New work requirements are expanding across more states Sunday for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the nation’s largest federal assistance program.
Starting today, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 without dependent children must work, participate in employment and training programs, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. Those who do not meet the requirement can receive benefits for only three months within a three-year period.
The new requirements expand work rules to additional groups that were previously exempt, including adults ages 55 to 64 and parents with children ages 14 or older. The law also eliminates prior exemptions for veterans, homeless people, and individuals ages 18 to 24 who were in foster care when they turned 18, according to federal guidance.
The changes stem from provisions included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which President Donald Trump signed into law last summer.
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The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the new provisions will reduce SNAP participation by an estimated 2.4 million people over the next 10 years. About a third of those affected are able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 without dependent children, while roughly 300,000 are able-bodied adults in that age range who live with children ages 14 or older.
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Beyond work requirements, the law also makes broader changes to SNAP that will affect benefit levels for many households, including limits on future benefit increases and changes to how certain living expenses are counted when calculating monthly aid, according to the CBO. Those provisions are expected to result in smaller benefit amounts over time, even for some recipients who remain eligible.
While a broader expansion is taking effect Sunday — including in Illinois and Ohio — implementation varies across states. Texas, for instance, began enforcing its new requirements in October, meaning some recipients there may have already exhausted their three-month benefit window. In Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado and Georgia, for instance, the three-month window began in November, so that time is now expiring.
The law allows flexibility for areas with high unemployment. Counties with unemployment rates above 10% may qualify for waivers, while Alaska and Hawaii can suspend work requirements if unemployment reaches 1.5 times the national average.
The CBO has also warned that additional changes in the law could prompt states to modify or scale back their SNAP programs in the coming years, as states will be required to cover a greater share of administrative and benefit costs under certain conditions.
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Nearly 42 million Americans currently receive SNAP benefits. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 80% of SNAP households have gross incomes at or below the federal poverty line.
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