Title: Universal Credit job search: the rules, made easy > Universal Credit job search in plain English: the 35-hour rule, what counts, how to keep a record and avoid a sanction. Plus a free app to do the admin. Source: https://pontia.xyz/universal-credit-job-search/ Checked: 25 September 2026 🇬🇧 Universal Credit job search # Universal Credit job search, without the admin Your claimant commitment sets your job search. We do the admin around it, so your time goes on applications and nothing gets forgotten. [Set up my job search free](https://pontia.xyz/start/)[See how it works](#rules) Always free - No card needed - No trial that runs out - No hidden charges - **35 hours**a week to look or prepare for work, unless your commitment says fewer - **28 days**sanction for not doing all reasonable job search (first time) - **91 days**sanction for turning down a job offer without good reason ## What Universal Credit asks of your job search - ### Up to 35 hours a week If you can work, you are expected to look or prepare for work for 35 hours a week. Caring, health or childcare can lower this. Your claimant commitment has your number. - ### No fixed number of applications The law sets no set number of jobs. Your work coach agrees the activities with you, and they must give you the best chance of work. - ### Keep a record Your work coach can ask for proof: applications, emails, job site activity or your own written log. Update your journal as you go. - ### Sanctions Not doing all reasonable job search: 28 days, then 91 for a repeat within a year. Refusing a job offer: 91 days, then 182. [GOV.UK: Universal Credit sanctions](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-sanctions)Checked 25 Sept 2026 ## What the app does for you - ### Search in one tap Opens Find a job on GOV.UK with your search already filled in. - ### Your weekly target Set the number your work coach agreed. A progress bar shows where you are this week. - ### Your record Log each application, speculative approach, interview, agency contact or business step: date, employer, role, link. Copy the whole record in one tap to paste into your journal. - ### Time in your week A weekly planner puts your job-search hours, and any business hours, into your phone calendar with reminders. We never apply, log in or send anything for you. You stay in control of your claim. ## Set it up in 3 steps 1. ### Add your commitment Enter your weekly hours and the number of activities your work coach agreed. 2. ### Plan your week Pick your job-search times. They go into your calendar with reminders. 3. ### Search, log, copy Search in one tap, log what you did, then paste the record into your journal. [Set up my job search free](https://pontia.xyz/start/) ## Got a business idea too? Many people test an idea alongside their job search, and your work coach can count agreed business-plan hours. If the business becomes your main work, Universal Credit has a 12-month start-up period with no job search. [See the business route](https://pontia.xyz/) ## Universal Credit job search: common questions How many jobs do I need to apply for on Universal Credit? There is no fixed number in the rules. Your work coach agrees your activities in your claimant commitment, based on up to 35 hours a week of looking or preparing for work. What counts as work search? Applying for jobs, registering with Find a job or an agency, speculative approaches, interviews, training and improving your CV can all count. It has to give you the best chance of getting work, so quality matters, not just time spent. Do I have to keep a job search record? Yes, you should keep a record. Your work coach can ask for evidence, such as applications, emails, job site activity or your own log, and you can add it to your journal. What is the sanction for not looking for work? Not doing all reasonable job search is a medium-level sanction: 28 days the first time, 91 days if it happens again within a year. Refusing a job offer without good reason is 91 days, then 182. Do I have to apply for jobs far away? No. Your search is limited to jobs that normally take up to 90 minutes to travel to, each way. For up to the first 4 weeks it can also be limited to your usual type of work and pay. Does time on my business count? It can. Your work coach can agree hours for a business plan, and those come off your 35 hours. Ask them to write it into your claimant commitment. Is New Style JSA different? New Style JSA also has a claimant commitment with similar job search rules and sanction lengths. It is paid for up to 182 days, and there is no start-up period. Cite this page "Universal Credit job search: the rules, made easy", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/universal-credit-job-search/ (updated 25 September 2026) ## Related guides and tools - [Start your business on Universal Credit](https://pontia.xyz/) - [Universal Credit self-employed calculator](https://pontia.xyz/universal-credit-self-employed-calculator/) - [Young and not working yet? Your idea could be your first job.](https://pontia.xyz/young-people/) - [UK start-up support on Universal Credit in figures, 2026](https://pontia.xyz/datasets/gb-startup-support/) - [Universal Credit while you look for work vs Universal Credit start-up period](https://pontia.xyz/universal-credit-vs-start-up-period/) - [Universal Credit while you look for work](https://pontia.xyz/guide/uc-searching/) - [Universal Credit start-up period](https://pontia.xyz/guide/uc-startup/) ## Universal Credit job search, without the admin [Set up my job search free](https://pontia.xyz/start/) Always free - No card needed - No trial that runs out - No hidden charges --- Pontia is free and independent. It is not a government service and not financial, tax, legal or benefits advice; always check the official source linked on the page. Some tool links are affiliate links: we may earn a fee at no cost to you, and free options come first. Contact: hello@pontia.xyz Cite as: "Universal Credit job search: the rules, made easy", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/universal-credit-job-search/ (updated 25 September 2026) Whole site in one file: https://pontia.xyz/llms-full.txt