SNAP Work Requirements in Connecticut
Here is when Connecticut 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 Connecticut
DSS says the changes began in November 2025: the age limit rose to 64, the parent exemption now covers only children under 14, and the exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who aged out of foster care ended.
Waived areas in Connecticut
DSS says every town in Connecticut now follows the SNAP work rules for adults. Its last waiver (68 towns) ended November 30, 2025.
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
DSS describes the limit as 3 months in a 3-year period but does not publish the period's dates.
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)
Report work, volunteer hours or an exemption by calling the Benefit Center, uploading through MyDSS, mailing to DSS Scanning Center, P.O. Box 1320, Manchester, CT 06045-1320, or at a DSS Resource Center. Forms: W-1460 (Request for Exemption from the Time Limit), W-1210 (ABAWD Work Requirement Medical Report), W-1074 (Medical Report for Person Who Needs Care) and W-3040 (Volunteer Hours Tracking).
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 Connecticut details
- The rules apply from the month after you turn 18 until the month you turn 65.
- DSS and local Community Action Agencies have given a one-time $300 grocery card to some people who lost SNAP under the federal work rules. Ask your local Community Action Agency.
- DSS has an online SNAP pre-screener on its ABAWD page.
Contact
- Agency: Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS)
- Online account: MyDSS
- Phone: 1-855-626-6632 (DSS Benefit Center)
Federal rules that apply in Connecticut
- 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 Connecticut in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Connecticut’s new rules started November 2025. No part of the state is waived.
How do I report my 80 hours in Connecticut?
Report work, volunteer hours or an exemption by calling the Benefit Center, uploading through MyDSS, mailing to DSS Scanning Center, P.O. Box 1320, Manchester, CT 06045-1320, or at a DSS Resource Center. Forms: W-1460 (Request for Exemption from the Time Limit), W-1210 (ABAWD Work Requirement Medical Report), W-1074 (Medical Report for Person Who Needs Care) and W-3040 (Volunteer Hours Tracking).
When does the 36-month period reset in Connecticut?
DSS describes the limit as 3 months in a 3-year period but does not publish the period's dates.