring
- Going to job fairs, networking events, or employment workshops (private or MassHire Career Center)
- Interviewing with an employer in person, by phone, or online
- Registering for work with a private employment agency or placement service
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
When you file your weekly claim in Unemployment Services for Workers, you enter at least 3 work search activities for that week. You no longer have to fill out a paper log. If you file by phone (TeleCert), keep a written log in case DUA asks for it. Either way, keep a record of what you did and when.
When: File for the week that just ended any day from Sunday through Saturday of the next week. If you miss it, you have up to 21 days. If you skip 3 weeks in a row, your claim closes.
Where: Unemployment Services for Workers.
When the search starts: Right away. Massachusetts says to start searching the same week you apply, and to file your first weekly claim the week after you apply.
Keep a work search log
Keep proof of your work search for 1 year after you stop requesting benefits (per a 2021 DUA announcement). DUA’s form is the Work Search Activity Log (Form 1750). It asks for: date, position, pay rate, employer name and address, job id or person contacted, contact email, website, or phone, result.
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as DUA’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- You are in a training program approved by DUA (the FAQ says this is the only time you do not report work search)
- Older DUA guidance also lists: a definite recall or new job start within 4 weeks, and union members who can only get work through the union. Check your notice.
Union members: Older DUA guidance says union members in good standing who can only take work through the union or a hiring hall do not have to do a regular work search. The current FAQ does not mention this. Check your notice.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
DUA may ask you at any time for proof of your work search, such as emails with employers, application receipts, or job postings. It also reviews work search in random reviews and during RESEA. If your weekly claim shows fewer than 3 activities, DUA sends a fact-finding questionnaire. If you do not answer within 10 days, you are denied for that week.
RESEA: Many people who lost their job for good are picked for RESEA after their first payment. You must sign up for a MassHire JobQuest account, complete a Career Center Seminar by the deadline in your letter, and attend two one-on-one meetings. Your work search log is reviewed. Missing it without good cause can stop your benefits.
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
No payment for any week you do not do at least 3 work search activities. If you cannot give a complete log when DUA asks, you can be disqualified and may have to pay back benefits you already got.
Sign up with the job bank
If you are picked for RESEA, you must create a MassHire JobQuest account. MassHire JobQuest.
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 DUA ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in Massachusetts ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in Massachusetts?
You must do at least 3 work search activities each week and report them when you file your weekly claim. They can all be on the same day. If you do not do 3, you are not eligible for benefits that week.
What counts as a work search in Massachusetts?
Sending an application, resume, or letter of interest to an employer or through a job site like MassHire JobQuest; Visiting employers in person who might be hiring; Going to job fairs, networking events, or employment workshops (private or MassHire Career Center); Interviewing with an employer in person, by phone, or online, and 1 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 Massachusetts?
When you file your weekly claim in Unemployment Services for Workers, you enter at least 3 work search activities for that week. You no longer have to fill out a paper log. If you file by phone (TeleCert), keep a written log in case DUA asks for it. Either way, keep a record of what you did and when. Keep proof of your work search for 1 year after you stop requesting benefits (per a 2021 DUA announcement).
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in Massachusetts?
No payment for any week you do not do at least 3 work search activities. If you cannot give a complete log when DUA asks, you can be disqualified and may have to pay back benefits you already got.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in Massachusetts?
You are in a training program approved by DUA (the FAQ says this is the only time you do not report work search). Older DUA guidance also lists: a definite recall or new job start within 4 weeks, and union members who can only get work through the union. Check your notice.. Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does Massachusetts check or audit work search records?
DUA may ask you at any time for proof of your work search, such as emails with employers, application receipts, or job postings. It also reviews work search in random reviews and during RESEA. If your weekly claim shows fewer than 3 activities, DUA sends a fact-finding questionnaire. If you do not answer within 10 days, you are denied for that week.
Checked against DUA’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how long to keep your records, the job bank sign-up rule, the union rule, who doesn’t have to search, the job bank link on an official page, so check your notice for those.
Sources
- File your weekly unemployment claim | Mass.gov
- FAQs about unemployment insurance for workers | Mass.gov
- DUA UI Policy memo UIPP 2019.05: Work Search requirements (Aug 29, 2019)
- Work Search Activity Log, Form 1750 (Rev. 08-14-25)
- What to do if you've become unemployed in Massachusetts
- Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) | Mass.gov
- Massachusetts Announces Reinstatement of Unemployment Work Search Requirements (2021)
- DUA Adjudication Handbook Ch. 4 (Rev. 3-1-2020), hosted by Mass Legal Services
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.