ABAWD in Oregon: SNAP Time Limits, 80-Hour Rule & 2025 Changes

In Oregon, an ABAWD is an Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents, and if SNAP classifies you that way, you can receive food benefits for only three months out of every 36 unless you work or participate in approved activities for at least 80 hours a month. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) applies this rule to every county in the state as of December 1, 2025, and federal legislation signed in 2025 expanded who gets pulled into the category.1Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Food Benefit Work Rules Now Apply Statewide Whether the time limit applies to you comes down to three things: your age, who lives in your household, and your ability to work.

Who Oregon Counts as an ABAWD

Three criteria have to line up before the time limit touches you.

The first is age. Through most of 2025, the rule reached adults ages 18 through 54.2Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), signed in 2025, raises the ceiling to 64, with the expansion to ages 55 through 64 phasing in during federal fiscal year 2026.3Congress.gov. H.R. 1 – 119th Congress (2025-2026)

The second is your household. Having a dependent in your SNAP household used to keep you out of the ABAWD category if that child was under 18. Under H.R. 1, the threshold dropped to under 14. If your youngest child is 14 or older, you now fall under ABAWD rules.3Congress.gov. H.R. 1 – 119th Congress (2025-2026)

The third is your capacity to work. If ODHS has no record of a condition preventing employment, you’re placed in the category by default at application or at your periodic eligibility review. That status stays until something about your age, household, or health changes.

How the Three-Month Time Limit Works

Federal regulation caps ABAWD benefits at three countable months within any rolling 36-month period. A countable month is any month you receive SNAP without working or participating in qualifying activities for at least 80 hours, which averages 20 hours a week.4eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults

The window rolls. It always looks back three years, so there’s no fixed reset date to wait for. Once you’ve used your three countable months without meeting the work requirement, benefits stop until you comply or qualify for an exemption.

One built-in safety net: if you previously met the work requirement, regained full eligibility, and then stopped meeting it again, you may qualify for one additional three-consecutive-month period in the same 36-month window. That extra period is available only once per cycle.4eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults

What Counts Toward the 80 Hours

You don’t need a traditional paycheck. Oregon accepts a few types of activity:

  • Paid employment, including self-employment.
  • Unpaid work such as volunteering or bartering through an approved community organization.
  • SNAP Employment and Training activities coordinated through WorkSource Oregon, including job search assistance, skills training, and education programs.5WorkSource Oregon. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Program
  • A combination of work and program participation that adds up to 80 hours.
  • Workfare, where you volunteer at a community organization in exchange for the dollar value of your SNAP benefits. Slots are limited, so placement isn’t guaranteed. Contact WorkSource Oregon or your local ODHS office to ask about availability.

Who Is Exempt from the Time Limit

Several circumstances take you out of the ABAWD time limit entirely. You are exempt if you are:

  • Pregnant.
  • Physically or mentally unable to work, which can be shown by disability benefits you already receive, a condition apparent to your caseworker, or a statement from a doctor, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or other qualified medical professional.4eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults
  • A parent or household member of a child under 14.
  • An enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe, or someone with a parent or grandparent who is an enrolled member.1Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Food Benefit Work Rules Now Apply Statewide
  • Receiving unemployment benefits, including during an appeal while you complete required weekly activities.
  • Participating in a TANF JOBS plan.

Submitting medical documentation to ODHS stops the 36-month clock immediately. You can report exemptions, work, and good cause claims on Form DHS 1465.6Oregon Department of Human Services. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Report of Exemptions, Paid or Unpaid Work, or Good Cause You only need one exemption to apply.

What Changed in 2025

A 2023 bipartisan agreement had temporarily exempted three groups from ABAWD work requirements through September 2030: veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who aged out of foster care up to age 24. H.R. 1 stripped those protections. ODHS has confirmed that these groups must now meet the same 80-hour work requirement as other ABAWDs.1Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Food Benefit Work Rules Now Apply Statewide

If you fall into one of these groups, check whether a different exemption still fits. A veteran with a service-connected disability, for example, could qualify under the medical unfitness standard rather than veteran status.

Oregon had also been waiving ABAWD rules in 30 of its 36 counties because of limited job opportunities. Those waivers ended on December 1, 2025, when the work rules went statewide.1Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Food Benefit Work Rules Now Apply Statewide Federal law still lets the state request new geographic waivers where unemployment exceeds 10 percent or jobs are insufficient,7Food and Nutrition Service. ABAWD Waivers but as of early 2026 Oregon has not applied for any new county waivers.

Tribal Land Exceptions

Living on certain tribal lands keeps you outside the ABAWD work rules regardless of tribal membership. The exempt areas are:

  • Burns Paiute Tribe Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land
  • Coquille Indian Tribe Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land
  • Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Reservation
  • Klamath Tribes Reservation
  • Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land1Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Food Benefit Work Rules Now Apply Statewide

Reporting Your Hours

Oregon uses two forms. DHS 1465 covers exemptions, paid or unpaid work, and good cause.6Oregon Department of Human Services. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Report of Exemptions, Paid or Unpaid Work, or Good Cause A separate Work Activity Attendance Form tracks hours for anyone participating in a WorkSource Oregon program.5WorkSource Oregon. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Program Submit completed forms by email to SNAP.ABAWDTeam@odhsoha.oregon.gov, by phone at 1-833-947-1694, or at a local ODHS office.

If your hours drop below 80 in a month, report the change within 10 days.8Oregon Department of Human Services. SNAP Work Rules Every month you receive SNAP without documented compliance counts against your three-month limit, so late or missing reports can burn through your window before you notice.

Good Cause for Missing a Month

If something unexpected keeps you from hitting 80 hours, you may qualify for good cause. Oregon recognizes situations like illness, a family emergency, and transportation failures such as a car breakdown.9Oregon Department of Human Services. Time Limits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) Your ODHS caseworker decides case by case, and if approved may offer an alternative way to meet the requirement for that month. You need to return to your regular work activity the following month; good cause is a one-month bridge.

Getting Benefits Back After Losing Them

If you’ve used all three countable months and lost SNAP, you can regain eligibility by working or participating in a qualifying activity for at least 80 hours within a 30-day period. Once you show that level of compliance, benefits can restart.

Doing so also unlocks the one-time additional three-month period. If you stop meeting the requirement again during the same 36-month window, those three extra months begin running.4eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults Once both periods are used, your only options are meeting the work requirement every month or qualifying for an exemption.

If your circumstances change and you become exempt, you regain eligibility regardless of where you are in the cycle. Becoming pregnant, receiving a disability determination, or enrolling in a federally recognized tribe would all restore access without a waiting period.

Appealing a Decision

If ODHS reduces or ends your SNAP benefits and you believe the decision is wrong, you have the right to a fair hearing. Oregon gives you 90 days from the date of the notice to request one for food benefits.10Oregon Department of Human Services. Your Hearing Rights You can also request a hearing at any time if you disagree with your current benefit amount. Contact ODHS using the information on your notice. If you request the hearing before the effective date of the change, your benefits may continue at the existing level until a decision is reached.