FoodShare: Work Requirement
If you are a FoodShare member age 18 to 54, and you do not have any children under 18 living in your home, you may have to meet a work requirement to get 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 FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET), Job Corps, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (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, physically or mentally unfit for work, experiencing homelessness, or a veteran.
- Have a good cause, or a reason, that you didn’t meet the work requirement. Maybe you were ill or you unexpectedly didn't have transportation.
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 physically or mentally unable to work.
- You are turning 55.
- You are experiencing homelessness.
- You are a veteran.
- 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.
- You are an 18- to 24-year-old who was in foster care, a subsidized guardianship, or court-ordered kinship care, when they turned 18.
People who are exempt from following basic work rules, also don't have to meet the work requirement. This includes if you are:
- The primary caretaker for a dependent child under age 6 in a separate household.
- The primary caretaker for a person who cannot care for themselves.
- A person who is getting or applied for unemployment insurance.
- A person who is enrolled in an institution of higher learning at least half-time.
- A person who is taking part in an alcohol or other drug abuse (AODA) treatment or rehabilitation program.
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 only get three months of FoodShare benefits in a three-year period without meeting the work requirement if you don't have an exemption.
The current three-year period goes from January 2025 to December 2027. You won't get FoodShare starting in the fourth month.
How can I get FoodShare again?
You can get FoodShare benefits again by meeting the work requirement for 30 days, showing you will meet the work requirement in 30 days, having an exemption, or having good cause.
You may need to reapply for FoodShare. Contact your agency if you have questions.
Learn more about restarting FoodShare
What is the FoodShare Employment and Training program?
FSET is a free program that can help you learn new job skills, get access to education and training, and find a job you are interested in.
Anyone in your household who gets FoodShare and is age 16 or over 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 your job; help you get your GED or associates degree; assist you in finding trainings, apprenticeships, and certification programs; and even help pay for things like transportation, books, tools, 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 need to meet the work requirement to get FoodShare, you need to start meeting it in the first full month of getting benefits.
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 job skills, get access to education and training, 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:
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 Guide to the FoodShare Work Requirement, 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.