SNAP Work Requirements in Arkansas
Here is when Arkansas started the 2025 time limit rules for adults 18 to 64, which areas are waived, how your 36 months are counted, and how to report your hours.
Check if the time limit applies to you Count your months
When the new rules started in Arkansas
DHS's time limit page uses the new rules (ages 18 through 64, no child under 14 in the home) but gives no start date. Its SNAP E&T state plan for federal fiscal year 2026 describes the H.R. 1 rules, together with mandatory SNAP E&T for people subject to the time limit, starting April 1, 2026.
Waived areas in Arkansas
No part of Arkansas is waived.
That means the time limit can apply anywhere in the state to adults who are not exempt and do not meet the 80-hour rule.
Your 36-month period
DHS says the limit is "3 months in 3 years" but does not publish the dates of the current period.
You can get SNAP for only 3 countable months in that period unless you meet the 80-hour rule or are exempt. The time limit calculator helps you count.
How to meet and report the 80 hours
Job and training program: SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)
Under a 2019 state law (Act 974), Arkansas makes SNAP E&T mandatory for adults subject to the time limit. Your provider is chosen during your eligibility interview. Call your county office when you start or are already doing work, volunteering or training. If your hours drop below 80 a month, call within 10 days. You may need pay stubs or a letter from your employer.
Across all states, paid work, work for goods or services, volunteering, workfare and approved training count, and you can combine them. See what counts as work.
More Arkansas details
- After using your 3 months, you can get 3 more months once in the same 3-year period by working 80 hours in 30 days in a row. Those months run back to back, and any unused months are lost if your case closes.
- Refusing the general SNAP work rules or E&T can bring separate penalties of 1, 6 and then 12 months without benefits.
Contact
- Agency: Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of County Operations
- Online account: Access Arkansas
- Phone: 855-372-1084
Federal rules that apply in Arkansas
- Covered: adults 18 through 64 who can work, with no child under 14 in their SNAP household.
- Exempt: pregnancy; a health condition that keeps you from working; American Indian, Alaska Native, Urban Indian or California Indian; or being excused from the general work rules (caring for a child under 6 or a disabled person, unemployment benefits, 30 hours a week or $217.50 a week, half-time school, drug or alcohol treatment, TANF work rules). See all exemptions.
- Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth are no longer automatically exempt.
- If you lose SNAP, you can get it back by doing 80 hours in 30 days or becoming exempt. You can also ask for a fair hearing. See how to get SNAP back.
Frequently asked questions
Do SNAP work requirements apply in Arkansas in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Arkansas has not published an exact start date that we could verify. No part of the state is waived.
How do I report my 80 hours in Arkansas?
Under a 2019 state law (Act 974), Arkansas makes SNAP E&T mandatory for adults subject to the time limit. Your provider is chosen during your eligibility interview. Call your county office when you start or are already doing work, volunteering or training. If your hours drop below 80 a month, call within 10 days. You may need pay stubs or a letter from your employer.
When does the 36-month period reset in Arkansas?
DHS says the limit is "3 months in 3 years" but does not publish the dates of the current period.