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

Texas counties with a lower number

Most Texas counties require 5 a week. 90 counties had a lower number on TWC’s county chart when we checked. The letter TWC sends you is what counts, so check it.

What counts as a work search in Texas

• Registering on WorkInTexas.com
• Searching for jobs on WorkInTexas.com and setting up Virtual Recruiter job alerts
• Following up on job leads from WorkInTexas.com or Workforce Solutions staff
• Visiting an employer, filling out a job application, or interviewing (in person or by phone)
• Mailing an application or resume as a job notice tells you to
• Creating or uploading a resume to online job boards
• Going to job clubs, job fairs or other networking events
• Using reemployment services at a Workforce Solutions office or online, such as workshops, skills tests and labor market information
• Registering with a private employment agency or a school or college placement office
• Searching for jobs on the U.S. National Labor Exchange (usnlx.com)

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

How to report your job contacts

Keep a work search log with the details of each activity. When you request payment every two weeks, you answer questions about your work and job search, and TWC reminds you of your weekly number. You do not send the log unless TWC asks. If asked, you can upload it through Unemployment Benefits Services or the UI Submission Portal.

When: Request payment every two weeks on your scheduled filing day (a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday). If you miss it, you can still file on the Thursday, Friday or Saturday of that week.

Where: Unemployment Benefits Services (UBS).

When the search starts: Each week you request payment for. TWC tells you your weekly number in a letter after you apply.

Keep a work search log

Keep all your work search logs for your whole benefit year, or for as long as you get benefits, whichever is longer. TWC’s form is the Work Search Activity Log (BN900E). It asks for: date of activity, work search activity, type of job, employer/service/agency name, address (street or internet), city, state, zip, area code + phone number, person contacted, contact method (by mail, email, fax #, other), results (hired + start date, not hiring, application filed, other).

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

Who doesn’t have to search

• You are on a temporary layoff with a definite return-to-work date within 8 weeks (8 to 12 weeks if your employer asks in writing; longer only if TWC grants a waiver)
• You are a union member in good standing with a hiring hall and you stay in touch with it
• You are in TWC-approved training or Trade Act training
• You are in a Shared Work plan
• You are on jury duty for 3 or more days, for those weeks
• You are a federal employee on furlough or in a shutdown and will go back to that job (added August 2026)
• You live in a declared disaster area and TWC and the U.S. Department of Labor approve a waiver (added August 2026)

Union members: If you are an active member in good standing of a union with a non-discriminatory hiring hall, and you keep in contact with and use the hiring hall, you do not have to do a work search.

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

Reviews, audits and RESEA

TWC may ask for your log for any week, or many weeks, at any time during your benefit year. After you send it, TWC checks your activities. Write down specific details, especially phone numbers with area codes, so they can be verified.

RESEA: TWC picks some claimants for Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) based on how likely they are to run out of benefits. You watch an orientation video, then meet with an employment coach who reviews your work search and helps you make a job plan. If you miss required RESEA activities, TWC may stop your payments until you finish them. A 2025 Texas law (HB 3698) made taking part in reemployment services a condition of getting benefits.

What to expect: unemployment work search audits.

If you miss your number

If you don't do your weekly number without good cause, you can be found ineligible and lose benefits. If TWC asks for your log for past weeks and you can't provide it, you can lose benefits for those weeks. Giving false work search information is fraud and can mean repaying benefits and criminal charges.

Sign up with the job bank

You must register on WorkInTexas.com within three business days of the day you applied. If you live outside Texas, register with the American Job Center in your state within three business days. WorkInTexas.com.

Questions people in Texas ask

How many job searches are required for unemployment in Texas?

Most people must do at least 5 work search activities each week. Some small rural counties have a lower number, from 1 to 4. TWC mails you a letter with your exact number, and that letter is what counts.

What counts as a work search in Texas?

Registering on WorkInTexas.com; Searching for jobs on WorkInTexas.com and setting up Virtual Recruiter job alerts; Following up on job leads from WorkInTexas.com or Workforce Solutions staff; Visiting an employer, filling out a job application, or interviewing (in person or by phone), 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 Texas?

Keep a work search log with the details of each activity. When you request payment every two weeks, you answer questions about your work and job search, and TWC reminds you of your weekly number. You do not send the log unless TWC asks. If asked, you can upload it through Unemployment Benefits Services or the UI Submission Portal. Keep all your work search logs for your whole benefit year, or for as long as you get benefits, whichever is longer.

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

If you don't do your weekly number without good cause, you can be found ineligible and lose benefits. If TWC asks for your log for past weeks and you can't provide it, you can lose benefits for those weeks. Giving false work search information is fraud and can mean repaying benefits and criminal charges.

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

You are on a temporary layoff with a definite return-to-work date within 8 weeks (8 to 12 weeks if your employer asks in writing; longer only if TWC grants a waiver). You are a union member in good standing with a hiring hall and you stay in touch with it. You are in TWC-approved training or Trade Act training. Your notice will say if this applies to you.

Does Texas check or audit work search records?

TWC may ask for your log for any week, or many weeks, at any time during your benefit year. After you send it, TWC checks your activities. Write down specific details, especially phone numbers with area codes, so they can be verified.

Checked against TWC’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm when the search starts, the exact questions asked when you request payment, which counties count as rural on an official page, so check your notice for those.

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.