AVISO: A partir del 9 de enero de 2022, los requisitos de actividades de reempleo cambiaron de dos (2) a cuatro (4). Se requiere que tres (3) de esas actividades de reempleo sean solicitudes de empleo. Debe crear un perfil de IowaWORKS y certificar sus actividades de reempleo. Utilizará IowaWORKS para certificar sus actividades de reempleo. Debe certificar sus actividades de reempleo antes de presentar su reclamo semanal. Lea estas preguntas frecuentes para obtener más detalles.
In order to maintain eligibility for unemployment benefits, you are required complete four reemployment activities each week, unless this requirement is waived by the department. Reemployment activities may be waived if you are temporarily unemployed and expect to be recalled by your former employer within a reasonable period of time (generally 4 weeks or less) or are unable to work or if you are in school and approved for Department Approved Training (DAT). Your work search requirement is determined each time a claim is filed.
Detailed instructions for logging and certifying reemployment activities can be found on the Unemployment Insurance & IowaWORKS Reemployment Activities landing page.
In order to meet the work search requirements, you must make complete four reemployment activities, three of which must be job applications between Sunday and Saturday of the week you are claiming benefits.
The work search must be a reasonable and honest effort to find suitable work. Failure to do so may result in the denial of benefits. Participation in reemployment services activities may qualify as a work search.
You must be willing to accept a reasonable wage for the job for which you are applying. You may not apply for the same position with the same employer more than once every six weeks.
You must keep a log of all reemployment activities, including job applications, for a period of one year after you stop claiming benefits and be ready to provide a copy if requested by Iowa Workforce Development. Failure to comply may result in denial of benefits.
Members of a union hiring hall are required to be in good standing and must contact the union in accordance with hall rules.
Review these Frequently Asked Questions about Unemployment Insurance.
Gross earnings or gross wages are your earnings before taxes or other payroll deductions are made. Earnings or wages must be reported on the weekly claim during the week the wages are earned, not when the wages are paid. Earnings must be reported even if you have not yet received the payment. To calculate the amount to report, multiply the number of hours you worked by your hourly wage.
Example: 10 hours X $12.00/hour = $120.00 in gross earnings
You should report the full gross amount of earnings and we will calculate any deductions. Deductions and/or earnings are calculated differently depending on the type of income. See the general guidelines on deductibility below.
$15 or more over your WBA is considered excessive earnings. When filing your weekly claim if you report excessive earnings for four consecutive weeks, your claim will need to be reactivated before payments can resume.
You may earn up to 25 percent of your WBA before the benefit payment is reduced, but there is still a requirement to report all earnings even if under 25 percent. Earnings higher than 25 percent will reduce your benefit payment. If you earn $15 or more over your WBA, you will not receive a benefit payment for that week. This type of income includes:
Example: Your WBA is $400 and you earn $370.
25% of $400 is $100. $100 is not deducted from the WBA.
$370 - $100 = $270. The remaining $270 is deducted from the WBA.
$400 - $270 = $130.
$130 is the payment amount for the week.
Each dollar you earn reduces your benefit payment by one dollar (dollar-for-dollar). Income that is 100% deductible includes:
Example: Your WBA is $400 and you receive a $370 vacation payout for the week you are claiming.
$400 - $370 = $30. $30 is the payment amount for the week.
Vacation pay is reportable for the first 5 work days following the last day worked. Vacation pay is applied to an 8 hour work day and a 5 day work week, Monday through Friday. If you received less than 5 days of vacation pay, you should report the amount that you received or will receive.
If you received less than 5 days of vacation pay, you should report the amount that you received or will receive.
Example: Your last day worked is Wednesday. You will receive 32 hours vacation pay in the amount of $800. The money should be reported on weekly claim as follows:
$800/4 = $200 per day
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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Week 1 |
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Last day |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 2 |
File for last week Report $400 vacation pay |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
$200 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 3 |
File for last week Report $400 vacation pay |
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If you received or will receive vacation pay in excess of 40 hours, you must only report 40 hours of vacation pay.
Example: Your last day is Wednesday. You will receive 80 hours of vacation totaling $1000. The money should be reported on the weekly claim as follows:
$1000/80= $12.50 per hour $12.50 x 40= $500 $500/5 days= $100 reported per day
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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Week 1 |
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Last day |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 2 |
File for last week 1 Report $200 vacation pay |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 3 |
File for last week 2 Report $300 vacation pay |
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If you received or will receive vacation pay during the time you are temporarily not working due to COVID-19, you must report every day of vacation pay you will be paid for.
Example: Your last day working is Wednesday. You will receive 80 hours of vacation totaling $1000. The money should be reported on the weekly claim as follows:
$12.50 hourly pay rate 80 hours/8 hours per day=10 days $1000/10 days= $100 reported for each day.
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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Week 1 |
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Last day |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 2 |
File for last week 1 Report $200 vacation pay |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 3 |
File for last week 2 Report $500 vacation pay |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
$100 (8 hrs.) |
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Week 4
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File for last week 3 Report $300 vacation pay |
If you are self-employed or will receive a 1099 at the end of the year for working, you are not required to report the wages on your weekly unemployment insurance claim.
Income from self-employment is not considered wages and is not deducted from unemployment insurance benefits. However, eligibility requirements must still be met.
To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you must be able, available, and be actively looking for work and willing to accept suitable work. If it is determined that self-employment prevents you from accepting suitable work, you may be disqualified due to being unavailable for work.
You must register for work when you apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) and you are no longer attached to an employer. You can do this at your local IowaWORKS center or online. If you have already registered for work on www.iowaworks.gov, and have created a Employer Searchable resume you have met this requirement and no action is needed.
To Register for Work in Iowa, you must complete the registration and a resume using the IowaWORKS website
You must log in and complete all questions. NOTE: It is important to register using your social security number (SSN), the system may not be able to find your information based on your name and other identifying information. If you do not use your SSN, we may be unable to verify that you have registered for work and benefits may be withheld until this requirement has been verified.
A valid work registration will be considered valid when, at a minimum, the following is in the claimant's IowaWORKS account:
To register for work, you must complete the following steps:
For any questions about completing your work registration or setting up your resume, contact your local IowaWORKS center
Failure to complete the online application will result in the denial of your unemployment benefits if you are required to look for work.
In order to remain eligible for unemployment, you are required to have an on-line active resume at www.iowaworks.gov the entire duration of your claim. While you are filing for unemployment insurance, you may be required to periodically update your resume to remain registered for work. If your work registration is not active, you may receive a notice to update your resume and work registration. Failure to update your resume to complete the work registration at that time could result in denial of benefits.
You must be able and available for work while claiming benefits. It is important to notify us of any condition or situation which would prevent you from working, accepting work, or looking for work the majority of the week. These situations may include, but are not limited to:
You should contact us at 1-866-239-0843 to report any changes that could affect your benefits.
You are required to search for and accept suitable work, unless this requirement is waived. Factors used to determine if the job offer is acceptable include wage, length of unemployment, working conditions and job duties.
The wage requirements for determining if work is suitable are calculated using the wages earned in the high quarter of the base period. The highest quarter of the base period is divided by 13 (the number of weeks in a quarter) to calculate the average weekly wage (AWW).
Example: Your earnings in the high quarter are $5,200. To calculate the AWW, divide $5,200 by 13. The AWW is $400 which equals $10 per hour in a 40 hour work week.
A job offer may be considered suitable if the offered wages are at or above the following percentages of the AWW:
EXAMPLE: If you are offered work that pays $290 per week ($7.25 per hour in a 40 hour work week) during the fourth week of the claim, the job offer is not considered suitable because it is below 80 percent of your AWW. You are not required to accept any job offers that are below the federal or state minimum wage.
When you file a weekly claim, you must report if you refused any job offers or referrals during that week.
When you file a weekly claim, you must report any pension payment that was 100% paid by your employer, or the military, any 401K payout or other similar periodic or lump sum payments. You will then be contacted for the following information:
Once the above information is received, we will determine if the payment is deductible from unemployment insurance benefits.