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

Who it is for

People claiming unemployment in Washington who need to keep a weekly work search record for Washington Employment Security Department (ESD), and family members helping them stay organized.

Not the right fit if

You claim unemployment in a state other than Washington, 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 Washington work search data file, checked November 2026 against 1 official page: WA ESD: Job 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 3 logged activities, recalculating with zero formula errors.

What is inside

• Washington weekly work search log (Excel). A log with the columns Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) asks for (Date, Activity, Employer or organization, Address, website or email, How you made contact, Person contacted, Proof kept), a weekly summary that counts your activities against Washington's 3 per week and a documents checklist.
• Start here: Washington filing and work search steps. The 8 facts Washington Employment Security Department (ESD)'s pages confirm, each with its source and check date, and 3 marked "Not confirmed — check": how to report your work search, where to report, how the week is counted. The weekly requirement, in the agency's words: Complete 3 job search activities each week you claim. Survivors of domestic violence or stalking who left work for that reason need only 1. Activities Washington counts: employer contacts online, by email, mail, phone, fax, kiosk, or in-person or virtual meetings (take every step needed to apply); workSource online activities: setting up an account, uploading a searchable résumé, virtual workshops, the career profile tool, RESEA appointments; in-person WorkSource workshops, specialist or coach meetings, and job fairs where you contact at least one employer; job search websites, online assessments, educational videos, certain courses, app-based work platforms, WIOA or vocational rehabilitation programs. Records: Keep your log for at least 30 days after the end of your benefit year, or 30 days after you stop receiving benefits, whichever is later. ESD may ask for it at any time, even after you stop claiming. Job bank: WorkSource (registration required). Who may not have to search, per the agency: partial unemployment, an approved electrical apprenticeship, or a strike, lockout or labor dispute (ESD may waive); sharedWork, standby during a temporary layoff or furlough, SEAP, approved training, or the classroom portion of mandatory apprentice training; full-referral union members don't need to seek work outside the union.
• 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 Washington's application adds.
• Printable weekly work search log. A paper version of the log with Washington's columns, one week per page, for claimants who prefer to write it down.