Who is exempt from SNAP work requirements?

Plenty of people who get a SNAP work notice shouldn't have to meet the rule at all. They're pregnant, or caring for a sick parent, or already working full time, and nobody asked. An exemption only helps you if your SNAP office knows about it.

This page explains who is exempt, in plain words. It goes deeper than our guide to SNAP work requirements and volunteering, which covers how to meet the rule if you're not exempt.

SNAP has two work rules, not one

This is the part that confuses almost everyone, including some offices.

1. The general work rule. Most adults 16 through 59 have to register for work, take a suitable job if offered, join a job program if the state assigns one, and not quit a job without a good reason.
2. The time limit. Adults 18 through 64 who can work and aren't caring for a young child can get SNAP for only 3 months in 3 years, unless they work, volunteer, or train about 80 hours a month. SNAP calls this group "able-bodied adults without dependents," or ABAWDs.

Each rule has its own list of exemptions. Some exemptions get you out of both. Others only get you out of one. So when you talk to your office, ask about both rules by name.

Who is exempt from the general work rule

The federal rule, 7 CFR 273.7(b), lists who is exempt from SNAP work requirements. In plain words, you're exempt if you:

• Are under 16 or 60 and older. (Some 16 and 17 year olds must register, mainly heads of household who aren't in school.)
• Are physically or mentally unfit for work. Your state defines this and may ask for proof.
• Are already meeting TANF work rules (cash assistance).
• Care for a child under 6 or for a person who can't care for themselves.
• Get unemployment, or have applied and are following the unemployment office's rules.
• Are a regular participant in a drug or alcohol treatment program.
• Work at least 30 hours a week, or earn at least the federal minimum wage times 30 hours. At $7.25 an hour, that's $217.50 a week.
• Are a student at least half time in a school or training program. College students also have to meet SNAP's separate student rules.

Who is exempt from the 80-hour time limit

The 2025 budget law (H.R. 1) rewrote this list. Section 10102 of Public Law 119-21 says the time limit doesn't apply to someone who is:

• Under 18, or above the age limit. The time limit now reaches age 64. It used to stop at 54.
• "Medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment."
• "A parent or other member of a household with responsibility for a dependent child under 14 years of age." This used to be under 18.
• Exempt from the general work rule under the part of the law listed above.
• Pregnant.
• An Indian, Urban Indian, or California Indian, as federal health law defines them. This one is new.

Two things to notice:

• Not every general exemption carries over. The law's link to the general work rule covers caring for a child under 6 or a person who can't care for themselves, working 30 hours, unemployment, half-time school, treatment, and TANF work rules. Age 60 and older does not carry over. So someone who is 60 to 64 skips the general rule but can still face the time limit.
• "Medically certified" doesn't always mean a doctor's note. The federal rule says you can count as unfit if you get disability benefits, if your state can see it's obvious, or if you have a statement from a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, psychologist, social worker, or other medical worker your state accepts.

Exemptions that ended

The 2023 debt ceiling law had exempted veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who aged out of foster care. H.R. 1 removed them. FRAC, a national anti-hunger group, notes the law also, for the first time, puts parents and caregivers of children 14 and older under the time limit.

One warning: the federal regulation online hasn't been rewritten yet. As of October 2026, it still lists the old ages and the old exceptions. The law wins, so go by the list above and ask your office.

Can your state exempt you anyway?

Sometimes. There are two ways.

Discretionary exemptions. Each state gets a small number of exemptions it can hand out to people who'd otherwise lose SNAP to the time limit. Under the federal rule, a state's average monthly use can't go over 8 percent of the people covered by the time limit in that state, as USDA estimates. States don't have to use them, and many save them for specific groups. It never hurts to ask.

Waivers. A state can ask USDA to waive the time limit in an area where unemployment is over 10 percent. H.R. 1 dropped the old "not enough jobs" test. Alaska and Hawaii have a separate test (unemployment at least 1.5 times the national rate) and can get a short-term exemption while they build their systems, ending no later than December 31, 2028. As of October 1, 2026, USDA's waiver status list shows no statewide waivers anywhere and waivers for some areas in 12 states. Waivers change, so check our state-by-state table and ask your office what covers your area this month.

What if you just had a bad month?

That's what good cause is for. If you would have met the 80 hours but missed some for a short-term reason you couldn't control, your state can count you as meeting the rule. The federal rule gives examples:

"illness, illness of another household member requiring the presence of the member, a household emergency, or the unavailability of transportation."

Your state decides what counts. Tell them as soon as it happens, not after the month ends, and keep anything that backs it up: a clinic visit slip, a tow receipt, a text from your ride canceling. If your proof was turned down for another reason, read what to do when your hours are rejected.

How to tell your caseworker you're exempt

Your office won't always spot an exemption on its own. Say it out loud, and put it in writing.

1. Name the rule and the reason. "I think I'm exempt from the SNAP time limit because I'm pregnant." Or "because I care for my mother, who can't care for herself."
2. Ask what proof they need. A due date from a clinic, a doctor's statement, an unemployment letter, a class schedule.
3. Ask about both rules. "Does this also exempt me from work registration?"
4. Write down the date, the worker's name, and what they said.
5. Report changes. If your exemption ends (a baby is born, a class ends), tell the office. You may need to start meeting the rule.

If you have Medicaid too, its exemptions are different. Read who is exempt from Medicaid work requirements.

Where Verified Hours fits

If you're exempt, you don't need us. If you're not, and you're meeting the rule by volunteering, Verified Hours helps you keep a signed monthly record your caseworker can check with a QR code. It's free for you and the nonprofit. A signed letter or your state's form works just as well, and our guide on proving volunteer hours shows how.

These rules are complicated, and they land on people with the least time to sort them out. If something on this list sounds like you, call your SNAP office this week and ask. The worst they can say is no.