En esta noticia
New rules affecting SNAP work requirements are being implemented following changes included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. The law was signed on July 4, 2025, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is continuing to provide guidance to states on how the new changes should be applied.
The USDA says the law changed who is subject to the SNAP time limit requirements as of July 4, 2025. The agency is also updating its guidance on exceptions and waivers, meaning some of the rules and their implementation may vary as states put the changes into practice.
Who can be affected by the new SNAP work requirements?
The changes primarily affect the rules for able-bodied adults without dependents, known as ABAWDs. Under the new law, the age exception was raised to 65, meaning adults can remain subject to the time-limited work requirements until they reach 66. The law also changed the exception for people caring for children, limiting it to households with a dependent child under 14.
The law also removed some previous exceptions for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and certain young adults who aged out of foster care. At the same time, it created new exceptions for certain American Indian, Urban Indian, and California Indian individuals.
What do SNAP recipients have to do to keep their benefits?
For people who are subject to the ABAWD time limit, the requirement generally involves working or participating in an approved work program for at least 80 hours per month. Qualifying activities can include paid work, SNAP Employment and Training programs, other employment or training programs, or workfare.
If an individual subject to the time limit does not meet the requirement, SNAP benefits can generally be limited to three months within a three-year period. However, exceptions and waivers can apply, and the USDA is currently issuing updated guidance on those provisions following the 2025 law.
States are responsible for administering SNAP and determining eligibility in individual cases. The USDA’s current work-requirements page says it is still providing guidance on how the 2025 law changes ABAWD exceptions and waiver criteria, so recipients should check with their state SNAP agency for information about how the rules apply to their specific case.
When do the new SNAP rules take effect?
The changes to SNAP work requirements were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which became law on July 4, 2025. The USDA specifically states that the law changed who must follow the SNAP time-limit requirements as of that date, so the changes should not be described as a new federal rule that only began in July 2026.
What is continuing in 2026 is the implementation and guidance process. The USDA’s SNAP work-requirement page says the agency is still providing guidance on the new ABAWD exception and waiver criteria, while implementation memorandums were updated in September 2026.
Because SNAP is administered by state agencies, recipients should check their state’s SNAP office for notices about their eligibility, work requirements, and any applicable exceptions. The federal government sets the rules, but state agencies handle individual SNAP cases.