How to Complete the NC Unemployment Work Search Record (NCUI 506E)

The NC unemployment work search record is kept inside your MyNCUIBenefits account: you type each job contact into the portal before filing your weekly certification, and the system stores it. North Carolina’s Division of Employment Security (DES) also publishes a printable Work Search Record (form NCCLM 506e) you can use to jot contacts down during the week, but that paper form is a personal worksheet, not something you mail in.¹ The official record is what you enter online.

How Many Contacts You Need Each Week

You must make at least three job contacts every week you claim benefits. One of the three can be a reemployment activity at a local NCWorks Career Center, but the other two have to be with actual employers.² Eligibility is decided week by week. Fall short in a given week and you lose benefits for that week; there is no way to make up missed contacts later.³

What Counts as a Job Contact

DES counts the following as valid employer contacts:²

Submitting a job application, resume, or letter of interest to an employer.
In-person meetings, video interviews, or contact with employers at a job fair.

For the one allowed reemployment activity, qualifying options at an NCWorks Career Center include career counseling, skills assessments, job clubs or networking groups, and career fairs.² If you aren’t sure a specific activity qualifies, call your local NCWorks center before counting it.

One note on which jobs to target: during your first ten weeks of benefits, DES judges whether work is suitable based on your prior earnings, training and experience, commute, and health or safety risks. After ten weeks, any job paying at least 120 percent of your weekly benefit amount is considered suitable, and turning down a suitable offer without good cause disqualifies you for the rest of your claim.²⁴

Information to Record for Each Contact

Whether you write contacts on the printable form during the week or type them straight into your account, DES asks for the same four pieces of information per entry:⁵

The date you contacted the employer or did the reemployment activity.
The employer’s name, or the name of the career center activity.
How you made contact: in person, by phone, by email, or online.
The matching contact detail: a physical address for an in-person visit, a phone number for a call, an email address for email, or a website URL for an online application.

Log each contact as soon as you make it. Reconstructing a week from memory on certification day is how details get mixed up, and inaccurate entries can trigger a compliance review.

Entering Your Work Searches in MyNCUIBenefits

You enter your contacts in MyNCUIBenefits before the system will let you file your weekly certification. Once your entries are complete, the portal stores them. You don’t upload a separate document and you don’t mail anything.⁵

To certify after your contacts are in:

Sign in to your MyNCUIBenefits account.
Open the Action Required box and click “File Weekly Certification.”
Answer the questions about your work search, any wages earned, and your availability for work.

You have 14 days after the end of each benefit week (Sunday through Saturday) to file. Miss that window and you will not be paid for that week, and you may have to reopen your claim and serve another unpaid waiting week.⁶

The Printable Work Search Record and Correction Form

The downloadable Work Search Record (NCCLM 506e) on the DES website is a tracking grid you print and fill in as the week goes.¹ It is not a substitute for your online entries. Use it as a worksheet, then copy the information into MyNCUIBenefits when you certify.

If you realize you entered something wrong after submitting, DES has a separate Work Search Activity Correction Form that you complete and upload through MyNCUIBenefits.⁷ Use that form only to fix an error in a search you have already submitted, not for your routine weekly entries.⁸

DES recommends keeping your work search records for two years.² Even with the entries stored in the portal, a backup protects you if the state later questions whether you met the requirement.

If You Get a RESEA Appointment

Some claimants are selected for the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program, run through NCWorks Career Centers for people the state has flagged as most likely to exhaust their benefits.⁹ If you are selected, attendance is mandatory. The session includes a one-on-one review of your eligibility and your work searches, and it counts as a reemployment activity toward your three contacts for that week. Missing a scheduled RESEA appointment can affect your benefits, so treat the notice like a deadline.

When the Requirement Can Be Waived

In normal times the three-contact rule applies to everyone. During a state-declared emergency, the governor can issue an executive order letting DES waive work search along with the related requirements to register for work and be able and available to work.¹⁰ These waivers are tied to specific disaster declarations and do not apply outside them.

What Happens If Your Record Is Short or Wrong

If DES decides you didn’t make three valid contacts in a week, you are ineligible for benefits for that week. Your eligibility resumes the next week if you meet the requirement again.³

Falsifying your record is a different matter. DES lists “not looking for a job while you’re getting benefits” and “not keeping a record of your work search” as examples of fraud.¹¹ A fraud finding brings a 52-week disqualification from benefits, full repayment of what you received, a mandatory 15 percent federal penalty on top of the overpayment, and possible criminal charges (a Class 1 misdemeanor for $400 or less, a Class I felony above $400).¹² Honest overpayments still have to be repaid, but DES can only withhold up to 50 percent of future weekly benefits in those cases, instead of the full amount it can withhold for fraud.

If You Disagree With a Work Search Denial

If DES denies a week of benefits over your work search and you believe the determination is wrong, you can appeal. The appeal has to be in writing, and the deadline is printed on your determination letter. The quickest route is through MyNCUIBenefits: open Claims, find the non-monetary determination, select the issue, click Request Appeal, and attach any evidence that backs you up, such as application confirmations, screenshots, or NCWorks appointment records. You can also appeal by fax (919-341-5691), by email (des.public.appeals@commerce.nc.gov), or by mail to DES Appeals, PO Box 25903, Raleigh, NC 27611-5903, though those routes take longer to reach a hearing.¹³

1
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Work Search Record – English
2
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Work Search Guidelines FAQs
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 96-14.9 – Weekly Certification
4
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 96-14.11 – Disqualification for the Remaining Weeks of the Benefit Period
5
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Your Work Search Responsibilities
6
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. File Your Weekly Certification
7
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Forms and Documents
8
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Work Search Requirements for Unemployment Benefits
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Grants
10
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Executive Order 322
11
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. What is an Overpayment?
12
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 96-18 – Penalties
13
North Carolina Division of Employment Security. File an Appeal