- I need hours for Medicaid →What counts, who's exempt, and when your state starts checking.
- I need hours for SNAP →How many hours you need, and how volunteering can count.
- I need a letter for my hours →A free template your nonprofit can fill in and sign.
- I have court-ordered service →What proof the court wants, and whether it counts for Medicaid too.
- My hours were turned down →How to fix it fast, and how to ask for a hearing.
- Volunteers are asking us to sign →A simple, honest way for a nonprofit to verify hours.
Calculators
En español
Rules in your state
Each state runs these rules its own way. Tap your state for its dates, forms, and sources, or see every state in one table.
- AL
- AK
- AZ
- AR
- CA
- CO
- CT
- DE
- DC
- FL
- GA
- HI
- ID
- IL
- IN
- IA
- KS
- KY
- LA
- ME
- MD
- MA
- MI
- MN
- MS
- MO
- MT
- NE
- NV
- NH
- NJ
- NM
- NY
- NC
- ND
- OH
- OK
- OR
- PA
- RI
- SC
- SD
- TN
- TX
- UT
- VT
- VA
- WA
- WV
- WI
- WY
- Time limit waived statewide (0)
- Waived in some areas (12)
- No waiver: the time limit applies (39)
List of states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Medicaid
- Lost Medicaid over the work rules? How to get it backLost Medicaid over work requirements? You can send proof within 90 days, ask for a fair hearing, or reapply with no waiting period. Here's how each one works.
- What counts as community service for Medicaid?The federal definition of community service for Medicaid's 80-hour rule, piece by piece, with what counts, what doesn't, and the gray areas your state decides.
- Which months does Medicaid check when you apply or renew?The Medicaid work requirement look-back period means your state checks months before you apply. Here's which months count and how to keep proof ready.
- I got a Medicaid noncompliance notice. What do I do?A Medicaid noncompliance notice isn't a final decision. You get 30 days to send proof or show the work rule doesn't apply. Here's what to send and say.
- Medicaid every 6 months: how to keep your hours ready for renewalExpansion adults move to Medicaid renewals every 6 months in 2027, and the work rule is checked at each one. Here's what renewal looks at and how to be ready.
- Who is exempt from Medicaid work requirements?Every group the federal rule excludes from Medicaid's 80-hour work rule, the optional hardship exceptions, how to claim one, and what proof states may want.
- Does volunteering count for Medicaid work requirements?Medicaid's new 80-hour rule starts by January 1, 2027. Here's what counts as volunteering, who's exempt, and how to prove your hours.
SNAP
- When does your SNAP 3-month clock reset?Your SNAP 3-month clock resets when your state's 36-month period ends. How countable months work, how to get SNAP back sooner, and reset dates by state.
- SNAP vs. Medicaid work rules: what's the same, what's notSNAP and Medicaid both ask for 80 hours a month, but ages, exemptions, volunteer math, and deadlines differ. A side-by-side table and the key crossover rule.
- Who is exempt from SNAP work requirements?SNAP has two work rules, and each has its own exemptions. Here's who is exempt in 2026, which exemptions ended, and how to tell your caseworker.
- Does volunteering count for SNAP work requirements?SNAP's work rule now covers adults 18 to 64. Here's who it applies to, how volunteer hours count, how many you need, and what proof your state wants.
Proving your hours
- Does volunteering at church count for SNAP or Medicaid?Church volunteering can count toward SNAP and Medicaid work rules, but not every church activity does. What the rules say, what states say, and how to prove it.
- My volunteer hours were rejected. What do I do now?SNAP or Medicaid turned down your volunteer hours? Find out why, fix the proof fast, and learn how to keep benefits with a fair hearing while you appeal.
- How to prove volunteer hours to your caseworkerWhat proof of volunteer hours SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, public housing, courts, and schools accept, how to hand it in on time, and what to do if no one will sign.
- Public housing's 8-hour community service rule: how to prove itThe public housing community service requirement asks many adult residents for 8 hours a month. Who's exempt, what counts, and how to prove it each year.
- Where to volunteer for SNAP or Medicaid hoursHow to pick a place to volunteer whose hours will count for SNAP or Medicaid, what to ask before your first shift, and how to find sites near you.
- Who can sign volunteer hours, and who can't?Who can sign volunteer hours for SNAP, Medicaid, public housing, court, or school? What forms say about the signer, and what to do if your coordinator left.
Courts and community service
- Court-ordered community service: what proof courts acceptCourts want proof of community service on their own terms. Here's what court forms usually ask for, how to find yours, and what to do if a deadline slips.
- Does court-ordered community service count for Medicaid?Court-ordered community service can count toward Medicaid's 80 hours a month. Here's what the federal rule says, the limits, and how one log can serve both.
For nonprofits
- Before you sign volunteer hours: a nonprofit checklistA nonprofit checklist for verifying volunteer hours: does the work count, who signs, the records behind it, fixing mistakes, privacy, and saying no.
- For food banks and pantries: becoming a volunteer hours sitePeople who need SNAP or Medicaid hours are coming to food banks first. What it takes to be a reliable volunteer hours site, and how food banks are doing it.
- How nonprofits can verify volunteer hours for Medicaid and SNAPVolunteers are asking you to sign for their hours. Here's what you're vouching for, a simple monthly system, and what to do when you're not sure.
Templates
- Volunteer hours verification letter: a free templateA free letter template to prove volunteer hours for SNAP, Medicaid, court, or school. What it must include, who signs it, and when to use your state's form.
- Printable volunteer hours log sheet, signed each monthA free volunteer hours log sheet to print. One line per shift, a supervisor's initials on each line, and a signed monthly total for SNAP, Medicaid, or court.