my80hours › Proving volunteer hours

How to prove volunteer hours for SNAP and Medicaid

Volunteer and community service hours count toward the 80 hours a month for both SNAP and Medicaid. The catch is proof: the state usually wants something from the place you volunteered, not just your word.

Where volunteering counts

For Medicaid, community service has to be with a nonprofit or a public agency. For SNAP, unpaid work counts, and states often ask that it be with a nonprofit or public program and that someone there can confirm it. Food pantries, churches, schools, shelters, libraries and community centers are common choices. Some states also run their own volunteer or workfare programs; ask your caseworker.

What a good hours letter includes

The organization’s name and address
Your full name
The month, each date you volunteered and the hours each day
The total hours for the month
The name, title, phone number or email, and signature of the person confirming it
A line such as “I confirm this information is true to the best of my knowledge”

Some states have their own form for this (for example, a community service activity report). If your state gives you a form, use it. A letter is a good backup and helps when the form asks for a contact person.

Sample letter

[Organization name]
[Address]

To the caseworker or agency reviewing this record:

This letter confirms that [Your name] took part in volunteer work with [Organization] during [Month Year] for a total of [X] hours, on the dates listed below.

[Date] – [hours]
[Date] – [hours]
Total – [X] hours

I confirm this information is true to the best of my knowledge.

[Signature]
[Name, title]
[Phone or email] · [Date]

Get it signed by text in a minute

In the free my80hours app, open Letters. It fills in the letter from the hours you logged, then texts your supervisor a link. They check the hours and sign with a finger on their own phone, and the signed letter comes back to you. It goes into your monthly proof packet automatically.

More proof tips

Pay stubs showing hours and dates are the standard proof. SNAP lists wage stubs as the main kind of documentary evidence; CMS lists paystubs as 'reasonably available' proof of hours or income.
No pay stubs? Ask your employer for a signed letter with your hours per week/month, pay, dates, and a phone number. SNAP can also call an employer as a 'collateral contact' you name.
Volunteer / community service: get a letter or log from the organization with its name and address, what you did, the dates and hours, and a contact person (name + phone/email) who can confirm. For Medicaid the group must be public or nonprofit and non-partisan.
Work program / SNAP E&T: keep attendance or sign-in records from the provider. Programs the SNAP agency runs may already report your hours; others must be verified.
School: class schedule, enrollment letter, or transcript showing half-time or more (or your credit hours if less).
Gig and self-employed work: keep a daily log of actual hours (date, start, end, task) PLUS the app's earnings statements (e.g., weekly payout summaries) and any 1099s. Some states won't turn earnings into hours for SNAP, so the hour log matters. For Medicaid, $580+/month household income may be enough on its own.
Exemption proof: VA rating letter (100% for Medicaid), SNAP or TANF approval notices, doctor's statement for health limits, tribal enrollment or IHS eligibility papers.
Caregiving with no paperwork: write down who you care for, how you're related, where they live, and hours per week. States must accept other information when no documents exist.
Answer every notice within 30 days. In Nebraska, 92% of people who lost Medicaid at renewal simply didn't respond to the request for information.
You never have to bring proof in person for SNAP; you can mail, fax, upload, or send it through an authorized representative. Medicaid must take proof by all application channels (online, phone, mail, in person).
Missed hours for illness, a family emergency, or no ride? Tell SNAP; temporary 'good cause' still counts you as meeting the rule.
Keep copies of everything you send and the date sent. States must keep case files that support their decision, and you have fair-hearing rights.

Keep proof of every hour

my80hours is a free app that logs your hours, saves photos of pay stubs and sign-in sheets, gets volunteer letters signed, and makes a PDF for your caseworker. No sign-up. Your info stays on your phone.

Make my volunteer letter

Sources

This page explains federal rules as of October 10, 2026. It is not legal advice and my80hours is not a government site. Your state sets many details, so always follow the notices your state sends you, and ask your caseworker or a legal aid office if you’re unsure.