SNAP Work Rules Tighten as Benefits Return to a Normal Schedule

What Happened 

In December, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will return to its regular payment calendar after months of delays and partial disbursements, while new federal work rules take effect. The Department of Agriculture has expanded the group required to meet work standards, increased the age threshold, and narrowed longstanding state exemptions.

Under the updated system, adults who fall under the work requirement must complete 80 hours of work, job training, or approved volunteer activity each month to continue receiving ongoing benefits. The rule had long applied to able-bodied adults without dependents, but only up to age 54. The new policy extends that requirement to age 64.

The administration has also revised the criteria for who qualifies for an exemption. Groups previously excused from work rules, including veterans, homeless adults, and young people who recently aged out of foster care, will now need to meet the monthly work threshold if eligible. In addition, households with children are exempt only if the child is under 14. Adults who live with older children are no longer automatically excused from the requirement.

Time limits remain in place. Adults who fall under the rule and do not meet the monthly work standard can receive benefits for only three months within any three-year period. To restart benefits, they must satisfy the work requirement or qualify under a separate exemption.

Why It Matters 

The updated rules represent one of the most consequential tightening measures in the program in years, reshaping who must work to keep benefits and who falls outside the requirement. Federal officials say the changes are intended to increase labor participation, bring consistency to eligibility across states, and reduce long-term program costs. By raising the age limit, the government is drawing more adults into the pool of people expected to maintain part-time employment or workforce training as a condition of receiving assistance.

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The program's cost is high. At $100 billion a year and 1.5% of all federal spending, SNAP serves more than forty million people in a typical month, and spending rises quickly during periods of economic pressure. Supporters of the new rules argue that expanding work expectations encourages employment among adults who can work and ensures that assistance is focused on households with children, seniors, and people who face clear barriers to work. They also say the previous rules left gaps that states used to maintain exemptions for large groups of adults, even when labor markets improved.

The change to the child age threshold will affect many families, as adults in households with teenagers will now fall under the work rule unless they qualify for another exemption, a move that federal officials say aligns the policy more closely with the program’s original intent.

How It Affects Readers 

For current recipients, the biggest change is the expansion of who must meet the monthly work standard. Adults aged 55-64 who were never required to do so will now need to track hours, enroll in job training, or participate in approved community programs. Veterans and homeless adults who previously fell under blanket exemptions will now need to meet the standard, unless they qualify for a separate disability-related exception.

Families will also have to pay closer attention to their children's ages. A parent who previously remained exempt because of a fifteen-year-old child, for example, will now need to meet the work requirement.

For individual states, the updated rules mean increased demand for job training, employment support, and verification systems. States will need to expand their reporting and tracking systems as more adults fall under the requirement. The return to a normal payment schedule should ease pressure on state agencies, but the expanded work rules will add new administrative demands.

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