SNAP changes in 2026: every federal and state change, by date

Most of the SNAP changes people saw in 2026 come from one law: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025. Its SNAP sections took effect in stages. The work-rule, immigrant, utility and internet changes applied from July 4, 2025, and states applied them to existing cases at renewal through 2025 and 2026. States started paying 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs on October 1, 2026. A share of benefit costs follows from October 1, 2027 (fiscal year 2028) in most states. Separately, the yearly cost-of-living update raised the maximum benefit for a family of four in the 48 states and D.C. from $994 to $1,023 on October 1, 2026. Eighteen states had approval to ban soda, candy or similar items, and a federal court struck down five other states’ bans on June 22, 2026. Several states replaced magnetic-stripe EBT cards with chip cards. Federal replacement of skimmed benefits, which ended December 20, 2024, did not come back. Congress passed no law changing SNAP’s rules in 2026 through October 9; a temporary funding law keeps SNAP running through December 11, 2026.

This guide lists each change by date, says who it affects, and links the official source. For how a change works in your state, open your state page from the state directory.

Timeline at a glance

Sources for each row are linked in the sections below.

Changes from the July 4, 2025 law

The law’s SNAP provisions are sections 10101 to 10108 (P.L. 119-21). USDA explained them to states in an information memo of September 4, 2025 and keeps a list of the follow-up memos on its OBBB page. Memos from mid-2026 are signed by the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA); older ones say Food and Nutrition Service.

For households, the changes that took effect on signing were applied in two steps. New applicants were screened under the new rules from July 4, 2025. People already on SNAP were moved to the new rules no later than their next recertification. That is why many households first felt these changes in 2026, at their renewal interview.

Work rules: the time limit covers ages 18 to 64 since July 4, 2025

Section 10102 widened the SNAP time limit, the rule that limits some adults to 3 months of benefits in 3 years unless they work, volunteer or join a work program at least 80 hours a month.

• The upper age rose from 54 to 64.
• The exception for adults with children applies only to a child under 14 in the SNAP household (it was under 18).
• Veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth aged 24 or younger lost the exceptions they had since 2023.
• American Indians, Urban Indians and California Indians, as defined in federal health law, gained a new exception.
• Waivers for high-unemployment areas are allowed only where unemployment is over 10%. Alaska and Hawaii have their own test, and can ask for temporary “good faith” exemptions that end no later than December 31, 2028.

Sources: P.L. 119-21 sec. 10102; USDA information memo, September 4, 2025.

Example. A 58-year-old woman lives alone and works 10 hours a week, about 43 hours a month. Before July 4, 2025, the time limit did not apply to her because she was over 54. Under the new rule, she has to reach 80 hours a month of work, volunteering or a work program, or meet another exception. If she does not, she can get SNAP for only 3 months in a 36-month period. A father of a 15-year-old who lives with him is in the same position: his child is too old for the exception, so another exception has to apply.

The general work rules (register for work, accept a suitable job, do not quit without good cause) did not change; they still cover ages 16 to 59. The full rules, the exceptions and how 80 hours are counted are in the work requirements guide.

Waivers of the time limit: ended, reinstated, then narrowed

• October 3, 2025. USDA told 19 state agencies that their waivers based on “a lack of sufficient jobs” would end 30 days later, because the 2025 law removed that basis: Alaska, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Guam, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington (USDA termination letter). The termination took effect November 2, 2025 (USDA status update, February 26, 2026).
• February 26, 2026. Citing “ongoing litigation and a order from the District Court of Rhode Island,” USDA said the terminated waivers would stay in effect through their original end dates. Those dates ran from November 30, 2025 (Connecticut, Kentucky) to June 30, 2026 (Minnesota, Montana) (same letter, Appendix A).
• October 1, 2026. No state had a statewide waiver. Twelve states had waivers for some areas: Alaska, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin (USDA FY2027 first-quarter waiver status; time limit waivers page, updated October 5, 2026).

If you live in one of those 12 states, the waived counties or cities are listed on your state page and in the USDA file.

Immigrants: fewer groups can get SNAP

Section 10108 limits SNAP to U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of the Compact of Free Association nations (Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau). USDA’s revised questions and answers of December 9, 2025 say the change took effect July 4, 2025 and did not wait for new regulations. Refugees and asylees, including children under 18, are no longer eligible because of that status alone. Green card holders still face the 5-year waiting period unless an exception applies; that rule did not change.

A noncitizen who loses eligibility is removed from the SNAP household, but the rest of the household can keep getting SNAP. The law still counts that person’s income and resources when it figures the household’s eligibility and benefit. A state may choose to subtract a pro rata share of the income (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10108). Which groups remain eligible, and what happens after a refugee becomes a green card holder, is in the immigrant eligibility guide.

Utility allowance: LIHEAP no longer qualifies every household

Before the law, a household that received a LIHEAP energy payment of more than $20 got the state’s heating and cooling standard utility allowance (SUA). Since July 4, 2025, that automatic link works only for households with a member who is 60 or older or disabled. Other households get the heating and cooling SUA only if they actually pay heating or cooling costs (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10103; USDA memo, September 4, 2025).

The utility allowance counts as part of your shelter costs. When it changes, your shelter deduction changes. For a household below the shelter cap, each $10 less in deduction adds $10 to net income and lowers the benefit by about $3, because the benefit is the maximum minus 30% of net income; the benefit calculation guide shows the steps. How LIHEAP and SNAP fit together is in the energy assistance guide.

Internet costs: no longer a shelter expense

Section 10104 removed internet service from the costs that count toward the shelter deduction. It also may not be built into any utility allowance. The change took effect when the law was signed on July 4, 2025 (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10104; USDA memo, September 4, 2025). An internet bill no longer raises your benefit.

Benefit amounts: price updates only until at least October 2027

Section 10101 keeps the yearly cost-of-living update every October 1. It bars USDA from re-evaluating the Thrifty Food Plan market baskets before October 1, 2027, and requires any re-evaluation to be cost-neutral (USDA memo, September 4, 2025). In plain terms: maximum benefits rise only with food prices, and a future review cannot raise them above that.

October 1, 2026: FY2027 benefit amounts and limits

USDA’s FY2027 cost-of-living memo of August 21, 2026 set the figures for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. In the 48 states and D.C., compared with USDA’s FY2026 cost-of-living memo of August 2025:

• Maximum benefit, 1 person: $298 to $306, a rise of $8 a month.
• Maximum benefit, 4 people: $994 to $1,023, a rise of $29 a month.
• Minimum benefit for 1- and 2-person households: $24 to $25.
• Standard deduction, 1-3 people: $209 to $217.
• Shelter deduction cap: $744 to $769.
• Asset limit for a household with a member 60 or older or disabled: $4,500 to $4,750. The limit for other households stayed at $3,000.

One area went the other way. The memo says Hawaii’s 4-person maximum “will decrease” to $1,655; the FY2026 figure was $1,689.

Example. A family of four with no income got the FY2026 maximum of $994 in September 2026. In October 2026 it gets $1,023. Over the 12 months of FY2027 that is $29 × 12 = $348 more. A household with income gets less than the maximum: 30% of its net income is subtracted. Its own change depends on its income, rent and utility allowance.

The full tables, Alaska and the territories, and two worked households are in the FY2027 benefit amounts guide. The FY2027 national income limits are:

Food you can buy: state restriction waivers

Federal law lets USDA approve state “demonstration projects.” In 2025 and 2026, USDA used that authority to let states remove soda, candy and similar items from what SNAP can buy. FNA’s SNAP Food Restriction Waivers page (updated October 13, 2026) lists these approved waivers and target start dates:

Each state defines “soda,” “candy” or “sweetened drink” in its own way. Indiana’s page, for example, says sugary drinks include sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks (Indiana FSSA). Check your state page before you shop.

Struck down. On June 22, 2026, in Aragon et al. v. Rollins et al., No. 1:26-cv-00861 (D.D.C.), the federal court in Washington, D.C. vacated USDA’s approval of the waivers for Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia, and ordered that they may not be carried out (FNA). In those five states, SNAP buys the same foods as before.

Nebraska tries again. Nebraska sent a new request on September 1, 2026: no soda, soft drinks or energy drinks from December 1, 2026, and no candy from March 1, 2027. USDA asked for public comments by November 2, 2026, and said it will publish a separate notice approving or refusing the request at least 10 days before any start date (Federal Register, October 2, 2026). Until that notice appears, nothing changes in Nebraska.

Comment notices for the other 18. On September 15, 2026, USDA published Federal Register notices inviting comment on the 18 projects, one per state (example: Indiana).

The full rules, including how stores apply them, are in the food restriction waivers guide. What SNAP can buy everywhere is in what you can buy with EBT.

EBT cards: chip cards, and still no federal replacement for theft

Chip cards

USDA’s stolen benefits page (updated September 8, 2026) still answers that no state issues SNAP EBT cards with a chip. State agencies’ own pages show otherwise:

Oklahoma and Maryland say the balance moves to the new card automatically. Alabama tells cardholders to destroy the old card once the new one is activated. Follow the instructions that come with your card.

Stolen benefits

Federal money could replace SNAP stolen by skimming, cloning or similar fraud only for thefts from October 1, 2022 through December 20, 2024. The American Relief Act, 2025 did not extend that authority (FNA). Nothing in 2026 restored it. New Jersey’s July 13, 2026 release says the same: under federal law, electronically stolen benefits cannot be replaced (NJ Human Services). Card locks, PIN changes before deposit day and chip cards are the protections left. They are covered in the skimming guide.

State cost sharing: what it means for you

Two sections of the law shift SNAP costs from the federal government to the states. Neither changes how much a household gets. They matter because states must cover the difference from their own budgets.

Administrative costs, from October 1, 2026

The federal government paid 50% of each state’s costs of running SNAP (staff, offices, computer systems). From fiscal year 2027, which began October 1, 2026, it pays 25% (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10106). USDA’s questions and answers of May 21, 2026 add that:

• the change cannot be waived;
• SNAP outreach is also cut to 25%;
• SNAP Employment and Training administration stays at 50%;
• tribal organizations that run SNAP on a reservation stay at 75%;
• Summer EBT is not affected.

USDA proposed a rule to put this into the regulations on June 24, 2026. The comment period closed after an extension published August 17, 2026. The 25% rate applies under the law whether or not the rule is final.

Benefit costs, from October 1, 2027

Beginning in fiscal year 2028, each state pays part of the cost of the benefits themselves, based on its payment error rate: the share of benefit dollars paid in the wrong amount (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10105).

For FY2028, a state may choose its FY2025 or its FY2026 error rate. From FY2029, the rate from three years earlier is used. A state with a very high rate starts later: if its FY2025 rate times 1.5 is 20% or more, it starts in FY2029; if its FY2026 rate times 1.5 is 20% or more, it starts in FY2030. USDA’s quality control page (updated October 2, 2026) says matching “will generally begin as soon as Oct. 1, 2027.”

USDA published the FY2025 error rates on June 24, 2026. The national rate was 10.62%. Two examples of how the formula works:

• Idaho, 3.85%. That is under 6%, so if Idaho uses its FY2025 rate for FY2028, its share is 0%.
• Alaska, 23.15%. 23.15 × 1.5 = 34.7, which is over 20, so Alaska’s share does not start until FY2029 at the earliest.

The FY2025 cut-off for the delay is a rate of 13.34% or more, because 13.34 × 1.5 = 20.01. Seven jurisdictions were at or above it for FY2025: Alaska (23.15%), the District of Columbia (18.66%), New Mexico (16.81%), Delaware (16.00%), Georgia (15.21%), Illinois (14.67%) and Oregon (14.14%). FY2026 error rates had not been published as of October 16, 2026.

SNAP-Ed nutrition education ends

Section 10107 ended required federal funding for SNAP-Ed, the nutrition education and obesity prevention grants, with the fiscal year 2025 grant (P.L. 119-21). USDA’s closeout questions and answers of February 24, 2026 say the FY2025 grant period ran October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026, and states could use unspent FY2025 money for SNAP-Ed in FY2026. The law requires no federal SNAP-Ed funding after the FY2025 allocation. SNAP benefits themselves are not affected. Nutrition classes that ran on SNAP-Ed grants can continue only with other money, such as state funds.

Summer EBT in 2026

Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, paid $120 per eligible school-age child in summer 2026 in the states, territories and tribes that took part (FNA Summer EBT, updated July 22, 2026). Children in households that receive SNAP were automatically enrolled in participating areas (FNA Summer EBT household page). Summer EBT is a separate program from SNAP, and the 2025 law’s administrative cost change does not apply to it (USDA Q&A, May 21, 2026, question 8). Which states took part is in the Summer EBT guide.

Federal funding: November 2025 and the December 11, 2026 deadline

When federal funding lapsed on October 1, 2025, USDA cut maximum SNAP benefits for November 2025 to 50% of each household’s allotment (USDA memo, November 4, 2025). Public Law 119-37, signed November 12, 2025, ended the shutdown, and USDA told states the next day that the reduction was “no longer in effect” and households were to receive full November allotments (USDA memo, November 13, 2025). That law funded SNAP through September 30, 2026. The day-by-day account is in the late or missing benefits guide.

For FY2027, Congress passed a temporary funding law, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103, September 2, 2026). It continues activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 “at the rate to maintain program levels” through December 11, 2026 (sections 106 and 111). Section 111(b) also lets payments due on or about the first day of a month continue if that month begins after October 2026 and no later than 30 days after December 11, 2026. Whether SNAP stays funded after that depends on Congress passing another law.

What did not change in 2026

• No new SNAP law. The public laws enacted from July 5, 2025 through P.L. 119-121 (October 9, 2026) include no farm bill and no other act changing SNAP eligibility or benefits (GovInfo public laws list). Bills that were introduced but not passed have no effect.
• No new household rule. USDA’s only SNAP rulemakings published in the Federal Register in 2026 were a final rule on store stocking standards (published May 8, 2026, effective July 7, 2026), which applies to retailers, and the administrative cost proposal above.
• The regulations lag the law. Parts of the federal SNAP regulations still describe pre-2025 rules. 7 CFR 273.9, for example, still lists internet among utility costs. The 2025 law overrides those parts.
• The basic rules stayed the same. The 30-day decision deadline, 7-day expedited service, income tests and fair hearing rights did not change. See how to apply and renewing SNAP.

What to watch next

• November 1, 2026: restriction waivers start in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia.
• November 2, 2026: comment deadline on Nebraska’s new restriction request.
• December 11, 2026: temporary FY2027 federal funding ends unless Congress extends it.
• December 31, 2026: Virginia’s target for every cardholder to have a chip card.
• February 1 to April 1, 2027: restriction waivers start in Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Hawaii and Ohio.
• August 2027: USDA’s FY2028 cost-of-living memo, with amounts that take effect October 1, 2027.
• October 1, 2027: state shares of benefit costs begin in most states.
• December 31, 2028: last possible end date for any Alaska or Hawaii “good faith” exemption from the time limit.

Sources

All checked October 16, 2026. USDA pages on www.fna.usda.gov block automated access; their content was read from the agency’s own copy at fns-prod.azureedge.us or in a browser.

• Public Law 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, sections 10101-10108 (July 4, 2025), GovInfo
• SNAP Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, information memo (September 4, 2025), USDA
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act implementation memos (updated June 11, 2026), USDA FNA
• Waiver of ABAWD Time Limit, Termination (October 3, 2025) and Waiver of the Time Limit, Status Update (February 26, 2026), USDA
• Status of State Time Limit Waivers, FY2027 Quarter 1 and time limit waivers page (updated October 5, 2026), USDA FNA
• Alien SNAP Eligibility, Questions and Answers #1, revised (December 9, 2025), USDA
• SNAP Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (August 21, 2026), USDA FNA
• SNAP Fiscal Year 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustments, USDA
• SNAP Food Restriction Waivers (updated October 13, 2026), USDA FNA
• State of Nebraska SNAP Demonstration Project, notice 2026-20211 (October 2, 2026) and State of Indiana, notice 2026-18894 (September 15, 2026), Federal Register
• Smart SNAP, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
• Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits (updated September 8, 2026), USDA FNA
• Chip cards: California Department of Social Services; Alabama Department of Human Resources; Oklahoma Human Services (March 26, 2026); New Jersey Department of Human Services (July 13, 2026); Office of the Governor of Maryland (July 17, 2026); Office of the Governor of Massachusetts (July 29, 2026); Virginia Department of Social Services
• Section 10106 Administrative Cost Sharing, Questions and Answers (May 21, 2026), USDA
• Changes in Federal-State Administrative Cost Sharing, proposed rule (June 24, 2026) and comment period extension (August 17, 2026), Federal Register
• SNAP Quality Control (updated October 2, 2026) and FY2025 payment error rates (June 24, 2026), USDA FNA
• Closeout of SNAP-Ed, Questions and Answers (February 24, 2026), USDA
• Summer EBT (updated July 22, 2026), USDA FNA
• Benefit issuance memos of November 4, 2025 and November 13, 2025, USDA; Public Law 119-37 (November 12, 2025) and Public Law 119-103, Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (September 2, 2026), GovInfo
• Public and private laws, 119th Congress, GovInfo
• Updated Staple Food Stocking Standards for Retailers in SNAP, final rule (May 8, 2026), Federal Register