Texas SNAP Work Requirements: ABAWD Limits, Exemptions, and Penalties

Texas SNAP work requirements apply to most recipients between the ages of 16 and 59: you must register for work when you apply, follow a personal responsibility agreement, and — if you’re an adult aged 18 through 54 without dependents — work or train at least 80 hours a month to keep benefits past a three-month limit. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) runs the program, and the specific thresholds, exemptions, and deadlines decide whether your household keeps eating on SNAP or loses benefits for months at a time.

The Baseline Rule for Ages 16 Through 59

Every SNAP recipient aged 16 through 59 who isn’t otherwise exempt has to register for work as a condition of eligibility. Registration happens automatically when you apply and renews every 12 months, so there’s no separate form to file.¹ What registration does is put you in a pool that can be referred to the SNAP Employment and Training program run through the Texas Workforce Commission.

On top of registration, Texas requires you to follow a “personal responsibility agreement.” The obligations are short: respond to any letters or assignments from the SNAP Employment and Training program, accept suitable job offers, and don’t voluntarily quit a job of 30 or more hours per week without good cause.²³

One quirk of Texas rules trips people up. If your employer cuts your hours below 30 per week but you stay on payroll, that’s not treated as a “separation from employment.” The penalty is for quitting the job entirely without good cause, not for having your schedule reduced.⁴

The Stricter Rule for Adults Without Dependents

If you’re between 18 and 54 and have no dependents in your SNAP household, you fall into a category the program calls Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or ABAWDs. The upper age limit climbed in stages under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 — from 49 to 50 in September 2023, to 52 in October 2023, and to 54 in October 2024, where it will stay through September 2030.⁵

As an ABAWD, you can receive SNAP for only three countable months during any 36-month rolling period unless you meet a work requirement. A countable month is one in which you received benefits but did not work or participate in a qualifying activity for the required hours.⁶ Burn through those three months without meeting the requirement and your benefits stop for the rest of the three-year window.

The threshold is 20 hours per week, averaged monthly, which works out to 80 hours a month.⁶ You can hit 80 hours through paid work, self-employment, the SNAP Employment and Training program, approved volunteering, or any mix of those. Part-time work plus a training program is a common path when full-time work isn’t available.

Texas has no county-level ABAWD waivers in effect, so the time limit applies statewide.⁷

Who Is Exempt

The exemptions for the general registration rule and the ABAWD time limit mostly overlap, but not entirely. You are exempt from the general work registration requirement if you fall into any of these groups:

Under 16, or 60 and older. Teens aged 16 or 17 attending school or a training program at least half-time are also exempt.
Have a physical or mental condition that prevents work, documented by a medical provider when the disability isn’t apparent.
Care for a child under 6 or an incapacitated person in your household.
Receive unemployment benefits, or have applied for them and are awaiting a decision. The Texas Workforce Commission registration tied to unemployment already covers the SNAP requirement.
Participate in a drug or alcohol treatment program.
Already work or are self-employed 30 or more hours per week.

These categories come from the federal regulation and apply in Texas.¹

For the ABAWD time limit specifically, pregnancy is added to the list. Being pregnant at any point during your certification period exempts you from the ABAWD work requirement and the three-month limit.⁸⁹

College Students Are a Separate Story

If you’re enrolled at least half-time in higher education, work requirements aren’t your first hurdle — student eligibility rules are. College students generally cannot get SNAP at all unless they meet a student-specific exemption such as participating in federal or state work-study, working at least 20 hours per week in paid employment, or caring for a young child.¹⁰ A student who qualifies for SNAP through one of these exemptions is usually also satisfying the work registration requirement by the same activity.

Documenting a Disability or Caregiver Exemption

If your disability isn’t obvious to your caseworker, HHSC will ask you to complete Form H1836-A, a physician’s statement about your condition and its effect on your ability to work. If you’re claiming you need to stay home to care for an incapacitated family member, the relevant form is H1836-B.¹¹¹² Both are available through Your Texas Benefits or at a local HHSC office. Take the form to a physician, physician’s assistant, advanced practice nurse, psychologist, or osteopath, who either returns it to you or sends it directly to HHSC. Make sure the provider notes whether the condition is temporary or permanent and how long it’s expected to last. Incomplete forms are a common reason exemptions stall.

Good Cause for Leaving a Job

Texas defines good cause as circumstances beyond your control that forced you to quit.¹³ The federal regulation lists several scenarios that qualify:

The job became unsuitable after you started, through unsafe conditions or an employer’s failure to pay agreed wages.
A strike or lockout at the worksite led you to leave rather than cross a picket line.
You accepted a legitimate offer for 30 or more hours a week, but through no fault of your own the work didn’t materialize or hours dropped below 30.
You left one employer to move to the next worksite in seasonal or migrant work.

Those categories come from federal law.¹ When HHSC learns you lost a job, it will investigate whether you quit voluntarily and whether good cause existed. Gather what you have — a termination letter, proof of unsafe conditions, written communication about a job offer that fell through — before the investigation closes.

Penalties for Not Cooperating

If you fail to cooperate with the general work requirements, HHSC imposes escalating disqualification periods:

First violation: at least one month without benefits, up to three months at HHSC’s discretion.
Second violation: at least three months, up to six.
Third or later violation: at least six months, with Texas able to extend further or make the disqualification permanent at the state’s option.

In every case the disqualification lasts until the minimum period ends or you agree to comply again, whichever comes later.¹ Waiting out a three-month penalty isn’t enough on its own if you haven’t also signaled willingness to cooperate going forward.²

Getting Benefits Back After the ABAWD Time Limit

Losing benefits after burning through the three-month ABAWD limit isn’t permanent. You can regain eligibility by working at least 80 hours — through paid employment, a work program, approved volunteering, or any combination — during any 30 consecutive days. Hitting that threshold requalifies you as of the date you apply.⁶ You can also regain eligibility by newly qualifying for an exemption, such as pregnancy or a disabling condition.

You have to verify the 80 hours before your application is processed, so keep pay stubs, work program records, or volunteer time sheets from those 30 days.

Proving Your Hours

Whether you’re meeting the general requirement or the ABAWD threshold, HHSC needs documentation. Recent pay stubs showing hours and earnings are the most straightforward proof. Self-employed recipients should have ledgers, invoices, or tax records that reflect both time worked and income earned. For a training program or volunteer position, get written confirmation from the program or site supervisor that includes your hours.

Keep employer contact information handy as well — company name, phone number, and your supervisor’s name — in case HHSC verifies directly. Having this ready before your interview or recertification cuts down on the delays caused by follow-up verification requests.

Appealing a Disqualification

If HHSC cuts your benefits for a work requirement violation you believe is wrong, you have the right to request a fair hearing. The deadline is 90 days from the effective date of the adverse action.¹⁴

Filing fast matters. If you request a hearing before the adverse action takes effect, you may be able to keep receiving benefits while the appeal is pending. Wait until after the cutoff and your benefits stop during the process; you’d only recover them retroactively if you win.¹⁵ If you believe HHSC misclassified a job separation, overlooked a medical exemption, or failed to credit your work hours, request the hearing when you get the notice rather than trying to resolve it informally first.

1
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions
2
Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules
3
Texas Administrative Code. Texas Administrative Code 1 TAC 372.1153 – Personal Responsibility Agreement Requirements
4
Cornell Law Institute. 1 Texas Administrative Code 372.1154 – Cooperating with Personal Responsibility Agreement Requirements
5
Federal Register. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Program Purpose and Work Requirement Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
6
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults
7
Texas Health and Human Services. C-330, SNAP ABAWD Work Requirement Waiver Counties
8
Texas Health and Human Services. A-1940, ABAWD Work Requirement
9
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
10
Food and Nutrition Service. Students
11
Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1836-A, Medical Release and Physicians Statement
12
Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1836-B, Medical Release or Physicians Statement
13
Texas Administrative Code. Texas Administrative Code 1 TAC 372.1156 – Good Cause for Noncooperation with Personal Responsibility Agreement Requirements
14
Texas Health and Human Services. B-1020, Time Period for Requesting Fair Hearing
15
Texas Health and Human Services. Fair and Fraud Hearings