SNAP Work Requirements in South Dakota
Here is when South Dakota 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
Limited official information. South Dakota has published little about how it applies these rules, or its pages could not be checked. This page sticks to what we could verify plus the federal rules that apply everywhere. Ask your SNAP office for anything not listed here.
When the new rules started in South Dakota
DSS has not posted when the H.R. 1 changes took effect. Its SNAP page says only that most able-bodied adult applicants must meet work requirements.
Waived areas in South Dakota
No part of South Dakota is waived. The last waiver (Buffalo, Corson, Dewey, Ziebach, Bennett, Oglala Lakota and Todd counties plus six reservations) ended September 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 has not published how it sets the 36-month period.
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
The DSS SNAP page links to SDCareerLink but does not describe how to report hours. Ask your local DSS office. You can also call 211 for help.
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.
Contact
- Agency: South Dakota Department of Social Services, Division of Economic Assistance
- Online account: DSS online application
- Phone: 605-773-3165
Federal rules that apply in South Dakota
- 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 South Dakota in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. South Dakota 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 South Dakota?
The DSS SNAP page links to SDCareerLink but does not describe how to report hours. Ask your local DSS office. You can also call 211 for help.
When does the 36-month period reset in South Dakota?
DSS has not published how it sets the 36-month period.