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As of July 8, 2026, IDES will no longer send benefit payments via paper check.  You may select direct deposit or debit card as your method for receiving benefit payments.  If you were receiving paper checks, you will be switched over to debit card payments unless you choose to enroll in direct deposit.

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UI Benefit Handbook - Work Search and Availability

This section covers:

  • What "Able to and Available for Work" Means
  • Actively Looking for Work

What “Able to and Available for Work” Means

The law states that you must be able to and available for work during any week for which you claim benefits. This means that during the week you must have been willing, ready, and able to accept a suitable job. Normally this means a full-time job. You are not able to and available for work if:

  1. You are sick and cannot work on any day.
  2. You are away on vacation.
  3. You must stay at home to keep house or care for your family.
  4. You have retired and will not accept a suitable job.
  5. After losing your last job, you move to and stay in a community where your chances of getting a job are definitely not as good as those in the community you left.
  6. The wages, hours, or work conditions you insist on unreasonably limit the chances of your getting a job.
  7. Your main occupation is that of a student in attendance at or on vacation from school. However, you may be eligible for benefits if you are attending an approved training course to help you get a job under specified circumstances. If you are enrolled in such a course, inform a representative at IDES Claimant Services, at an IDES office or a workNet Center.

Actively Looking for Work

The law states that you must be actively looking for work on your own initiative. You must register with the Illinois Employment Service system at IllinoisJobLink.com, or you may register at an IDES office. Your work preferences and skills will be matched to available job openings. Staff members are available at the IDES offices to help with your job search. In addition, you may be asked to regularly inform IDES about:

  1. What you are doing to find work.
  2. The kind of work you have been seeking.
  3. Your prospects of being hired.

Keep a record of when and where you apply for work. If you search for work at IllinoisJobLink.com, your efforts will be recorded there. You can also use a Work Search Record form available on our website.

If your period of unemployment becomes extended, you may have to consider altering your requirements to improve your chances of finding work.