Montana Unemployment Checklist: Weekly Work Search Rules, Excel Log and Documents to Gather

Who it is for

People claiming unemployment in Montana who need to keep a weekly work search record for Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division, and family members helping them stay organized.

Not the right fit if

You claim unemployment in a state other than Montana, or you need help with a denied claim or an appeal: this organizes the weekly work search record and doesn't advise on eligibility.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Montana work search data file, checked November 2026 against 1 official page: Montana UID: Work search requirements.
• 3 items the official pages didn't state are printed as "Not confirmed — check" with the agency's page, never guessed.
• The Excel summary flags any week with fewer than 1 logged activities, recalculating with zero formula errors.

What is inside

• Montana weekly work search log (Excel). A log with the columns Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division asks for (Employer or organization, Person contacted, Date, Job title or type of work, Phone, Address, website or email, Result, Proof kept), a weekly summary that counts your activities against Montana's 1 per week and a documents checklist.
• Start here: Montana filing and work search steps. The 8 facts Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division's pages confirm, each with its source and check date, and 3 marked "Not confirmed — check": official list of activities, official log form, how the week is counted. The weekly requirement, in the agency's words: Make one work search contact each week, within the week claimed and on a day hiring is normally done. Don't use the same employer two weeks in a row unless the employer asks you to. How to report: Request weekly payment at uiclaimant.mt.gov, and be able to produce your work search records when the State of Montana asks. Activities Montana counts: completing a job application; submitting a résumé; contacting a person with hiring authority, for work you're willing and qualified to do, where you'll work; registering with a temp agency (only the week you first sign up). Records: Keep the record of your work search contacts for 3 years in case your claim is selected for an audit. Job bank: MontanaWorks (Job Service) (registration required). Who may not have to search, per the agency: department-approved training (you must register and search again if training ends, isn't in session or you miss 30 days); job or union attachment through a hiring hall (keep in contact; union dues current and on the out-of-work list).
• Documents to gather. A checklist of the papers a claim usually asks for (IDs, employer names and dates, pay records, separation papers), with space for anything Montana's application adds.
• Printable weekly work search log. A paper version of the log with Montana's columns, one week per page, for claimants who prefer to write it down.