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FY2027 limits, in effect from October 1, 2026

SNAP work requirements in 2026: the time limit for adults 18 to 64

Rules & changes19 min readBy Editorial team

SNAP's work rules after the July 4, 2025 law: who faces the 3-month time limit, what counts as 80 hours, how to get benefits back, and which areas are waived.

The west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., with its white dome and two long wings under a clear blue sky, seen across a lawn with trees

SNAP has two separate work rules. The general work requirements apply to most adults aged 16 to 59 who can work. They must register for work, take a suitable job if offered, join a training or workfare program if the state assigns one, and not quit a job of 30 hours a week or more without a good reason. The time limit is stricter. Since July 4, 2025, it covers adults aged 18 through 64 with no child under 14 in their SNAP household. They can get SNAP for only 3 months in a 3-year period unless they work, volunteer or join a work program at least 80 hours a month, or meet an exception. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, section 10102) made the change. It raised the old upper age of 54 to 64 and lowered the child age from under 18 to under 14. It also ended the exceptions for veterans, homeless people and former foster youth. On October 1, 2026, no state had a statewide waiver of the time limit; 12 states had waivers for some areas.

Two different work rules

Most confusion comes from mixing up the two rules. They cover different people and have different penalties.

General work requirements Time limit (“ABAWD” rule)
Ages 16 to 59 18 to 64 (since July 4, 2025)
What you must do Register for work; join SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned; accept a suitable job; do not quit a 30-hour job or cut below 30 hours without good cause Work, volunteer or join a work program at least 80 hours a month, or do workfare
Who is excused People working 30 hours a week or earning at least $217.50 a week; caring for a child under 6 or an incapacitated person; unfit for work; on unemployment benefits; meeting TANF work rules; in drug or alcohol treatment; students at least half time Everyone excused from the general rules, plus: a child under 14 in the SNAP household, pregnancy, unfit for work, American Indians and Alaska Natives as defined in federal health law
What happens if you do not comply You lose SNAP for at least 1 month the first time, longer for later violations After 3 “countable” months in 3 years you lose SNAP until you meet the rule or an exception

Sources: 7 CFR 273.7, P.L. 119-21 sec. 10102, USDA ABAWD exceptions memo of October 3, 2025.

USDA’s own label for the time limit group has changed. Older papers say “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs). USDA’s June 11, 2026 guidance calls them “time-limited participants.” States use their own names too: California calls the rule its “work and community engagement requirements” (CDSS). Your state page has the local name: see the state directory.

The $217.50 figure is the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour times 30 hours. Earning that much in a week excuses you from the general rules even if you work fewer than 30 hours (7 CFR 273.7(b)(1)(vii)). Anyone excused from the general rules is also excused from the time limit (section 6(o)(3)(D) of the Food and Nutrition Act, kept by the 2025 law).

What the 2025 law changed

Section 10102 of the law took effect when it was signed on July 4, 2025. USDA told states on October 3, 2025 to apply the new exceptions to every application and recertification (exceptions memo).

Before July 4, 2025 From July 4, 2025
Ages covered by the time limit 18 to 54 18 to 64
Children in the household Exception if anyone under 18 lived in the household Exception only for a parent or household member responsible for a child under 14 in the same SNAP household
Veterans Excepted No longer excepted
People experiencing homelessness Excepted No longer excepted
Former foster youth aged 24 or younger Excepted No longer excepted
American Indians, Alaska Natives, Urban Indians, California Indians No separate exception Excepted
Area waivers Unemployment over 10%, or a “lack of sufficient jobs” Unemployment over 10% only; in Alaska and Hawaii, at least 1.5 times the national rate
Alaska and Hawaii No special rule May get temporary “good faith” exemptions, which end no later than December 31, 2028

The veterans, homeless and foster youth exceptions had been added by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The 2025 law removed them. People in those groups are subject to the time limit again unless another exception applies (USDA memo).

The general work requirements did not change. They still cover ages 16 to 59, and the list of exemptions is the same (USDA Q&A of June 11, 2026, question 2).

About age 65. The law’s text excepts people “under 18, or over 65.” USDA applies the time limit to people aged 18 through 64, and state agencies follow that reading. If you are 65, you are not subject to the time limit.

Who is excepted from the time limit

Since July 4, 2025, the time limit does not apply to you if any one of these is true (P.L. 119-21 sec. 10102(a)):

  • You are under 18, or 65 or older.
  • You are medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for work. Disability benefits from a government or private source count as proof (7 CFR 273.24(c)(2)). If the problem is not obvious, a statement from a doctor, nurse, psychologist, social worker or similar professional can show it.
  • You are a parent or other household member responsible for a dependent child under 14.
  • You are excused from the general work requirements (the list in the first table).
  • You are pregnant.
  • You are an Indian or Urban Indian as defined in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, or a California Indian under section 809(a) of that Act.

Parents of teenagers

The child must be under 14 and part of your SNAP household (USDA Q&A, questions 6 and 7). A parent whose children are all 14 to 17 is subject to the time limit unless another exception applies. A parent whose child under 14 lives in another household does not qualify through that child. The change does not affect the dependent care deduction in the benefit formula.

Example. Maria, 41, lives with her two children, aged 15 and 11. The 11-year-old is under 14, so Maria is excepted. When the younger child turns 14, Maria becomes subject to the time limit unless she works 80 hours a month or meets another exception. States must screen for exceptions at application and at recertification (7 CFR 273.24; USDA Q&A, question 8), so the change often shows up at Maria’s next renewal.

People aged 60 to 64

This group is in an unusual position. People 60 and older are still “elderly” for SNAP, so they keep the medical expense deduction and the uncapped shelter deduction. They are not subject to the general work requirements, and a state cannot make them join mandatory E&T, though they may volunteer for it. But they are subject to the time limit unless they meet an exception (USDA Q&A, questions 1 to 4).

Social Security retirement or survivor benefits alone do not excuse you. SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) shows that you are medically unfit for work, which is an exception (question 5). A 60- to 64-year-old who cares for an incapacitated person is also excepted, because that is an exemption from the general rules (question 4).

Example. Rosa, 62, gets a Social Security retirement check and lives alone. She is subject to the time limit. Her neighbor Ed, also 62, gets SSDI. Ed is excepted. More on older adults is in SNAP for seniors and people with disabilities.

American Indians and Alaska Natives

The new exception covers people who meet the federal health law’s definitions: members of a federally recognized tribe (including Alaska Native villages and corporations), Urban Indians as defined in that law, and California Indians. Proof can include a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) card, a tribal enrollment card, Indian Health Service eligibility papers, or a data match with another agency (USDA Q&A, question 10). Reservation areas can still get waivers if their unemployment is over 10%, because not everyone living there meets the definitions (question 14).

What counts toward 80 hours

You meet the time limit’s work requirement in a month if you do any of these (7 CFR 273.24(a)):

  • Work 80 hours. The rule says 20 hours a week, averaged monthly, which it defines as 80 hours a month. Work can be for pay, for goods or services instead of money, or unpaid. USDA’s work requirements page lists volunteering. The state sets how unpaid hours are verified.
  • Join a work program for 80 hours. That includes SNAP E&T, programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Trade Act programs, veterans’ employment programs run by the Department of Labor or Veterans Affairs, and other approved state or local programs. Job search counts only as a side activity making up less than half of the hours.
  • Combine work and a work program for a total of 80 hours.
  • Do workfare for the hours the state assigns.

Good cause. If you would have reached 80 hours but missed some for a temporary reason beyond your control, the state counts the month as met. Examples in the rule are illness, a sick household member who needs you, a household emergency, or no transportation (7 CFR 273.24(b)(2)).

Workfare hours depend on your benefit. The most a household can be asked to work in workfare each month is its SNAP benefit divided by the federal or state minimum wage, whichever is higher. Fractions of an hour may be rounded down (7 CFR 273.7(m)). New York’s agency gives this example: $300 in SNAP at a $16.00 minimum wage means 18 hours of community service a month (OTDA).

Worked examples with FY2027 figures

Workfare at the maximum benefit. From October 1, 2026, the maximum benefit for one person in the 48 states and D.C. is $306 a month (USDA FY2027 COLA memo).

  • Where the higher minimum wage is the federal $7.25: $306 ÷ $7.25 = 42.2, so at most 42 hours a month.
  • Where the state minimum wage is $15.00: $306 ÷ $15.00 = 20.4, so at most 20 hours a month.

Not every state runs workfare. Ask your SNAP office what activities it offers.

Part-time work plus volunteering. Dana, 58, has no children and works part time at a store. In March 2027 she works 62 paid hours and volunteers 18 hours at a food pantry. 62 + 18 = 80 hours, so March does not count against her 3 months, as long as her state accepts proof of the pantry hours. New York, for example, has a monthly volunteer record form on its work requirements page.

Earning $217.50 a week in fewer hours. Jordan, 30, works 14 hours a week at $16.00 an hour: 14 × $16.00 = $224 a week. That is at least $217.50, so Jordan is excused from the general work requirements, and therefore from the time limit, even though 14 hours a week is about 60 hours a month.

How the three months are counted

You lose SNAP after you receive benefits for more than 3 countable months in a 3-year period (7 CFR 273.24(b)). A month is countable only if you got a full month of benefits while you were not excepted, not in a waived area and not meeting the 80-hour rule. Months with prorated benefits, such as a partial first month, do not count.

Fixed or rolling clock. Each state chooses how to measure the 3 years. Under a fixed clock everyone in the state shares the same period. New York’s period ran from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026, and a new one began on October 1, 2026. OTDA says people who lost SNAP between June 1 and September 30, 2026 under this rule can reapply (OTDA). Under a rolling clock, the state looks back 36 months from each month. Your state page gives your state’s period where the agency publishes it.

November 2025 did not count. Because of the federal shutdown, households did not get full November 2025 benefits on time. USDA told states not to count November 2025 as a time-limited month and to remove it if they already had (USDA memo of November 13, 2025).

Discretionary exemptions. States may excuse a limited number of people for a month at a time, up to 8% of those subject to the limit (7 CFR 273.24(g)). The 2025 law did not change these. Each one covers one person for one month (USDA Q&A, question 18). You cannot apply for one; the state decides who gets them.

Getting SNAP back after the three months

You can regain SNAP in the same 3-year period if, during any 30 days in a row, you (7 CFR 273.24(d)):

  • work 80 hours or more,
  • take part in a work program for 80 hours or more,
  • combine the two for 80 hours,
  • do workfare, or
  • become excepted (for example, you become pregnant, a child under 14 joins your household, or a doctor certifies you cannot work).

Some states also let you qualify by showing you will meet the 80 hours in the 30 days after you apply. There is no limit on how many times you can regain eligibility. Otherwise, you wait until your state’s 3-year period ends and you get 3 new months.

Three extra months, once. If you regained SNAP by working and then lose the hours, you can get 3 more consecutive months. They start when you tell the agency that you are no longer meeting the rule. You can use this only once in each 3-year period (273.24(e)).

Example. Sam, 50, used his 3 countable months by June 2027 and his SNAP stopped. On August 4 he starts a warehouse job at 22 hours a week. By September 2 he has worked 88 hours in 30 days, so he can reapply. His state pays benefits either from the day he reached 80 hours or from his application date. In November his hours are cut to 10 a week. He reports it. That starts his 3 extra months.

Report a drop in hours. If you are subject to the time limit, work hours falling below 20 a week (averaged monthly) is a change you must report, whatever reporting system your state uses (273.24(b)(7)). More on reporting is in renewing SNAP.

The general work requirements and their penalties

If you are 16 to 59 and none of the exemptions in the first table applies, you must (7 CFR 273.7(a)):

  • register for work when you apply and every 12 months (you do not have to fill out the form yourself; the state can record it);
  • give the agency information about your job status and availability;
  • go to a job interview the agency refers you to, and accept a suitable job offer;
  • take part in E&T or workfare if your state assigns you;
  • not quit a job of 30 hours or more a week, or cut your hours below 30, without good cause.

A 16- or 17-year-old is exempt if they are not the head of the household, or if they attend school or training at least half time. College students enrolled at least half time are exempt from the work rules but must meet the separate student rule.

Quitting a job. The quit rule also looks back before you apply. Each state picks a window of 30 to 60 days before the application. Quitting a job of 30 or more hours a week in that window without good cause makes you ineligible (7 CFR 273.7(j)). Good cause includes discrimination by the employer, not being paid on schedule, a job that became unsuitable, and taking another job or school program that requires you to leave.

Penalties. If you fail a general work requirement without good cause, you are disqualified (7 CFR 273.7(f)):

Violation Minimum disqualification State may extend to
First 1 month, or until you comply if later 3 months
Second 3 months, or until you comply if later 6 months
Third or later 6 months, or until you comply if later A date the state sets, or permanently

If the person disqualified is the head of the household, the state may disqualify the whole household. That household penalty cannot last longer than the individual’s penalty or 180 days, whichever is shorter. Good cause includes illness, a household emergency, no transportation, and no adequate child care for a child aged 6 to 11 (7 CFR 273.7(i)).

Waivers: where the time limit is suspended

USDA can waive the time limit for an area with high unemployment. Since July 4, 2025, an area qualifies only if its unemployment rate is over 10% over a recent 12-month or 3-month period, or as a historical seasonal rate. In Alaska and Hawaii, the test is at least 1.5 times the national rate. The old “lack of sufficient jobs” test is gone, and USDA approves waivers for no more than 12 months (USDA waivers memo of October 3, 2025).

What happened in 2025 and 2026.

  • October 3, 2025. USDA told 19 state agencies it would end their “lack of sufficient jobs” waivers 30 days later: Alaska, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Guam, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington (termination letter).
  • February 26, 2026. Citing “ongoing litigation and a order from the District Court of Rhode Island,” USDA said the waivers it had moved to terminate would stay in effect until their original end dates (status update). The Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota waivers, for example, ran through June 30, 2026 (Minnesota approval letter).
  • October 1, 2026. USDA’s list for the first quarter of FY2027 shows no statewide waivers. Twelve states have waivers for some areas: Alaska, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin. Every other state, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands has none (FY2027 Q1 waiver status).

Waived areas are usually single counties, cities or tribal areas. California’s waiver for November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027 covers only Colusa, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Monterey, Plumas and Tulare counties (CDSS). A waiver suspends only the time limit; the general work requirements still apply (USDA time limit waivers page, updated October 5, 2026). Even in a waived area, the state keeps tracking your months, and the time limit applies as soon as the waiver ends (USDA Q&A, question 15). Check your state page for the waived areas and dates.

Alaska and Hawaii. The law lets USDA approve “good faith” exemptions for these two states while they build systems to apply the rule. These must end by December 31, 2028 (USDA Q&A, question 17). Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance says USDA approved one for November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, covering every borough and census area except the Municipality of Anchorage (Alaska DPA). See Alaska and Hawaii.

When states started applying the changes

The law took effect July 4, 2025, but states put it into their systems on different dates, and waivers delayed it further in some places. Two examples from official state pages:

  • California applied the new rules from June 1, 2026 (CDSS).
  • New York’s earlier waiver stayed in effect until March 1, 2026, when people had to start meeting the work rules (OTDA). USDA approved a new waiver for the Tuscarora Nation Reservation and the Poospatuck Reservation from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 (USDA approval letter).

The start date, the 3-year period and the local exemptions for your state are on its page: for example California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut and Nebraska.

State help for people who lost SNAP

Some states have created their own payments for people cut off by the time limit. Two examples:

  • Illinois. The FRESH program pays a one-time $400 per person whose SNAP stopped after using all 3 countable months and who has not regained SNAP. It is deposited as cash on the Link card. The first payments went out August 1, 2026. Funding lasts through June 30, 2027 or until it runs out (Public Act 104-0464; IDHS Manual Release 26.18).
  • Connecticut. From August 4, 2026, community action agencies hand out a one-time $300 prepaid grocery card per person who lost SNAP under the time limit since December 1, 2025 and is not on SNAP. The state set aside $8.5 million (Governor’s office).

Notices and your right to appeal

At application, at recertification, and whenever someone becomes subject to a work rule, the state must give you one written notice and an oral explanation of every work rule that applies to each household member. The notice must name who is subject to which rule, list the exemptions, explain how to ask for one, give the deadlines and consequences, and explain good cause (7 CFR 273.7(c)). States had to update their notices so people aged 55 to 64 learn they are newly covered (USDA memo).

Before cutting you off after 3 months, the state must send a notice of adverse action. It must say how you can get SNAP back, by meeting the work rule or an exception (USDA Q&A, question 12). If you think you were excepted or met your hours, ask for a fair hearing: see if SNAP is denied, reduced or stopped. The interview guide covers what the worker asks about work at application.

SNAP’s rule is not the Medicaid work rule

The same 2025 law created a separate “community engagement” rule for Medicaid. It covers adults aged 19 to 64 in Medicaid expansion coverage. States must start it no later than the first quarter beginning after December 31, 2026, which is January 1, 2027, unless the federal health department grants a good-faith exemption (P.L. 119-21 sec. 71119). It also uses 80 hours a month. The law excludes from the Medicaid rule anyone in a SNAP household who is not exempt from SNAP’s work requirement, along with American Indians and some other groups. Each program sends its own notices. See health coverage for SNAP households.

Why some pages still show the old rules

You will find older age ranges and exceptions on many pages, including official ones:

  • USDA’s public work requirements page (updated July 16, 2026) carries a notice that USDA is preparing guidance on the 2025 law. Its text below that notice still lists ages 18 to 54 and the exceptions for veterans, homeless people and former foster youth.
  • The federal regulation, 7 CFR 273.24, had not been updated for the law as of October 16, 2026. Where it conflicts with the law, the law applies.
  • Some state pages still say 18 to 54 in one section and 18 to 64 in another. Alaska’s SNAP page is one example.

When pages disagree, the law and USDA’s October 3, 2025 and June 11, 2026 guidance control. Your state agency’s notice tells you which rule it is applying to you.

Sources

Written by the Editorial team

StateEBT is researched and written by a small editorial team that reads state SNAP manuals, USDA guidance and agency notices so readers do not have to. We are not a government agency, we do not process applications, and no agency or company pays to be mentioned. About the team

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