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

Who it is for

People claiming unemployment in Louisiana who need to keep a weekly work search record for Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), and family members helping them stay organized.

Not the right fit if

You claim unemployment in a state other than Louisiana, 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 Louisiana work search data file, checked November 2026 against 2 official pages: LWC: Unemployment Benefits Rights and Responsibilities (CI-9); Louisiana Legislature: HB 153 of 2025, Act 151 (amends R.S. 23:1600, effective Dec. 31, 2025).
• 1 item the official pages didn't state is left out and put on the kit's look-up list with the agency's page, never guessed.
• The Excel summary flags any week with fewer than 5 logged activities, recalculating with zero formula errors.

What is inside

• Louisiana weekly work search log (Excel). A log with the columns Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) asks for (Employer or organization, Address, website or email, Phone, Date, Person contacted, How you made contact, Result), a weekly summary that counts your activities against Louisiana's 5 per week and a documents checklist.
• Start here: Louisiana filing and work search steps. The 8 facts Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC)'s pages confirm, each with its source and check date, and a short look-up list of 1 point to check on the agency's page: official list of activities. The weekly requirement, in the agency's words: At least 5 work search actions for each week you claim benefits, under R.S. 23:1600(3)(a) as amended by Act 151 of 2025 (effective December 31, 2025): "no fewer than five work search actions for each week in which he makes a claim for benefits." LWC prescribes by regulation which actions count. How to report: When you file your weekly claim, online in HiRE or by phone, you are asked for your work search contacts for the week. Activities Louisiana counts: contacting employers about job openings; union members in good standing may instead report to their union hall at least once a week with a union officer's signed statement. Records: Keep accurate records of the weeks you claim. Job bank: HiRE (Helping individuals Reach Employment) (registration required). Who may not have to search, per the agency: union members (see above); temporary layoff with a definite return date within six weeks, if you stay available to your employer.
• 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 Louisiana's application adds.
• Printable weekly work search log. A paper version of the log with Louisiana's columns, one week per page, for claimants who prefer to write it down.