FoodShare: Work Requirement
If you are a FoodShare member age 18 to 54, who can work, and does not have any children under 18 living in your home, you need to meet a work requirement to get FoodShare benefits.
How do I meet the work requirement?
There are three main ways to meet the work requirement.
- Show that you are meeting it by:
- Working or volunteering at least 80 hours per month.
- Participating in a work training program at least 80 hours per month. Work programs include FSET, Job Corps, WIOA training programs through your local job center, Transitional Jobs, and Transform Milwaukee Jobs.
- Working, volunteering, and taking part in a work program for a combined total of at least 80 hours each month.
- Have an exemption that means you don’t have to meet the work requirement—like you’re pregnant, experiencing homelessness, or a veteran.
- Have a good cause, or a reason, that you didn’t meet the work requirement—like you had an emergency or had transportation issues.
What are exemptions to the work requirement?
Exemptions are reasons why you don’t have to meet the work requirement under federal law.
- You are pregnant.
- You are experiencing homelessness. This includes people who are in a temporary housing situation, such as transitional living arrangements and shelters, a halfway house, or staying temporarily (up to 90 days) at another person’s residence.
- You are turning 55.
- You are physically or mentally unfit for work. This includes if you’re receiving disability, or your social worker or doctor confirms you can’t work. An agency could also determine this in person.
- You are a veteran. A veteran is a person who served in the United States Armed Forces (including the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Armed Forces Reserve) and was discharged or released under any condition.
- You are an 18- to 24-year-old who was in foster care, a subsidized guardianship, or court-ordered kinship care, when you turned 18.
- You are living with a child who is under age 18 who is part of the same FoodShare household, even if the child is not eligible for FoodShare benefits.
What are good cause reasons not to meet the work requirement?
Good cause means there is something you cannot control that temporarily stopped you from being able to meet the FoodShare work requirement.
- Your personal health problems, or the health problems of others, caused you to miss hours.
- You missed hours because of bad weather.
- You did not have transportation to get to your job or work program.
- You had a crisis or emergency (death, domestic violence, temporary workplace shutdown).
- You had legal issues or a required court appearance.
- You stopped attending a job or work program activity due to discrimination or unreasonable demands.
- Your jobsite or work program site closed due to a site-specific holiday.
- You missed hours to observe a religious holiday.
What if I don't meet the work requirement?
If you do not meet the work requirement, you can get three months of FoodShare benefits in a three-year period without meeting the work requirement. The current three-year period goes from January 2025 to December 2027.
What is the FoodShare Employment and Training program?
FSET is a free program that can help you learn new skills, get help with interviews, and find a job you are interested in.
Anyone in your household who gets FoodShare and is over age 15 can take part in the FSET program, even if they do not have to meet the work requirement. If you or someone in your household have not yet been referred and would like take part in the program, contact your agency.
- Being in FSET meets your work requirement.
- Your FSET team supports you. They can help with job searches, resume writing, and interviews; teach you about things you will need to know for the job; help you get your GED or associates degree; assist you finding trainings, apprenticeships, and certification programs; and even help pay for things like transportation and uniforms.
- People who have used the FSET program have said it was really helpful, but you can’t start getting this free help until you’re a FoodShare member again.
Beyond FSET, there are other work training programs available to you that can help you meet the FoodShare work requirement, such as:
Additional questions about the FoodShare work requirement
If you are a FoodShare member age 18 to 54, who can work, and do not have any children under 18 living in your home, you need to start meeting the work requirement in the first full month of getting benefits.
There are a lot of ways to deal with the work requirement, but if you didn’t meet it for three months during the current period, you will no longer get FoodShare benefits.
Reach out to your agency, if you are not meeting the work requirement. You can also learn more about how to get FoodShare again.
Yes, FoodShare members living in some areas of Wisconsin that have a high unemployment rate do not have to meet the work requirement. These areas are approved by the federal government.
As of October 1, 2024, members do not need to meet the work requirement if they live in:
- The City of Racine.
- Adams, Bayfield, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Marquette, or Menominee counties.
- Tribal lands or reservations belonging to the:
- Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Forest County Potawatomi Community
- Ho-Chunk Nation
- Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
- Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
- Sokaogon Chippewa Community (also known as the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians)
- Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians
Through additional federal flexibilities, members living on Tribal lands or the reservations of the Oneida Nation and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians also do not have to meet the work requirement.
This policy will last until at least September 30, 2025.
Each FoodShare member who has to meet a work requirement is referred to FSET when they renew or apply for benefits. FSET is a free program that meets the work requirement and will help you learn new skills, get help with interviews, and find a job you are interested in.
Beyond FSET, there are other work training programs available to you that can help you meet the FoodShare work requirement, such as:
- Training programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
- Transform Milwaukee Jobs
- Transitional Jobs
- Job Corps
Job and training opportunities are available through Wisconsin’s Job Centers, by going to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s website. More information about education and training opportunities is available through the Wisconsin’s Technical College System's website.
Additional resources
- DHS has a Work Requirement Informational Guide, P-03606 available to you.
- While related, the FoodShare work requirement is different than FoodShare basic work rules.
- FoodShare applicants and members who are ages 16 to 59 need to follow basic work rules. When you complete a FoodShare application or renew your benefits, you are agreeing to follow the basic work rules.
- Not all FoodShare members who have to follow basic work rules need to meet the work requirement to get benefits.
For further assistance
If you have questions about FoodShare or the work requirement, contact your agency.