Lost SNAP Because of the Time Limit? How to Get It Back

Four ways to get SNAP back

1. Do 80 hours in 30 days. Work, volunteer, or take part in an approved training program for at least 80 hours in any 30 days in a row (7 CFR 273.24(d)). Then reapply, or tell your SNAP office if your case is still open. Some states let you qualify if you show you will meet the 80 hours within 30 days after you apply. There is no limit on how many times you can regain SNAP this way.
2. Become exempt. If something changes, like you turn 65, become pregnant, get a health condition that keeps you from working, start school half-time, or a child under 14 joins your SNAP household, report it right away.
3. Wait for your 36-month period to end. When a new period starts, you get 3 new months. Find your state’s dates on its state page.
4. Move to a waived area. If you live in a waived area, the time limit does not apply while the waiver lasts. Only parts of 12 states have one as of October 2026.

The extra 3 months

If you regained SNAP by meeting the work rule and then stop meeting it, federal rules give you 3 more months in a row, once per 36-month period (7 CFR 273.24(e)). This rule was not changed by H.R. 1 and is still in the regulations as of October 2026. The months start when you tell your SNAP office you are no longer meeting the rule. If you were in a work or workfare program, they start when the office tells you. States including Arkansas, California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia describe this on their own pages.

Good cause

If you would have met the 80 hours but missed some for a reason you could not control, your state should treat you as meeting the rule that month, as long as the absence was temporary (7 CFR 273.24(b)(2)). Examples include:

• You or someone in your household got sick.
• A household emergency.
• Your transportation fell through.
• States also list things like losing child care, a court date, eviction, or domestic violence.

Tell your SNAP office as soon as possible and keep proof.

Appeal: ask for a fair hearing

If you think your state counted a month wrongly, missed an exemption, or ignored proof of your hours, you have the right to a fair hearing (7 CFR 273.15).

• Ask fast to keep your benefits. If you request a hearing within the time on your notice of adverse action (usually about 10 days), your SNAP generally continues until the hearing decision. If you lose, you may have to repay those benefits.
• You have longer to ask at all. You can usually request a hearing within 90 days of the action. Your notice gives the exact deadline.
• How to ask: by phone, in writing, or in person at your SNAP office, as your notice explains. You can bring proof, witnesses, or someone to help, such as a legal aid lawyer.

Your household can keep its SNAP

Only the person who hit the time limit loses SNAP. Others in your household can keep getting benefits, though your income may still count when figuring their amount.

Other help while you get SNAP back

• Call 211 or visit a local food bank or pantry.
• Some states set up one-time help for people cut off by the work rule. Illinois paid a one-time $400 FRESH benefit, and Connecticut handed out $300 grocery cards through Community Action Agencies.
• Ask your SNAP office for a SNAP Employment and Training referral. Many programs help with transportation, work clothes and supplies.