SNAP Work Requirements in Washington
In Washington, SNAP is called Basic Food. Here is when Washington 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 Washington
Washington's rule uses ages 18 through 64 from July 4, 2025 (made permanent in March 2026). In practice, a waiver covered most of the state until January 31, 2026. DSHS says the time limit has applied everywhere in Washington since February 1, 2026.
Waived areas in Washington
No part of Washington is waived. The last waiver (38 counties and the Muckleshoot Reservation) ended January 31, 2026.
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
DSHS uses a statewide 36-month period. Its manual describes the current one as January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026, with a new one starting January 1, 2027, but we could not load the manual directly to confirm. Moving within the state does not reset your count.
You can get Basic Food 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: Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET)
Meet the rule by working 80 hours a month, volunteering through Workfare (hours equal your benefit divided by the minimum wage), or a state-approved training program. Call the Customer Service Contact Center or your Community Services Office with questions.
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 Washington details
- Washington exempts people who get temporary or permanent disability benefits, including L&I, veterans' or private disability insurance.
- Indian, Urban Indian or California Indian people with a reported tribal affiliation are exempt.
Contact
- Agency: Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
- Online account: Washington Connection
- Phone: 877-501-2233 (DSHS Customer Service Contact Center)
Federal rules that apply in Washington
- 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 Washington in 2026?
Yes. The federal time limit applies to Basic Food recipients aged 18 to 64 who are not exempt. Washington’s new rules started Feb. 1, 2026. No part of the state is waived.
How do I report my 80 hours in Washington?
Meet the rule by working 80 hours a month, volunteering through Workfare (hours equal your benefit divided by the minimum wage), or a state-approved training program. Call the Customer Service Contact Center or your Community Services Office with questions.
When does the 36-month period reset in Washington?
DSHS uses a statewide 36-month period. Its manual describes the current one as January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026, with a new one starting January 1, 2027, but we could not load the manual directly to confirm. Moving within the state does not reset your count.