The complexity of sparse code multiple access (SCMA) decoding can be reduced by pruning codebooks to remove unlikely codewords prior to, or while, performing an iterative message passing algorithm (MPA). The pruned codebook is then used by to perform one or more iterations of MPA processing, thereby reducing the number codeword probabilities that are calculated for the corresponding SCMA layer. The pruned codebook also reduces the computational complexity of calculating codeword probabilities associated with other SCMA layers. The pruned codebook may be “reset” by reinserting the pruned codewords into the codebook after a final hard-decision for a given set of received samples is made, so that the pruning does not affect evaluation of the next set of samples.