Florida’s unemployment work search record is the log you use to prove you looked for work during each bi-weekly claim period, and you file it by entering your contacts directly in the CONNECT system at connect.myflorida.com when you request your benefit payment. Florida law requires at least five employer contacts each week, which comes to ten per bi-weekly request. Log each contact the day it happens rather than reconstructing the list later, because the system asks for specific verifiable details and FloridaCommerce can audit what you enter.
How Many Contacts You Need
The standard is five employer contacts per week, or ten total for each bi-weekly claim.1Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Work Search and Work Registration FAQs If you live in a small county as defined by Florida law, the requirement drops to three contacts per week.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
There is a useful alternative built into the rules. If you cannot reach five employers in a given week, going to a local CareerSource Florida center and actually meeting with a representative there satisfies the full week’s requirement.1Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Work Search and Work Registration FAQs Walking in and walking out does not count; you have to access reemployment services during the visit.
What Counts as a Work Search Contact
The activity has to be a real step toward getting hired, not browsing listings or saving jobs. FloridaCommerce recognizes these as qualifying contacts:
- Submitting a job application online, by email, on paper, or through a company hiring portal
- Attending an interview in person, by phone, or by video
- Going to a job fair
- Meeting with a representative at your local CareerSource Florida center
- Taking a qualifying civil service exam for government employment
- Attending a scheduled Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) appointment
Applying through a job board such as Indeed or LinkedIn counts only when you actually submit an application for a specific open position. Saving a listing to favorites or setting up a job alert does not.1Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Work Search and Work Registration FAQs Every entry has to be verifiable, because the department can and does contact listed employers to check.
What to Record for Each Contact
Capture these details at the moment of the contact. CONNECT will ask for the same fields when you enter your record:
- The exact date of the application, interview, or event
- The method of contact (in person, phone, email, website)
- Employer or business details: for an in-person visit, the business name, phone number, and full physical address; for a website application, the URL; for an email, a copy of the message sent or received
- The type of work sought — the field, industry, or job title
- The result: application submitted, interview scheduled, position filled, and so on
These are the same data points CONNECT prompts you for during your bi-weekly claim.1Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Work Search and Work Registration FAQs A printable Work Search Record form (Form UC-20A) is available through the FloridaCommerce website if you prefer to keep a paper log before entering the information online.
Entering Your Record in CONNECT
You submit the work search record as part of the bi-weekly benefit payment request inside CONNECT at connect.myflorida.com. Log in, go to the section for requesting benefit payments, and follow the prompts to the work search screens. The system walks you through the same fields listed above for each contact, one entry at a time, until all contacts for both weeks are in.3Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Completing Your Work Search Form in the Reemployment Assistance Help Center
A summary screen lets you review everything before you submit. Save or print the confirmation page after you submit. That confirmation is your proof of timely filing if the department later questions the week.
If you cannot use the online system, FloridaCommerce accepts paper submissions by mail or fax. Paper processing is slower, so send it well before the claiming deadline to avoid a payment gap.
Register With Employ Florida Before Your First Claim
Before you can claim your first benefit payment, you must complete a separate work registration through Employ Florida at employflorida.com. This is not the same as filing your initial claim in CONNECT, and skipping it will get you marked ineligible until you finish it.4FloridaCommerce. Employ Florida Work Registration Instructions The registration creates a profile visible to Florida employers and unlocks the state’s job-matching tools. Finish it before your first bi-weekly claim request.
When You Are Exempt From the Work Search
Some claimants do not have to record five contacts a week. You still have to log into CONNECT and certify that you remain able and available for work each claim period, but the contact requirement does not apply if any of the following fits your situation:
- You are on a temporary layoff with a return-to-work date from your employer.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
- You are a union member who normally gets work through a hiring hall, and you report daily to the hall.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
- You are enrolled in a training program approved by FloridaCommerce, including programs under the Trade Act of 1974.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
- You are required to participate in Reemployment Services under the statute.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
- You are called to jury duty during the week.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.091 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
- You live in a FEMA-declared disaster county during a period FloridaCommerce has waived the requirement. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, for example, the department suspended both work search reporting and Employ Florida registration for affected counties. These waivers are temporary and county-specific, so check department announcements when a disaster hits your area.5FloridaCommerce. FloridaCommerce Press Releases – Work Search Waiver for Hurricane Ian
How Long to Keep Your Records
Florida does not publish a specific retention period for claimant records, but the statute gives the state up to two years to investigate suspected fraud and up to seven years to recover overpaid benefits after a fraud finding.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.151 – Procedure Holding onto your logs, CONNECT confirmation numbers, printed applications, and email records for at least two years after your last payment gives you a reasonable margin. If your claim was ever disputed, keep everything for the full seven-year window.
Consequences of Incomplete or False Records
Missing contacts and sloppy entries cost you the week. If FloridaCommerce decides you did not meet the requirement for a given week, benefits for that week are denied. You can start meeting the requirement again the following week, but the missed week does not come back.
Reporting false information is a separate and much heavier problem. If the department finds you intentionally listed employers you never contacted, invented interviews, or entered fake company names, the disqualification can run up to one year from the date the fraud is discovered and continues until the overpayment is fully repaid.7Florida Senate. Florida Code 443.101 – Disqualification for Benefits On top of repaying every dollar you were not entitled to, the state adds a penalty of 15 percent of the overpaid amount.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 443.151 – Procedure Florida actively audits work search records and calls listed employers to verify.
Appealing a Work Search Disqualification
If FloridaCommerce denies benefits over a work search issue, you have 20 days from the date the notice is mailed to file an appeal.8Florida Senate. Florida Code 443.151 – Procedure The 20-day window is strict; miss it and your chances of getting a hearing drop sharply. File the appeal through CONNECT or submit it in writing.
An appeals referee reviews the evidence, and this is where your saved records earn their keep. Bring printouts of confirmation emails, screenshots of online applications, and any other documentation showing the contacts were real and on time. The referee can overturn the disqualification on that evidence. If the referee rules against you, a further appeal is available to the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission, but strong documentation at the first hearing gives you the best chance of ending it there.