Michigan unemployment claimants now have to prove three job-search activities every week instead of one. The change took effect Sunday, July 19, 2026, and it applies to anyone currently certifying for weekly or biweekly benefits through the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
What Changed on July 19
Before July 19, claimants only had to complete and log one work search activity per week to stay eligible for benefits. Under the new rule, that number triples to three activities every week. The requirement comes from Public Act 238 of 2024, bipartisan legislation signed in December 2024 that rewrote several parts of Michigan’s Employment Security (MES) Act, with the work-search provision phased in for July 2026.
The change is not optional and there is no grace period built into the certification system — claimants who file their biweekly certification without the required activities logged for each week risk having that week’s payment denied.
Who This Affects
The rule applies to anyone actively drawing regular Michigan unemployment benefits, including people who have been on the rolls for months and new claimants filing for the first time after July 19. It does not change financial eligibility (your base period wages, monetary determination, or weekly benefit amount) — it only changes the ongoing work-search documentation you must keep up while you continue to collect.
Claimants who are in approved training programs, in a union hiring hall with a standing referral, or who have a UIA-approved exemption follow different rules and should check their individual determination letter rather than the general work-search schedule.
What Counts as a Work Search Activity
The UIA accepts a range of activities toward the weekly total of three. According to state guidance, qualifying activities include:
- Applying for a specific job opening, in person or online
- Creating or updating a profile or resume on a job platform such as MiTalent.org
- Attending a job fair, in person or virtual
- Participating in a job search workshop or skills training session
- Using Michigan Works! resources to connect with an employer
Each activity has to be a distinct, verifiable action — checking job boards without applying, or browsing a company’s careers page without submitting anything, does not count on its own.
How to Report Your Activities
Work search activities are logged through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), the same online account claimants already use to file biweekly certifications. For each activity, the system asks for details such as the employer name, the job title or activity type, and the date it was completed.
Claimants fill out this information as they go and then confirm the full list when they file their biweekly certification. Waiting until certification day to reconstruct two weeks of job search activity from memory is a common way people end up short on documentation, since the state can ask for verification later.
What Happens If You Miss the Requirement
Falling short of three logged activities in a given week can mean that week’s benefit payment is denied, and if a payment is later found to have been issued in error, the UIA can require the claimant to pay it back. This is the same enforcement mechanism the agency already used for the old one-activity rule — the state has simply raised the bar for what counts as compliant.
If a claimant disagrees with a determination that they didn’t meet the work search requirement, they retain the normal right to protest the determination and, if needed, appeal to an administrative law judge, the same process used for any other UIA eligibility dispute.
Other Michigan Unemployment Changes Taking Effect Around the Same Time
The work-search increase is part of a broader set of changes tied to the same 2024 law. Separately, the maximum weekly benefit rate is scheduled to rise to $530 starting January 1, 2026, up from $446, with the dependent allowance also increasing. The same law extended the maximum number of weeks a claimant can collect benefits from 20 to 26. These are distinct provisions from the work-search rule and phase in on their own timelines, so a claimant should not assume a higher payment or extra weeks show up automatically without checking their own determination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the new rule apply to claims that started before July 19?
Yes. The three-activity requirement applies to certification weeks starting July 19, 2026, regardless of when the underlying claim was originally filed.
Can I still count the same job application twice in one week?
No. The UIA requires distinct activities; applying to the same job posting more than once in a week does not create two separate qualifying activities.
Where do I log my activities?
Through MiWAM, the same portal used for biweekly certifications. Activities should be entered as they happen rather than reconstructed later.
What if I have a UIA-approved exemption, like a union hiring hall referral?
Claimants with an approved exemption follow the terms in their individual determination letter rather than the standard three-activity rule — contact the UIA directly if you’re unsure which category applies to you.