SNAP Work Requirements 2026: New Rules, Exemptions & What to Do

If you get SNAP and you’re between 18 and 64, read this now. The work requirements changed in 2025, states began enforcing them at different times through 2026, and people are already losing benefits. Some were cut off, then had their benefits restored by a court. The rules are genuinely confusing right now, and the confusion itself is costing people food.

Here’s what’s true as of today, verified against the law and USDA’s own guidance.

Figures and rules verified against the 2025 law and USDA guidance. First published July 2026, reviewed and updated October 2026.

Before you read anything else: USDA’s own page is out of date

If you look up SNAP work requirements on the USDA website today, it will tell you the rules apply to adults aged 18 to 54. It also carries a note saying the agency is still writing guidance on the 2025 law changes.

The law changed anyway. The age ceiling is now 64.

So if you’re 58, and you read the government’s own website, and you conclude the work requirements don’t apply to you, you would be wrong. And you could lose your benefits because of it. That is not a hypothetical, it is happening.

What changed in the 2025 law

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, 2025, made the largest changes to SNAP work rules in nearly thirty years. Four things matter:

• The age range expanded from 18 to 54 to 18 to 64. Roughly a million adults aged 55 to 64 who were completely exempt are now subject to the three-month time limit.
• The parent exemption narrowed. It used to apply if you had any dependent child under 18. Now it only applies if your youngest child is under 14. A parent with a 15-year-old is now subject to the rules.
• Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth lost their automatic exemptions. Those protections were added in 2023 and repealed by this law.
• The main basis for geographic waivers was repealed. States could previously waive the rules in areas without enough jobs. Now the bar is roughly 10% unemployment, which almost nowhere in the country hits.

Are you an ABAWD? Answer this first

ABAWD stands for Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents. It’s a category, not a judgement, and whether you’re in it decides everything else on this page.

You are an ABAWD, and the strict time limit applies to you, if all of these are true:

• You are between 18 and 64 years old
• You are able to work (no physical or mental limitation preventing it)
• You have no dependent child under 14 in your household
• You are not pregnant
• None of the other exemptions below apply to you

If any one of those is false, you are non-ABAWD, the three-month time limit does not apply to you at all, though the milder general work requirements might.

There are two separate sets of rules and people mix them up constantly:

• General work requirements (most adults 16 to 59): register for work, accept a suitable job if offered, don’t voluntarily quit a job of 30+ hours without good cause. No time limit attached.
• ABAWD time limit (adults 18 to 64 who meet the definition above): a hard three months in any 36-month period unless you complete 80 hours a month of qualifying activity.

The 80-hour rule: what counts and what doesn’t

To keep SNAP beyond three months, an ABAWD must complete 80 hours a month, roughly 20 hours a week, of qualifying activity.

What counts:

• Paid work, at any wage, including part-time and gig work
• Self-employment (count the hours you actually work)
• Unpaid work or volunteering with a verified organization
• An approved training or education program
• SNAP Employment and Training (E&T)
• Workfare
• Any combination of the above that adds up to 80 hours

What does not count: looking for a job on your own. Job searching, sending applications, going to interviews, none of it counts toward the 80 hours unless it’s part of an approved program. This catches people out more than anything else on this page.

If you’re working 20 hours a week already, you meet the requirement. You still have to prove it, which is a separate problem we’ll come to.

Who is exempt from SNAP work requirements?

You are exempt from the ABAWD time limit if you are:

• Under 18 or 65 and older
• Physically or mentally unable to work, this does not require a formal disability determination. A doctor’s note is usually enough.
• Pregnant
• Living with a child under 14 in your household (the child doesn’t have to be yours)
• Caring for an incapacitated person
• Already working 80+ hours a month
• Enrolled at least half-time in school or a training program
• Receiving unemployment compensation (or applied for it)
• In treatment for substance use
• An enrolled tribal member, Urban Indian, or California Indian, or otherwise eligible for Indian Health Service care
• Receiving disability benefits, SSI, SSDI, veterans disability, or state disability

The 60-to-64 trap

This one is going to cost a lot of people their benefits, and almost nobody is writing about it.

Adults aged 60 to 64 are exempt from the general work requirements. That has been true for years and it’s still true.

But they are now subject to the ABAWD time limit.

So a 62-year-old who has always been told “the work rules don’t apply to you at your age” can now lose SNAP after three months. The exemption they’re thinking of is the wrong one. If you’re in your early sixties and receiving SNAP, assume the ABAWD rules apply to you unless another exemption on the list above fits.

Veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth

Until 2025, all three groups were automatically exempt. That exemption is gone.

This doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Many veterans have a service-connected disability that qualifies them under “unable to work.” Many people experiencing homelessness have a documented health condition. But the automatic protection no longer exists, and you now have to actively claim a different exemption rather than being covered by default.

The three-month clock, and how to restart it

If the ABAWD rules apply to you and you’re not meeting the 80 hours, you get three months of SNAP in any 36-month period. That’s three months total, not three months per year.

The months don’t have to be consecutive. Once you’ve used all three, benefits stop until either the 36-month window rolls over or you regain eligibility.

You can restart. If you get cut off, you can regain SNAP by completing 30 days of 80-hour-a-month qualifying activity, or by becoming exempt (a new job, a pregnancy, a disability diagnosis, moving in with a child under 14, turning 65). Report it immediately, benefits aren’t backdated for the time you were off.

Most states also allow a limited number of discretionary exemptions for individual hardship cases. It’s worth asking your caseworker directly whether one is available to you. They will not usually offer.

When do SNAP work requirements start in my state?

There is no single national start date, and this is why the coverage you’ll read is so contradictory. States rolled this out on their own timelines, and several were interrupted by litigation.

Illinois SNAP work requirements

Illinois’s ABAWD waiver stayed in place through January 31, 2026 because of a federal court decision, which made February 2026 the first countable month. Illinois runs a three-year fixed period that ends December 31, 2026, which means some Illinois residents could begin losing benefits as early as May 1, 2026, three countable months after February.

If you’re in Illinois and you received a notice, do not assume you have until December. Count from February. Amounts and the Manage My Case status route are in our Illinois SNAP guide.

Ohio SNAP work requirements

Ohio put the expanded standards into effect in February 2026. Ohio has broad-based categorical eligibility, so there’s no asset test, but the work requirements apply in full, and Ohio’s gross income limit stays at 130% of poverty. If you’re an ABAWD in Ohio, your clock started in February. Ohio’s amounts and review cycle are in our Ohio SNAP guide.

Nevada SNAP work requirements

Nevada is the clearest illustration of how unstable this has been. Nevada activated work requirements on March 1, 2026, and more than 25,000 people lost eligibility. Then the litigation reversed the waiver terminations, and Nevada issued roughly $7.3 million in SNAP payments restoring benefits to those people.

If you were cut off in Nevada in March, check your status. You may have been restored.

New York SNAP work requirements (including the 55 to 64 question)

New York began enforcing statewide on March 1, 2026. A very large number of New Yorkers are searching specifically about the 55 to 64 age group, and the answer is: yes, if you’re between 55 and 64, able to work, and have no child under 14, the ABAWD time limit now applies to you in New York. It did not before. New York amounts and the two portal split are in our New York SNAP guide.

Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Delaware and Texas

Texas began enforcing in late 2025, making it one of the earliest states. If you’re an ABAWD in Texas, your clock has been running longer than most people’s, and the amounts at stake are in our Texas SNAP guide.

Pennsylvania uses a 200% gross income limit with no asset test, so income is rarely the obstacle there. The work requirements are.

Tennessee is one of only seven states with no broad-based categorical eligibility, so Tennessee ABAWDs face a strict $3,000 asset test and the time limit together.

Delaware has published updated work requirement policy as the federal rules took effect.

Georgia, South Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado, West Virginia, Alaska and Hawaii

All seven began enforcing in late 2025, ahead of most of the country. Georgia and South Carolina both keep the gross income limit at 130% of poverty, so an ABAWD in either state is squeezed by a tight income ceiling and the time limit at once.

Alaska and Hawaii have separate, higher income tables and received extended waiver treatment under the law because of their labour markets. Confirm your specific area’s status with your local office.

California SNAP work requirements (CalFresh)

California, where the program is called CalFresh, scheduled enforcement to begin in June 2026, later than most states. If you’re a CalFresh recipient and an ABAWD, your three-month clock started later than almost anyone’s, which means you have more time than most people to claim an exemption, enrol in E&T, or get documented at 80 hours. Use it. CalFresh amounts and the SAR 7 report are in our CalFresh guide.

Michigan and Florida

Both have implemented the expanded federal standards. Michigan’s program is the Food Assistance Program, managed through MI Bridges. Florida runs through ACCESS Florida, with amounts in our Florida SNAP guide. The exemption list and the 80-hour rule are the federal ones described above. What differs is the enforcement date and which counties still hold a waiver.

Do not rely on a national article for your date. Call your local SNAP office or dial 211 and ask two specific questions: when does enforcement start here, and is my county covered by a waiver? Both answers can completely change your situation, and both have shifted more than once this year.

What counts as “unable to work”?

This is the most useful exemption on the list, and the most underclaimed, because people assume it requires a formal disability determination. It does not.

You can be exempt as physically or mentally unfit for work without ever having applied for SSI or SSDI. What’s generally accepted:

• A note from any doctor, nurse practitioner or licensed clinician stating you’re unable to work, or unable to work 20 hours a week
• Receipt of any disability benefit, SSI, SSDI, veterans disability, state disability, workers’ compensation
• Being obviously unfit for work in the caseworker’s own assessment
• A documented mental health condition, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, or a substance use disorder
• A temporary condition, a broken bone, surgery, a pregnancy complication. The exemption does not have to be permanent.

If you have a health condition that makes steady work difficult, ask your doctor for a letter. It costs one appointment, and it can be the difference between keeping and losing your food. This is the single most valuable action most ABAWDs can take, and almost nobody takes it.

Good cause: when missing your hours is excused

Even if the rules apply to you and you fall short in a given month, you may have good cause, a recognised reason that stops the month counting against your three.

Good cause generally covers:

• Illness, yours or a family member’s
• A household emergency
• Transport breaking down, or having no transport at all
• Losing childcare
• Your employer cutting your hours below 80 through no fault of your own
• A job or training placement falling through
• Severe weather
• Discrimination in hiring

Good cause is not automatic. You have to claim it, and claim it promptly, usually within 10 days of the month in question. Tell your caseworker what happened, in writing if you can, and keep a copy.

Three real situations, and what to do in each

“I’m 58, I work 15 hours a week, and I got a letter”

You’re an ABAWD under the new age rules, and 15 hours a week is about 65 hours a month, short of the 80. In order of ease: ask your employer for five more hours a week; add volunteering to close the gap (activities combine); enrol in SNAP E&T, which counts toward the hours and may exempt you outright; or, if a health condition is limiting you, get a doctor’s note and claim the unable-to-work exemption.

“I’m a parent, but my youngest is 15”

Under the old rules you were exempt. Under the 2025 rules you are not, the exemption now stops at 14. But note: if any child under 14 lives in your household, including a grandchild, niece or nephew, the exemption applies. And if you’re caring for an incapacitated household member of any age, that’s a separate exemption entirely.

“I’m a veteran and I was told I’m exempt”

That was true until 2025. It isn’t now, the automatic veteran exemption was repealed. But if you have a service-connected disability, or any condition limiting your ability to work, you qualify under “unable to work” instead. Take your VA disability paperwork to your SNAP office and claim it explicitly, and see our veterans and SNAP guide for how VA income and ratings interact with the rest of the rules. Do not assume it carries over automatically. It won’t.

The waivers: cancelled, revived by a court, and now mostly expired

This is the part of the story that has changed the most, and most of what you’ll read online stops halfway through it.

Under the 2025 law, USDA terminated the ABAWD waivers of 18 states on November 2, 2025. Those waivers had protected people living in areas with high unemployment or too few jobs, and their removal is why so many states suddenly began enforcing. Cities and nonprofits sued, and on February 26, 2026, following an order from the District Court of Rhode Island, USDA reinstated the terminated waivers.

Here’s the catch that matters now: the reinstatement only ran through each waiver’s original expiration date, and most of those dates passed by the end of February 2026. New York’s statewide waiver, for example, ran to February 28, 2026 and enforcement began the next day. New waivers are only available for areas with unemployment above roughly 10 percent, with special treatment for Alaska and Hawaii through 2028, and almost nowhere else qualifies.

So as of fall 2026, the working assumption is that no waiver covers you unless your local office confirms one in writing. The court fight restored benefits for tens of thousands of people for a few months, Nevada’s 25,000 restored recipients among them, but the protection it revived has largely run out on its own calendar.

The other rules: general work requirements

Almost everything written about SNAP work requirements is about ABAWDs, because that’s where the time limit bites. But there’s a second, milder set that applies to a much wider group, and breaking them carries its own penalty.

The general work requirements apply to most adults aged 16 to 59 who are able to work. You must:

• Register for work when you apply (usually automatic)
• Accept a suitable job if one is offered
• Not voluntarily quit a job of 30 or more hours a week without good cause
• Not voluntarily reduce your hours below 30 a week without good cause
• Participate in an employment and training program if your state assigns you to one

Break these and you face a disqualification, typically at least one month for a first violation, longer for repeats. There’s no three-month clock, but there is a penalty.

Note the age gap that catches people: general work requirements stop at 59. The ABAWD time limit now runs to 64. Being exempt from one does not exempt you from the other.

If you’re cut off, what happens to the rest of your household?

An important thing that goes almost unmentioned: losing your own SNAP for a work requirement violation does not end benefits for everyone else in your home.

SNAP eligibility is determined person by person. If you’re an ABAWD who exhausts the three-month limit, you are removed from the case, but your children, your partner if they’re exempt, and any other eligible member continue receiving benefits. The household allotment shrinks because it’s calculated on fewer people, but it does not stop.

People sometimes stop engaging with SNAP entirely because they assume the whole household is finished. It isn’t. Keep the case open, keep the paperwork current, and get yourself added back the moment you become eligible again.

How to claim an exemption (do this before you need it)

Exemptions are not applied automatically. Your caseworker does not know you have a bad back, a child under 14 living with you, or a training course you started last month. You have to tell them, and you have to prove it.

1. Work out which exemption fits from the list above. More than one may apply, claim all of them.
2. Gather one piece of proof. A doctor’s note. A birth certificate. A benefit award letter. An enrolment letter. A pregnancy confirmation. One document is usually enough.
3. Contact your SNAP office directly and say the words: “I’m claiming an exemption from the ABAWD work requirements.” Be explicit. Vague statements get filed and forgotten.
4. Send the proof and confirm it arrived. Phone a few days later and ask them to confirm it’s on your file.
5. Write down the date, and the name of the person you spoke to. If you later have to appeal, this is the record that wins it.

Do this before your three months run out, not after. Regaining benefits is slower and harder than never losing them, and benefits are not backdated for the months you were off.

You got a letter about work requirements. Now what?

Do not ignore it. This is the most expensive mistake available to you, and it is the most common one.

1. Open it and find the deadline. There will be one, and it will be short, often 10 to 30 days.
2. Check the exemption list above, carefully. Most people who get cut off were actually exempt and never claimed it. A doctor’s note, a disability benefit, a child under 14 in the home, a pregnancy, enrollment in a class, any one of these ends the problem.
3. If you’re already working 80+ hours a month, prove it. Send pay stubs, an employer letter, or a log of self-employment hours. Being compliant is not the same as being recorded as compliant.
4. If you can’t meet the hours, ask about SNAP Employment and Training. Enrolling in E&T counts toward your hours and, in many states, exempts you outright.
5. Ask directly whether a discretionary exemption is available. States have a limited supply of them for hardship cases. They will rarely volunteer this.
6. Call. Don’t just mail it. Paperwork gets lost. Phone your caseworker, confirm they received what you sent, and write down the date and the name of the person you spoke to.

How to document your hours

Meeting the requirement and proving it are two different problems, and the second one is where people fail.

• Employed: keep pay stubs. If your hours vary week to week, ask your employer for a letter confirming your average monthly hours.
• Self-employed or gig work: keep a simple written log, date, hours, what you did. Screenshots of app dashboards (rideshare, delivery, freelance platforms) work well.
• Volunteering: get a signed letter from the organization, on letterhead, stating your hours. Do this monthly, not at the end of the year.
• Training or school: an enrollment letter or transcript.
• Combining activities: keep everything. 40 hours of paid work plus 40 hours of volunteering meets the requirement, but only if you can document both.

Report your hours every month, on time, in whatever format your state requires. A missed report is treated as a failed month even if you actually worked.

SNAP Employment and Training: the exemption most people miss

Every state runs a SNAP Employment and Training program, often shortened to SNAP E&T. It’s free, and it’s the most underused tool in the whole system.

E&T provides job training, skills courses, work experience placements, job search assistance, and often support for transport, childcare and work clothing. Crucially: participating counts toward your 80 hours, and in many states enrolling in E&T exempts you from the time limit entirely.

Programs run under different names by state, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, South Carolina and New York all operate their own versions, and Wisconsin’s is called FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET). Ask your SNAP office for “SNAP E&T” or “the employment and training program” and they’ll point you to it.

If you’re facing a time limit and can’t find 80 hours of work, this is the first thing to ask about. Not the last.

What happens if you’re cut off, and how to appeal

If you lose SNAP for failing the work requirements, you have the right to a fair hearing, walked step by step in our SNAP denial guide. Request one immediately, you usually have 90 days, but in most states, if you request it within 10 days you can keep receiving benefits while the appeal is decided. That 10-day window is worth acting on.

Grounds worth appealing on:

• You were actually exempt and the state didn’t apply it
• You were meeting the hours and your documentation wasn’t recorded
• You never received proper notice
• Your county is covered by a waiver (rare now, but confirm it in writing if your office says so)
• You had good cause for missing hours, illness, a family emergency, transport breakdown, a job that fell through

Free legal help exists. Contact your local legal aid office, or call 211. Legal aid organisations have been actively challenging wrongful terminations under these rules, and they win.

In the meantime, food banks do not have work requirements. Find a food bank near you, and check whether you qualify for any other programs while you sort this out, our free eligibility checker takes about two minutes.

Frequently asked questions

What are the SNAP work requirements in 2026?

Able-bodied adults without dependents aged 18 to 64 must complete 80 hours a month of work, volunteering or approved training to keep SNAP for more than three months in any 36-month period. The age ceiling rose from 54 to 64 under the 2025 law, and the parent exemption now requires a child under 14.

Who is exempt from SNAP work requirements?

People who are under 18 or 65+, physically or mentally unable to work, pregnant, living with a child under 14, caring for an incapacitated person, working 80+ hours a month, enrolled at least half-time in school or training, receiving unemployment, in substance use treatment, receiving disability benefits, or eligible for Indian Health Service care.

What does ABAWD stand for?

Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents. It describes SNAP recipients aged 18 to 64 who can work and have no dependent child under 14. ABAWDs face a three-month time limit unless they complete 80 hours a month of qualifying activity.

Do the SNAP work requirements apply if I’m 55 to 64?

Yes, as of the 2025 law. Adults aged 55 to 64 were previously exempt and are now subject to the ABAWD time limit. Note also that adults aged 60 to 64 remain exempt from the general work requirements but are still covered by the ABAWD time limit, those are two different rules.

How many hours do I have to work for SNAP?

80 hours a month, about 20 hours a week. Paid work, self-employment, volunteering, approved training, SNAP E&T and workfare all count, and you can combine them. Searching for a job on your own does not count.

Are veterans exempt from SNAP work requirements?

Not automatically, not any more. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth lost their automatic exemptions under the 2025 law. Many veterans still qualify under a different exemption, such as a service-connected disability, but you now have to claim it rather than receive it by default.

What happens if I don’t meet the SNAP work requirements?

You can receive SNAP for only three months in any 36-month period. After that, benefits stop. You can regain them by completing 30 days of 80-hour-a-month qualifying activity, or by becoming exempt. You can also appeal, and if you request a hearing within 10 days, you can usually keep benefits while it’s decided.

Were the SNAP work requirement waivers cancelled?

They were terminated for 18 states on November 2, 2025, reinstated by USDA on February 26, 2026 after a court order, and then expired on their original end dates, most by the end of February 2026. New waivers require roughly 10 percent unemployment, so as of fall 2026 assume you are not covered unless your local office confirms it.

When do SNAP work requirements start in my state?

It varies. Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia began in late 2025. Ohio and Illinois began in February 2026. New York and Nevada began March 1, 2026. California planned to start in June 2026. Call your local SNAP office or 211 to confirm your date and whether your county has a waiver.

Does job searching count toward the 80 hours?

No. Independent job searching does not count. Only paid work, self-employment, volunteering with a verified organization, approved training, SNAP E&T and workfare count toward the requirement.

Sources

Verified July 14, 2026 and reviewed again September 2026 against:

• USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, SNAP work requirements (note: at the time of writing this page still displayed the pre-2025 age range of 18 to 54, with guidance pending)
• USDA, SNAP income eligibility standards and deductions (FY2027 tables effective October 1, 2026)
• USDA, Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility state chart

Work requirement changes reflect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), signed July 4, 2025. Waiver terminations took effect November 2, 2025, were reinstated by USDA on February 26, 2026 following an order from the District Court of Rhode Island, and then lapsed on their original expiration dates, most by the end of February 2026. State enforcement dates and county waiver coverage vary and have shifted more than once during 2026, always confirm with your state SNAP agency or by calling 211.

Last reviewed: September 2026. US Benefit Guide is an independent resource and is not affiliated with any government agency. This page is general information, not legal advice. If your benefits have been terminated, contact your local legal aid office.