SNAP Work Requirements in Tennessee
Here is when Tennessee 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 Tennessee
TDHS announced the changes on September 22, 2025 and asked people who think they are exempt to upload proof by October 31, 2025. It did not state an exact start date.
Waived areas in Tennessee
No part of Tennessee 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
Tennessee uses one statewide period: January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027. The 3 months do not have to be in a row.
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 (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
Activities include HiSET classes, soft skills training, job training and on-the-job training (see Jobs4TN.gov). Give proof of work or exemptions to your caseworker or upload it in the One DHS Customer Portal.
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 Tennessee details
- To be exempt as medically unfit for work, you need a medical certification that TDHS verifies.
- To get benefits back, meet the work rule for 30 days in a row or qualify for an exemption.
Contact
- Agency: Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS)
- Online account: One DHS Customer Portal
- Phone: 833-772-8347 (One DHS Contact Center)
Federal rules that apply in Tennessee
- 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 Tennessee in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
Activities include HiSET classes, soft skills training, job training and on-the-job training (see Jobs4TN.gov). Give proof of work or exemptions to your caseworker or upload it in the One DHS Customer Portal.
When does the 36-month period reset in Tennessee?
Tennessee uses one statewide period: January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027. The 3 months do not have to be in a row.