SNAP Work Requirements in Massachusetts
Here is when Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
DTA's flyer (revised August 2026) applies the rules to ages 18 through 64 but does not give a start date. DTA checks for exemptions first and sends you a letter saying if and when you must meet the rules.
Waived areas in Massachusetts
No part of Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts uses one statewide period: January 1, 2024 until December 31, 2026. DTA says people who lose SNAP can be approved again if they apply after December 31, 2026. DTA had not posted the next period's dates as of October 30, 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 Path to Work
Work (paid or unpaid) or a DTA-approved training activity for 20 hours a week counts. Volunteering at a nonprofit or public group counts for the hours DTA sets (your benefit divided by the state minimum wage). Report through DTA Connect, mail to DTA Document Processing Center, P.O. Box 4406, Taunton, MA 02780, fax 617-887-8765, call, or visit an office. Volunteer coordinators submit a Work Program Participation Report (WPPR). If your hours drop below 80, report by the 10th of the next month. Path to Work: 888-483-0255.
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 Massachusetts details
- If you earn more than $217.50 a week, you are exempt even if you work fewer than 20 hours. Tell DTA.
- DTA sends a notice after each full month you do not meet the rules and warns you after the second month.
- DTA lists domestic violence, stalking or abuse that affects your health as a reason for exemption, along with Paid Family Medical Leave and MassAbility or DMH services.
Contact
- Agency: Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA)
- Online account: DTA Connect
- Phone: 877-382-2363 (DTA Assistance Line)
Federal rules that apply in Massachusetts
- 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 Massachusetts in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?
Work (paid or unpaid) or a DTA-approved training activity for 20 hours a week counts. Volunteering at a nonprofit or public group counts for the hours DTA sets (your benefit divided by the state minimum wage). Report through DTA Connect, mail to DTA Document Processing Center, P.O. Box 4406, Taunton, MA 02780, fax 617-887-8765, call, or visit an office. Volunteer coordinators submit a Work Program Participation Report (WPPR). If your hours drop below 80, report by the 10th of the next month. Path to Work: 888-483-0255.
When does the 36-month period reset in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts uses one statewide period: January 1, 2024 until December 31, 2026. DTA says people who lose SNAP can be approved again if they apply after December 31, 2026. DTA had not posted the next period's dates as of October 30, 2026.