EDD Work Search Requirements suddenly showing up on my account - what's required?

The work search requirements have actually been in place since mid-2021 when they reinstated them after the pandemic emergency period. You need to make a reasonable effort to find work each week you certify. This typically means applying for jobs, attending interviews, networking, etc. You should keep detailed records of all your search activities with dates, company names, contact info, and results - EDD can audit you anytime up to 3 years after your claim. The standard minimum is 3 work search activities per week but it can vary based on your industry. If you haven't been keeping records, start doing so immediately and try to reconstruct what you did previously as best you can.

i just check yes every time lol. been on UI since january, nobodys ever asked me for proof 🤷‍♂️

THEY ARE PLAYING GAMES WITH ALL OF US!!! First they don't enforce the work search requirements for YEARS during pandemic, then they quietly turn them back on and expect everyone to know??? I got HIT with a $8,700 OVERPAYMENT notice because I couldn't provide "adequate" work search proof when they randomly audited me last month. THIS IS A TRAP to deny benefits and create overpayments! DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!!!

My cousin had this same issue last month! The work search requirements have always been there, but now they're actually enforcing them. Keep track of everything in a spreadsheet with dates, company names, position, application method, follow ups, etc.

Hi there! I work as an employment specialist and help clients with EDD issues regularly. Here's exactly what you need to know about work search requirements: 1) You need to perform at least 3 work search activities per week 2) Qualifying activities include: submitting applications, attending interviews, registering with CalJOBS, networking events, creating/updating resumes, attending job fairs 3) Document each activity with: date, company name, position, contact info, method of contact, and result 4) Keep records for at least 3 years after your claim 5) You can record these activities in UI Online when you certify (there's a section for it) or keep your own records If you haven't been keeping records, start now and try to reconstruct your past activities as best you can. EDD typically sends a notice before requesting work search records, so you'd have some time to prepare if audited.

Been trying to reach EDD by phone about this exact issue for 2 weeks... kept getting the "we're experiencing higher than normal call volume" message and getting disconnected. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an EDD rep in 25 minutes! They confirmed everything the employment specialist above said and reviewed my specific case. There's a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km if anyone else is struggling to get through.

I've been keeping a work search log since I started my claim in February. EDD actually has a work search record form you can download and print from their website. It's form DE 8578. I fill it out by hand each week and keep it in a folder with copies of my job applications and confirmation emails. This way if they ever audit me, I have everything organized and ready.

wait guys im confused... i thought if u say ur lookin for work on ur cert that's all u need to do? nobody told me bout keepin records lol

I just went back through my emails and found confirmation emails for 5 job applications I submitted over the past few weeks. I also attended a virtual job fair but don't have proof of that. Is it worth calling EDD to explain my situation before they potentially audit me? I'm so worried about getting hit with an overpayment notice!

I'm in the exact same situation! Just noticed the work search section in my UI Online account last week and I've been certifying since January without keeping detailed records. Reading through all these comments is both helpful and terrifying - especially hearing about that $8,700 overpayment! I'm going to start using that DE 8578 form mentioned above and try to reconstruct my past activities from my email history. Does anyone know if things like updating your LinkedIn profile or attending online career workshops count as valid work search activities? I've been doing those but wasn't sure if they qualify.

I'm a newcomer here and this thread is incredibly eye-opening! I've been on unemployment for about 6 weeks and honestly had no idea about the detailed documentation requirements. Like many others here, I've been clicking "yes" to the work search question without keeping proper records. After reading through all these comments, I immediately downloaded the DE 8578 form and started going through my email history to reconstruct what I can. I found application confirmations for about 8 jobs, plus I attended two virtual networking events through my local library. I'm going to start being much more diligent about tracking everything going forward. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's scary to hear about the overpayment situations but better to know now than get blindsided later!

I'm new to this community and this entire thread has been a wake-up call for me! I've been collecting unemployment since late February and just like many others here, I had no clue about the detailed record-keeping requirements. I've been legitimately looking for work - submitting applications, updating my resume, even doing some freelance networking - but I wasn't documenting any of it properly. After reading through everyone's experiences (especially that scary $8,700 overpayment story!), I immediately went and downloaded the DE 8578 form that someone mentioned. I managed to dig up confirmation emails for about 6 job applications from my sent folder and found a couple of networking event registration confirmations. Starting today I'm going to be religious about tracking every single work search activity. Quick question for the group - if I apply to multiple positions at the same company on the same day, does that count as one activity or multiple? Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences here!

I'm brand new to this community and honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed after reading through this entire thread! I've been on unemployment for about 5 weeks now and like so many others here, I had absolutely no idea about these detailed documentation requirements. I've been genuinely looking for work - applying to jobs almost daily, updating my resume multiple times, even attending a couple virtual career fairs - but I wasn't keeping any organized records of it all. The $8,700 overpayment story really freaked me out! I immediately downloaded that DE 8578 form everyone mentioned and spent the last hour going through my email history. I managed to find confirmation emails for about 12 job applications and registration confirmations for 2 virtual events. I'm definitely going to start being super diligent about tracking everything from now on. One thing I'm wondering - do informational interviews count as work search activities? I've had a few coffee chats (virtual ones) with people in my industry to learn about their companies, but I'm not sure if those qualify. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences here - this thread is both terrifying and incredibly helpful!

I'm completely new to this community and this thread has been both a lifesaver and absolutely terrifying! I've been on unemployment since early February and just noticed the work search section in my UI Online account last week. Like so many others here, I've been clicking "yes" to the work search question without realizing I needed to keep detailed documentation. I've actually been very active in my job search - applying to 4-5 jobs per week, attending virtual networking events, updating my resume several times, and even doing some online skill-building courses. But I wasn't documenting any of it properly! After reading about that $8,700 overpayment situation, I immediately went into panic mode and spent hours going through my email history. I managed to find application confirmations for about 15 jobs over the past 8 weeks, plus registration emails for 3 virtual career workshops. I also downloaded that DE 8578 form that was mentioned and I'm going to be religious about tracking everything going forward. One question - I've been taking some free online courses on Coursera and LinkedIn Learning to improve my skills. Do these count as valid work search activities? I have completion certificates for several of them. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community is incredible and you may have just saved me from a major financial disaster!

I'm brand new to this community and this thread has been absolutely invaluable - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I've been on unemployment for about 7 weeks and just like everyone else here, I had no clue about the detailed documentation requirements until I saw this post. I've been actively job searching - submitting applications, attending virtual job fairs, even doing informational interviews - but I wasn't keeping proper records of any of it. Reading about that $8,700 overpayment situation really scared me into action! I immediately downloaded the DE 8578 form and spent hours going through my email history. I managed to find confirmation emails for about 10 job applications and registration confirmations for 2 virtual networking events. I also found certificates from some free online courses I took through my local workforce development center. Starting immediately, I'm going to document absolutely everything using that form. One quick question for the group - when you submit an application through a company's website and don't get a confirmation email, how do you document that activity? Should I take screenshots of the application submission page? Thanks again to everyone who has shared their knowledge here - you may have just saved me from a major financial disaster!

I'm completely new to this community and this thread has been a total eye-opener! I've been on unemployment for about 6 weeks now and just discovered the work search documentation requirements after reading through all these posts. Like so many others here, I've been genuinely looking for work - applying to jobs almost daily, attending virtual networking events, even doing some freelance gigs to stay active - but I had absolutely no idea I needed to keep detailed records of everything! The $8,700 overpayment story really put the fear of God in me. I immediately downloaded that DE 8578 form that everyone mentioned and spent my entire weekend going through emails, LinkedIn activity, and browser history to reconstruct what I could. I managed to document about 18 job applications, 3 virtual career events, and several networking conversations. I also found certificates from some online courses I took through my local library's career center. Moving forward, I'm going to be absolutely meticulous about tracking every single activity. It's honestly shocking that EDD doesn't make these requirements more obvious when you first file your claim. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community might have just saved me from a financial nightmare!

I'm brand new to this community and this thread has been absolutely crucial - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! I've been on unemployment for about 4 weeks and just like so many others here, I had zero idea about these detailed documentation requirements until I found this post. I've been actively job searching - submitting 3-4 applications per week, attending virtual job fairs through my local One-Stop center, and even doing some online networking through industry groups - but I wasn't keeping any organized records. That $8,700 overpayment story absolutely terrified me into action! I immediately went through my email history and managed to find confirmation emails for 8 job applications plus registration confirmations for 2 virtual career workshops. I also downloaded that DE 8578 form that several people mentioned and I'm going to start using it religiously going forward. It's honestly mind-blowing that EDD doesn't make these requirements crystal clear when you first file your claim - it feels like they're intentionally setting people up to fail. Quick question for the group: if I register with multiple job sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc. on the same day, does that count as one work search activity or multiple? Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge here - this community is a lifesaver!

I'm completely new to this community and this thread has been both terrifying and incredibly helpful! I've been on unemployment for about 3 weeks now and just like everyone else here, I had absolutely no clue about these detailed documentation requirements until I stumbled upon this post. I've been genuinely job searching - applying to 2-3 positions per week, updating my resume twice, and attending one virtual networking event - but I wasn't keeping any proper records of my activities. Reading about that $8,700 overpayment situation really sent me into panic mode! I immediately downloaded the DE 8578 form that multiple people mentioned and spent hours digging through my email history. I managed to find confirmation emails for 5 job applications and one registration email for a virtual career fair I attended. I also found a completion certificate for an online Excel course I took through Coursera. Starting right now, I'm going to be absolutely religious about documenting every single work search activity using that form. It's honestly shocking how EDD doesn't make these requirements more obvious when you first file - it really does feel like they're setting people up to fail. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and advice - this community might have just saved me from a major financial disaster! Quick question: does creating profiles on job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn count as work search activities, or only the actual job applications?

I'm brand new to this community and wow, this thread has been absolutely eye-opening! I've been on unemployment for about 2 weeks now and just like so many others here, I had zero awareness of these detailed documentation requirements until I found this post. I've been actively job searching - submitting about 4-5 applications per week and attending a virtual job fair last week - but I wasn't keeping any organized records of my activities. That $8,700 overpayment story really shook me to my core! I immediately went through my email history and found confirmation emails for 7 job applications plus a registration confirmation for the virtual job fair. I also downloaded that DE 8578 form that everyone keeps mentioning and I'm going to start using it religiously from today forward. It's honestly incredible that EDD doesn't make these requirements more transparent when you first file your claim - it really does feel like they're setting people up to stumble into violations. I'm also wondering, does responding to recruiters on LinkedIn count as a work search activity? I've had a few conversations with recruiters who reached out to me, but I'm not sure if that qualifies. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge - this community has been a complete lifesaver and may have just prevented me from making a costly mistake!