SNAP Work Requirements in Maryland

Check if the time limit applies to you Count your months

When the new rules started in Maryland

The new rules apply to applications processed on or after November 1, 2025. For current cases, they apply the next time you are screened (at certification, redetermination, or an interim review). DHS cannot count a month against you until you have been screened and no exemption applies.

Waived areas in Maryland

Maryland's SNAP manual (August 2026) says the state has no waivers. Earlier local waivers no longer apply.

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

Maryland uses one statewide period. The clock reset on July 1, 2026. The current period runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.

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)

Paid work, in-kind work, unpaid work, volunteering and work experience all count toward 20 hours a week. Activities outside SNAP E&T must be verified weekly. Report if your hours drop below 20 a week or 80 a month. DHS posts a SNAP E&T provider list on its ABAWD page.

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 Maryland details

• Maryland gives discretionary exemptions automatically to people who meet the definition and have no other exemption, one month at a time.
• Since July 1, 2026, Maryland treats a person whose chronic homelessness keeps them from working 20 hours a week as unfit for work, which exempts them.
• Not having a SNAP E&T slot open does not count as good cause by itself, because other activities can meet the rule.

Contact

• Agency: Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS)
• Online account: MarylandBenefits
• Phone: 1-800-332-6347 (DHS Customer Call Center (TTY 1-800-735-2258))

Federal rules that apply in Maryland

• 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.