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WORK SEARCH REQUIREMENTS
NOTICE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CONDUCT FOUR (4) REEMPLOYMNT ACTIVITIES EACH WEEK. THREE (3) OF THOSE REEMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES ARE REQUIRED TO BE JOB APPLICATIONS. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CREATE AN IOWAWORKS PROFILE AND CERTIFY YOUR REEMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES. YOU WILL UTILIZE IOWAWORKS TO CERTIFY YOUR REEMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CERTIFY YOUR REEMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO FILING YOUR WEEKLY CLAIM. READ THESE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR MORE DETAILS.
AVISO: A PARTIR DEL 9 DE ENERO DE 2022, LOS REQUISITOS DE ACTIVIDADES DE REEMPLEO CAMBIARON DE DOS (2) A CUATRO (4). SE REQUIERE QUE TRES (3) DE ESAS ACTIVIDADES DE REEMPLEO SEAN SOLICITUDES DE EMPLEO. DEBE CREAR UN PERFIL DE IOWAWORKS Y CERTIFICAR SUS ACTIVIDADES DE REEMPLEO. UTILIZARÁ IOWAWORKS PARA CERTIFICAR SUS ACTIVIDADES DE REEMPLEO. DEBE CERTIFICAR SUS ACTIVIDADES DE REEMPLEO ANTES DE PRESENTAR SU RECLAMO SEMANAL. LEA ESTAS PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES PARA OBTENER MÁS DETALLES.
In order to maintain eligibility for unemployment benefits, you are required to complete four reemployment activities each week, unless this requirement is waived by the department. Reemployment activities may be waived if you are temporarily unemployed and expect to be recalled by your former employer within a reasonable period of time (generally 4 weeks or less) or if you are in school and approved for Department Approved Training (DAT). Your work search requirement is determined each time a claim is filed.
Detailed instructions for logging and certifying reemployment activities can be found on the Unemployment Insurance & IowaWORKS Reemployment Activities landing page.
In order to meet the work search requirements, you must complete four reemployment activities, three of which must be job applications, between Sunday and Saturday of the week you are claiming benefits. These reemployment activities must be recorded and certified in IowaWORKS prior to filing a weekly claim for benefits.
The work search must be a reasonable and honest effort to find suitable work. Failure to do so may result in the denial of benefits. Participation in reemployment services activities may qualify as a work search.
You must be willing to accept a reasonable wage for the job for which you are applying. If you apply for the same position with the same employer within six weeks, you cannot count that most recent application toward your four required reemployment activities.
Members of a union hiring hall are required to be in good standing and must contact the union in accordance with hall rules.
Review these Frequently Asked Questions about Unemployment Insurance.
REPORTING EARNINGS
Gross earnings or gross wages are your earnings before taxes or other payroll deductions are made. Earnings or wages must be reported on the weekly claim during the week the wages are earned, not when the wages are paid. Earnings must be reported even if you have not yet received the payment. To calculate the amount to report, multiply the number of hours you worked by your hourly wage.
Example: 10 hours X $12.00/hour = $120.00 in gross earnings
You should report the full gross amount of earnings and we will calculate any deductions. Deductions and/or earnings are calculated differently depending on the type of income. See the general guidelines on deductibility below.
EXCESSIVE EARNINGS
Fifteen dollars ($15) or more over your weekly benefit amount (WBA) is considered excessive earnings. When filing your weekly claim, if you report excessive earnings for four consecutive weeks, your claim will need to be reactivated before payments can resume. On the 5th consecutive week of filing, if you are still in need of benefits, you must file a new initial claim by Saturday in order to reactivate your claim and be able to continue with your weekly certifications.
PARTIALLY DEDUCTIBLE FROM THE BENEFIT PAYMENT BASED ON A FORMULA
You may earn up to 25 percent of your WBA before the benefit payment is reduced, but there is still a requirement to report all earnings even if those earnings are under 25 percent. Earnings higher than 25 percent will reduce your benefit payment. If you earn $15 or more over your WBA, you will not receive a benefit payment for that week. This type of income includes:
- Wages
- Holiday pay
- Sick leave
- Stand-by pay
- Tips, gratuities, commission and incentive pay
- Strike pay - only deductible when received for services rendered.
- Any compensation other than cash (i.e. room and board, cell phone)
Example: Your WBA is $400 and you earn $370.
25% of $400 is $100. $100 is not deducted from the WBA.
$370 - $100 = $270. The remaining $270 is deducted from the WBA.
$400 - $270 = $130.
$130 is the payment amount for the week.
FULLY DEDUCTIBLE FROM THE BENEFIT PAYMENT
Under Iowa law and administrative code, some forms of income reduce your benefit payment one dollar for each dollar earned (dollar for dollar). Income that is 100% deductible includes:
- Vacation pay and paid time off
- Severance pay
- Pension – Only if the employer contributed 100%
- Retirement, Annuity, or any other similar periodic payment
- Workers’ Compensation (temporary total disability)
- Paid excused leave (funeral or personal leave)
Example: Your WBA is $400 and you receive a $370 vacation payout for the week you are claiming.
$400 - $370 = $30. $30 is the payment amount for the week.
REPORTING VACATION PAY
Vacation pay that is paid out after a separation from employment is reportable for the first 5 workdays following the last day worked. Vacation pay is applied to an 8-hour work day and a 5-day work week, Monday through Friday. If you received less than 5 days of vacation pay, you should report the amount that you received or will receive.
See the instructions below on how to report vacation pay.
VACATION PAY 40 HOURS OR LESS
If you received less than 5 days of vacation pay after a separation from employment, you should report the amount that you received or will receive.
Example: Your last day worked is Wednesday. You were paid $25 per hour and will receive 28 hours of vacation pay in the amount of $700. The money should be reported on weekly claims as follows:
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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Week 1 |
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Last day |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 2 |
File for last week Report $400 vacation pay |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (4 hrs.) |
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Week 3 |
File for last week Report $400 vacation pay |
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VACATION PAY IN EXCESS OF 40 HOURS
If you received or will receive vacation pay in excess of 40 hours after a separation from employment, you must only report 40 hours of vacation pay.
Example: Your last day is Wednesday. You were paid $25 per hour and will receive 80 hours of vacation pay in the amount of $2,000. The money should be reported on the weekly claim as follows:
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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Week 1 |
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|
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Last day |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 2 |
File for last week 1 Report $400 vacation pay |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 3 |
File for last week 2 Report $600 vacation pay |
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SELF-EMPLOYMENT
If you are self-employed or will receive a 1099 at the end of the year for working, you are not required to report the wages on your weekly unemployment insurance claim.
Income from self-employment is not considered wages and is not deducted from unemployment insurance benefits. However, eligibility requirements must still be met.
To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you must be able, available, and be actively looking for work and willing to accept suitable work. If it is determined that self-employment prevents you from accepting suitable work, you may be disqualified due to being unavailable for work.
WORK REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT
You must register for work when you apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI). You can do this at your local IowaWORKS center or online. If you have already registered for work on www.iowaworks.gov and have created a Employer Searchable resume, you have met this requirement and no action is needed.
To register for work in Iowa, you must complete the registration and a resume using the IowaWORKS website.
You must log in and complete all questions. NOTE: It is important to register using your social security number (SSN). The system may not be able to find your information based on your name and other identifying information. If you do not use your SSN, we may be unable to verify that you have registered for work and benefits may be withheld until this requirement has been verified.
A valid work registration will be considered valid when, at a minimum, the following is in the claimant's IowaWORKS account:
To register for work, you must complete the following steps:
- Create a user account at www.iowaworks.gov
- You must provide your social security number (SSN) to be considered "registered for work".
- Create an active résumé.
- You must make the résumé available online for review by employers.
For any questions about completing your work registration or setting up your resume, contact your local IowaWORKS center
Failure to complete the online application will result in the denial of your unemployment benefits if you are required to look for work.
In order to remain eligible for unemployment, you are required to have an on-line active resume at www.iowaworks.gov the entire duration of your claim. While you are filing for unemployment insurance, you may be required to periodically update your resume to remain registered for work. If your work registration is not active, you may receive a notice to update your resume and work registration. Failure to update your resume to complete the work registration at that time could result in denial of benefits.
ABILITY TO WORK AND AVAILABILITY FOR WORK
You must be able and available for work while claiming benefits. It is important to notify us of any condition or situation which would prevent you from working, accepting work, or looking for work the majority of the week. These situations may include, but are not limited to:
- Illness, injury, or hospitalization
- Being in jail
- Attending school
- Being on vacation or out of town
- No childcare
- No transportation
You should contact us at 1-866-239-0843 to report any changes that could affect your benefits.
SUITABLE WORK/WORK REFUSALS
You are required to search for and accept suitable work, unless this requirement is waived. Factors used to determine if the job offer is acceptable include wage, length of unemployment, working conditions and job duties.
The wage requirements for determining if work is suitable are calculated using the wages earned in the high quarter of the base period. The highest quarter of the base period is divided by 13 (the number of weeks in a quarter) to calculate the average weekly wage (AWW).
Example: Your earnings in the high quarter are $5,200. To calculate the AWW, divide $5,200 by 13. The AWW is $400, which equals $10 per hour in a 40 hour work week.
A job offer may be considered suitable if the offered wages are at or above the following percentages of the AWW:
- 100 percent if work is offered during the week that the claim is established or during the first week of a claim
- 90 percent if work is offered during the 2nd and 3rd week of a claim
- 80 percent if work is offered during the 4th and 5th week of a claim
- 70 percent if work is offered during the 6th, 7th or 8th week of a claim
- 60 percent if work is offered during or after the 9th week of a claim
EXAMPLE: If you are offered work that pays $290 per week ($7.25 per hour in a 40 hour work week) during the fourth week of the claim, the job offer is not considered suitable, because it is below 80 percent of your AWW. You are not required to accept any job offers that are below the federal or state minimum wage.
When you file a weekly claim, you must report if you refused any job offers or referrals during that week.
PENSIONS, MILITARY AND RETIREMENT PAYOUTS
When you file a weekly claim, you must report any pension payment that was 100% paid by your employer, or the military, any 401k payout, or other similar periodic or lump sum payments. You will then be contacted for the following information:
- Name of contributing employer(s)
- Percent employer contributed
- Date you received or began receiving the payout
- Gross amount of payout
Once the above information is received, we will determine if the payment is deductible from unemployment insurance benefits.