SNAP Work Requirements in California

Check if the time limit applies to you Count your months

When the new rules started in California

CalFresh began applying the time limit to people aged 18 to 64 on June 1, 2026 (CDSS ACL 26-29). Counties check whether you are exempt when you apply and when you recertify. If a county grants you an exemption, it stays in place until your next recertification.

Waived areas in California

From November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027, USDA waived seven counties: Colusa, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Monterey, Plumas and Tulare. (Through October 31, 2026 the list was Alpine, Colusa, Imperial, Merced, Monterey, Plumas and Tulare.)

• Colusa County
• Imperial County
• Kings County
• Merced County
• Monterey County
• Plumas County
• Tulare County

If you live in a waived area, months there do not count toward your 3-month limit. Your state still keeps track, so the limit can apply again when the waiver ends. Waivers can end early, so confirm with your SNAP office.

Your 36-month period

All 58 counties use the same 36-month period: January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028. The next one runs January 1, 2029 to December 31, 2031.

You can get CalFresh 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: CalFresh Employment and Training (CalFresh E&T)

California calls this the "work and community engagement requirement." You can meet it with 20 hours a week (80 a month) of paid work, volunteer or community service, job training, education, or a mix. Workfare counts for the hours your county sets. Counties check at application and recertification. They do not have to verify your hours every month in between. Report changes on your SAR 7 semi-annual report.

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 California details

• CDSS also lists as exempt: caring for an ill or disabled person for more than 30 days, receiving or applying for disability benefits, and being unable to work because of addiction, domestic violence, or homelessness tied to a health issue.
• Once you regain CalFresh by meeting the 80-hour rule for 30 days in a row, you can get 3 more months in a row once per 36-month period if you later stop meeting it.
• CDSS offers an online pre-screening tool on its H.R. 1 FAQ page.

Contact

• Agency: California Department of Social Services (CDSS); CalFresh is run by county social services offices
• Online account: BenefitsCal
• Phone: 1-877-847-3663 (connects you to your county office)

Federal rules that apply in California

• 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.