myjobcontacts › States › Pennsylvania
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in Pennsylvania?
Short answer: Each week you must apply for at least 2 jobs and do at least 1 work search activity, like a job fair or searching job postings on PA CareerLink. Applying for a 3rd job can take the place of the activity. This starts with the third week after you file your claim.
Each week
3 job contacts
Some people have a different number. See below.
The week
Sunday through Saturday
Request payment
File your weekly claim during the week (Sunday to Saturday) right after the week you are claiming.
Official log form
Keep records
Keep your work search records for 2 years from the start date of your claim.
Different numbers for some people
- First two weeks of your claim: 0 a week. Work search starts with the third week of your benefit year (the third calendar week from when you filed).
- Part-time work, earning more than your partial benefit credit: 1 a week. If you worked part-time and earned more than your partial benefit credit that week, you only need 1 job application and no work search activity.
- Limiting to similar jobs: 3 a week. You may limit applications to jobs like your last one (similar work and pay, within a 45-minute commute). If there are fewer than 2 such openings, do a work search activity for each missing application.
What counts as a work search in Pennsylvania
- Applying for a job in person, online, by mail, by phone or by email
- A job interview (counts as 1 application or 1 activity)
- Going to a job fair
- Searching job postings on PA CareerLink or other job boards
- Creating or posting your resume on PA CareerLink or a job board
- Networking with former coworkers or people in your field
- Using an employment agency, registry or school placement office
- Taking a civil service or other pre-employment test
- Going to a PA CareerLink workshop or event
- If self-employed, sending a bid for work
What doesn’t count
- Applying again for the same job, unless the employer's hiring situation has changed
Same employer twice? Reapplying for the same job does not count, unless the employer's hiring situation has reasonably changed.
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
When you file your weekly claim, you answer whether you looked for work. You do not type in each job. Keep your own record of every application and activity, using Form UC-304 or your own log with the same details. Do not send it unless L&I asks. If asked, you can upload it in your benefits dashboard.
When: File your weekly claim during the week (Sunday to Saturday) right after the week you are claiming. It must be done by 11:59 PM Saturday.
Where: PA UC benefits system.
When the search starts: With the third calendar week after you file your initial claim (week 3 of your benefit year).
Keep a work search log
Keep your work search records for 2 years from the start date of your claim. L&I’s form is the Work Search Record (UC-304). It asks for: job applications/interviews: date of application or date of interview, employer, employer contact name, employer phone/email, how did you apply for the job, results, work search activity: date of activity, type of activity, location of activity, contact name, contact phone/email.
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as L&I’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- You get work through a union hiring hall and are in good standing
- You are in the Shared-Work program
- You are in department-approved training or Trade Adjustment Assistance training
- You are required to attend RESEA at a PA CareerLink office (that week)
- You are laid off for lack of work and have a written recall date from your employer (ends if the date is canceled or passes)
- You are in a department-approved work search program
- L&I approved a waiver for you (Form UC-318)
Union members: If you get work through a union hiring hall and are in good standing when you file, you do not have to do the weekly work search.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
L&I can ask to see your work search records at any time for 2 years from the start of your claim. They must have all the details the UC-304 asks for. Save screenshots or email confirmations when you can.
RESEA: If you are picked for RESEA (Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment) at a PA CareerLink office, you must go unless you have good reason. Benefits can be denied if you do not take part. The week you attend counts as exempt from work search.
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
If you do not search for work, you can be denied benefits for that week. Later weeks are fine if you meet the rule. If you cannot show your records when asked, you may lose benefits and have to pay them back. Saying you looked for work when you did not is fraud, with repayment plus a 15% penalty.
Sign up with the job bank
Register with PA CareerLink within 30 days after you file. You need a Keystone ID and a resume in the system. Your name and address must match in both systems. PA CareerLink.
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 L&I ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in Pennsylvania ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in Pennsylvania?
Each week you must apply for at least 2 jobs and do at least 1 work search activity, like a job fair or searching job postings on PA CareerLink. Applying for a 3rd job can take the place of the activity. This starts with the third week after you file your claim. Some people have a different number: First two weeks of your claim (0); Part-time work, earning more than your partial benefit credit (1); Limiting to similar jobs (3).
What counts as a work search in Pennsylvania?
Applying for a job in person, online, by mail, by phone or by email; A job interview (counts as 1 application or 1 activity); Going to a job fair; Searching job postings on PA CareerLink or other job boards, 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 Pennsylvania?
When you file your weekly claim, you answer whether you looked for work. You do not type in each job. Keep your own record of every application and activity, using Form UC-304 or your own log with the same details. Do not send it unless L&I asks. If asked, you can upload it in your benefits dashboard. Keep your work search records for 2 years from the start date of your claim.
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in Pennsylvania?
If you do not search for work, you can be denied benefits for that week. Later weeks are fine if you meet the rule. If you cannot show your records when asked, you may lose benefits and have to pay them back. Saying you looked for work when you did not is fraud, with repayment plus a 15% penalty.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in Pennsylvania?
You get work through a union hiring hall and are in good standing. You are in the Shared-Work program. You are in department-approved training or Trade Adjustment Assistance training. Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does Pennsylvania check or audit work search records?
L&I can ask to see your work search records at any time for 2 years from the start of your claim. They must have all the details the UC-304 asks for. Save screenshots or email confirmations when you can.
Checked against L&I’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how reviews and audits work on an official page, so check your notice for that.
Sources
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.