How Long Employers Give You to Get a Food Handlers Card

A food handlers card proves that you have completed an approved food safety training course and passed an exam covering essential food safety principles.

Many food workers are required to get a food handlers card either before they start working or within a short period after they’re hired. This requirement may come from state or local regulations, an employer’s internal policy, or both.

If you’re applying for a job and see “food handlers card required” in the job posting, or you’ve already been hired and your manager tells you that you need one, it’s normal to wonder how much time you actually have.

This article explains how long employers typically give you to get a food handlers card and how to get an approved card quickly so it doesn’t delay your start date or your shifts.

How much time do you have to get a food handlers card?

If you’re applying for a job and see “Food Handler Card Required” or similar language, you’ll usually need to earn it within 30 days of being hired.

That 30-day window is what most states that require a food handler card allow. For example, Illinois, California, and Texas all require food workers to earn a food handler card within 30 days of starting work.

Utah is a little different. There, you must earn an approved food handler card or certificate within 14 days of employment, followed by a permit within 30 days.

If you miss the deadline, it can create real problems. An employer may send you home if a health inspector shows up, or they may stop scheduling you for shifts until you earn your card.

Even if a job posting doesn’t explicitly say a food handler card is required, earning one before you apply can set your resume apart and often leads to faster onboarding. In some cases, it can even support a higher starting wage.

Now, what if you’ve already been hired or have been working for a while and your manager asks you to get an approved food handler card? In most cases, that same 30-day timeline applies. The best move is to take care of it as quickly as possible so it’s off your plate and your manager doesn’t have to keep following up.

How to get an approved food handlers card

Every state, local health department, and even individual employers set their own rules for which food handler cards they accept.

In most cases, only food handler cards from programs accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) are accepted. That accreditation confirms the training and exam meet nationally recognized food safety standards.

There are a few notable exceptions. In some locations, you must earn your food handler card directly through the local health department. For example, Clark County in Nevada (Las Vegas), New York City, Washington, and Alaska only accept cards issued by their health department. Cards from other providers are not accepted.

Outside of these limited cases, choosing an ANAB-accredited food handler program is the safest way to make sure your card is valid and widely accepted.

FoodSafePal’s food handler course is ANAB-accredited. Most people complete the training and test online in about 90 minutes. Once you pass, you’re issued a digital certificate and card immediately, with the option to upgrade to a professionally printed copy mailed to you.

In most states, a food handler card is valid for three years. Texas is the main exception, where cards expire after two years. To keep your card active, you’ll need to retake an approved course and pass the exam before it expires.

The bottom line

In most cases, you have up to 30 days to earn an approved food handler card if it’s required by your health department or employer.

That said, it’s usually best to get your food handler card as soon as possible once you know you’ll need one. If you don’t have a job yet, having it ahead of time can make you a stronger applicant and may even help you negotiate a higher starting wage. If you’re already working, earning it quickly keeps you in compliance and saves your manager from having to follow up.

Outside of the limited situations where a state or city issues its own card, you can earn an approved food handler card online in about 90 minutes with FoodSafePal.