SNAP Work Requirements in Iowa
Here is when Iowa 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 Iowa
Iowa HHS has not posted a start date. Its SNAP Work Rules letter (form 470-5674, revised October 2025) already uses the new rules: ages 18 through 64 and no child under 14 in the home.
Waived areas in Iowa
No part of Iowa 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
Iowa uses one statewide period. The Work Rules letter says that once 3 full months are counted, "you will lose your SNAP benefits until December 2026." So the current period ends November 30, 2026, and a new one starts in December 2026.
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 & Training (E&T)
Iowa's free, voluntary E&T program is run with Iowa Workforce Development. Contact an E&T Specialist at 515-281-3131 or etverification@hhs.iowa.gov. If your hours drop below 80 a month, or you think you have an exemption or good cause, call 1-877-347-5678 by the 10th of the next month.
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 Iowa details
- Iowa HHS gives illness, no transportation, or caring for a sick family member as examples of good cause.
- You can get SNAP again once you start meeting the 80-hour rule, or if your situation changes so the rule no longer applies.
Contact
- Agency: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS)
- Online account: Iowa HHS Self-Service Portal
- Phone: 1-877-347-5678
Federal rules that apply in Iowa
- 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 Iowa in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Iowa 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 Iowa?
Iowa's free, voluntary E&T program is run with Iowa Workforce Development. Contact an E&T Specialist at 515-281-3131 or etverification@hhs.iowa.gov. If your hours drop below 80 a month, or you think you have an exemption or good cause, call 1-877-347-5678 by the 10th of the next month.
When does the 36-month period reset in Iowa?
Iowa uses one statewide period. The Work Rules letter says that once 3 full months are counted, "you will lose your SNAP benefits until December 2026." So the current period ends November 30, 2026, and a new one starts in December 2026.