SNAP Work Requirements 2026: Ages 18-64, 80 Hours

These rules come from federal law, so they apply in every state, but your state decides how it tracks the 36 months and which local areas, if any, are waived.

Who Must Meet the SNAP Time Limit: Before and After the 2025 Law

The biggest change is age: the time limit now reaches age 64, up from 54. According to USDA's October 3, 2025 ABAWD exceptions memo, "individuals aged 18 to 64 are now subject to the time limit, unless they meet another exception." USDA calls this group "able-bodied adults without dependents" (ABAWDs), and newer USDA documents call them "time-limited participants."

Sources: Public Law 119-21, section 10102(a); USDA ABAWD exceptions implementation memo (opens in a new tab), October 3, 2025. The changes took effect on enactment, July 4, 2025.

When it started for you. USDA's memo says the new exception rules were "effective upon enactment, July 4, 2025," and that states "must immediately screen for and apply" them at every application and recertification. USDA gave states a 120-day quality-control grace period for mistakes, which ended November 1, 2025. In practice, many people first heard about the change at their next recertification in late 2025 or 2026, depending on when their state updated its systems.

Ages 60 to 64 are in an odd spot. USDA's June 11, 2026 Q&As confirm that people 60 to 64 are still exempt from the general work requirements and can't be forced into mandatory employment and training, yet they're subject to the time limit. Getting Social Security retirement or survivor benefits doesn't exempt you on its own, but USDA says receiving SSDI or SSI indicates you're medically certified as unable to work, which does.

The 80-Hour Rule: What Counts as Work

To keep SNAP past 3 months, a time-limited adult needs 20 hours a week, averaged monthly, which federal rules define as 80 hours a month. Under 7 CFR 273.24 (opens in a new tab), any of these counts, alone or combined:

Source: 7 CFR 273.24(a) and (b)(2), current eCFR text, and USDA's SNAP work requirements page (opens in a new tab).

A drop below 20 hours a week averaged monthly is a change you must report to your SNAP office. A common mistake is assuming a steady part-time job is enough: 15 hours a week is about 65 hours a month, which leaves you 15 hours short. Adding 4 volunteer hours a week at a food bank or library, verified by the organization, can close the gap.

The General SNAP Work Requirements (Ages 16 to 59)

The general work rules cover anyone 16 through 59 who is physically and mentally able to work, under section 6(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act. The 2025 law didn't change them. If they apply to you, you must:

1. Register for work when you apply and at least every 12 months.
2. Take part in SNAP Employment and Training or workfare if your state assigns you.
3. Accept a suitable job offer paying at least the federal or state minimum wage.
4. Not quit a job, or cut your hours below 30 a week, without good cause.
5. Give your SNAP office the job information it asks for.

You're excused from the general rules if you are:

• Already working 30 hours a week, or earning at least the federal minimum wage times 30 hours
• Meeting work rules for TANF or unemployment insurance
• Caring for a child under 6 or an incapacitated person
• Physically or mentally unable to work
• Regularly in a drug or alcohol treatment program
• A student enrolled at least half time (college students face separate SNAP rules)
• 16 or 17 and not the head of household, or in school or training at least half time

Penalties are stiffer each time. Under section 6(d)(1)(C) of the Act, a first violation means at least 1 month off SNAP (your state may set up to 3 months), a second means at least 3 months (up to 6), and a third means at least 6 months, and your state may make it permanent. If the person who breaks the rule is the head of household, the state may disqualify the whole household for up to 180 days.

How Someone Loses SNAP After 3 Months, and How to Get It Back

The time limit counts "countable months": full months you receive SNAP while you're subject to the limit, not exempt, not in a waived area and not meeting the 80-hour rule. Prorated first months don't count. After 3 countable months in a 36-month period, you lose eligibility, and your state must send a notice before cutting you off that explains how to regain eligibility.

A worked example in Ohio. For example, a 58-year-old man in Dayton, Ohio lives alone, works 15 hours a week stocking shelves (about 65 hours a month) and gets SNAP. Ohio has no time-limit waivers on USDA's October 1, 2026 list. Before the 2025 law, he was exempt by age. Here's how it plays out under current rules, assuming his state starts his 36-month clock in January 2026:

Specifically, at the single-person maximum of $306 a month for October 2026 to September 2027, losing SNAP for even two months costs him $612 in groceries if his income is low enough for the full benefit. If he didn't regain eligibility, he'd wait until his state's 36-month period ended to get a fresh 3 months.

Ways to regain eligibility, under section 6(o)(5) of the Act and 7 CFR 273.24(d):

1. Work 80 hours or more in a 30-day period.
2. Spend 80 hours or more in a work program in a 30-day period, or combine work and program hours.
3. Take part in workfare.
4. Become exempt: turn 65, become pregnant, have a child under 14 join your SNAP household, get a medical certification that you can't work, or start receiving disability benefits.
5. At your state's option, show you will meet the 80 hours within 30 days of applying.

There's no limit on how many times you can regain eligibility by meeting the work rule. The extra 3-month period after losing a job is limited to once in any 36 months.

Fixed or rolling clock? Federal rules let each state measure the 36 months on a "fixed" or "rolling" basis. Ask your SNAP office which one it uses, because it decides when your next 3 months start.

SNAP Work Requirement Waivers by State

Waivers now require an area unemployment rate over 10%, down from a menu of options that included a "lack of sufficient jobs" test. Under the amended section 6(o)(4) of the Act, Alaska and Hawaii can also qualify areas with unemployment at or above 1.5 times the national rate, and they can ask for temporary "good faith" exemptions that must end by December 31, 2028. USDA's October 3, 2025 waivers memo said it would terminate waivers approved under the old jobs test 30 days after the memo, in early November 2025, and that it won't approve new waivers for longer than 12 months.

Grantsights analysis of USDA's quarterly ABAWD waiver status reports shows the number of states and territories with any waiver fell from 21 on October 1, 2025 to 12 on October 1, 2026, and statewide waivers went from 6 to 0:

Source: USDA FNA Time Limit Waivers page (opens in a new tab), FY2026 quarters 1 to 4 and FY2027 quarter 1 status reports. Counts include DC, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

States with partial waivers as of October 1, 2026:

The other 38 states, DC, Guam and the Virgin Islands had no time-limit waivers on that date, so the rule applies everywhere in them. USDA notes waivers are generally approved for 12 months and states can end them early.

How to check your area. Don't assume you're covered because your state appears above. USDA's status report names states, not counties or tribal areas. To see whether your county, city or reservation is covered, open the approval letters for your state on USDA's FY2025-2029 waiver documents page (opens in a new tab), or ask your SNAP office directly. A waiver only pauses the time limit; it doesn't waive the general work requirements.

What USDA's Work Requirements Page Doesn't Tell You

Grantsights compared USDA's public pages against its own October 2025 memos and found 5 gaps that could cost someone benefits:

1. The public work requirements page is out of date. As of November 2, 2026, USDA's SNAP work requirements page (opens in a new tab) (updated July 16, 2026) still says the time limit covers ages "18–54" and lists veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth as exempt. A banner says guidance is coming. The October 3, 2025 memo, not that page, reflects the law.
2. The federal regulation hasn't caught up either. 7 CFR 273.24(c)(1) still exempts people "55 years of age or older." Statute overrides it, but caseworkers and legal aid offices may quote either.
3. The child must be in your SNAP household. USDA's Q&A #1 says a parent of a child under 14 who lives elsewhere, or isn't on the same case, doesn't qualify for the exception.
4. Disability benefits matter more than age for people 60 to 64. Social Security retirement alone doesn't exempt you, but SSDI or SSI generally does. If you have a health condition that limits work, ask about a medical exemption; it's a common mistake to assume you have to prove it from scratch when a benefit letter may be enough.
5. States have extra discretionary exemptions. Under section 6(o)(6), each state can grant exemptions equal to up to 8% of its covered individuals, each one extending SNAP for one month. USDA says the 2025 law didn't change them. They're not something you apply for by name, but it's worth asking your caseworker if you're one month short.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

The most common mistake is not reporting hours. If you're working 80 hours but your state doesn't have proof, those months can still count against you. Keep pay stubs, timesheets and signed volunteer logs, and turn them in by the due date.

Other red flags:

• Ignoring the notice. Your state must tell you, in writing and by an oral explanation, which work rules apply. If you got a "consolidated work notice," read it; it says whether you're time-limited.
• Assuming an old exemption still applies. Veterans and people experiencing homelessness who were exempt in 2024 or early 2025 should expect to be rescreened at recertification. Check whether you meet a remaining exception, such as a medical certification.
• Underestimating volunteer hours. Unpaid work counts if it's verified, and many food banks, libraries and community groups will sign hour logs.
• Quitting without good cause. Quitting a job or dropping below 30 hours a week can trigger a general work rule penalty of 1 to 3 months or more, separate from the time limit.
• Paying for "SNAP reinstatement help." Regaining SNAP is free through your state agency. No outside company can restore benefits for a fee.

If Your SNAP Was Cut Off: Your Options

You have 90 days from a SNAP decision to request a fair hearing, according to USDA's SNAP eligibility page (opens in a new tab), and you can ask by phone, in writing or in person. Request a hearing if:

• You were counted as time-limited but you're 65 or older, pregnant, have a child under 14 in your SNAP household, or are an Indian, Urban Indian or California Indian under the federal definitions.
• You worked or volunteered 80 hours in a month that was counted against you.
• A month was counted while you lived in a waived area, or for a month you only got a partial benefit.
• You're unable to work and the state didn't screen you for a medical exemption.

If you can't find 80 hours of work, your best bet is usually SNAP Employment and Training: many states offer slots that count toward the 80 hours, so ask your SNAP office for a referral. While you sort it out, other help doesn't have a work requirement: food pantries (call 211), and for families, WIC. If you have a disability, see our disability help for individuals guide; for older adults, our help for seniors guide; for one-time money emergencies, our emergency cash assistance guide.

For how much SNAP you'd get once you're eligible, see our SNAP income limits guide, which has the October 2026 to September 2027 limits and the benefit formula. For applying and using benefits, start with our SNAP food stamps guide.

If you need help with rent or bills too, Grantsights' free eligibility checker points you to official programs and where to apply. It doesn't hand out grants or file anything with your state.

When These Rules Change Next

The time-limit rules in this guide have no scheduled end date; the 2025 law wrote them into the Food and Nutrition Act without a sunset, while USDA describes the 2023 exceptions it removed as "temporary." Three dates to watch:

• Every quarter: USDA updates its waiver status list (next around January 1, 2027).
• December 31, 2028: the latest date any Alaska or Hawaii good faith exemption can run.
• Any time: USDA's waivers memo says it's reviewing its ABAWD waiver regulations and will decide whether rulemaking is needed, which could also update the outdated age in 7 CFR 273.24.

FAQ: SNAP Work Requirements

What are the SNAP work requirements in 2026?

General rules for ages 16 to 59, plus a 3-month time limit for adults 18 to 64 without a child under 14, unless they log 80 hours a month.

Did the SNAP work requirement age change to 64?

Yes, since July 4, 2025. People 18 to 64 are now covered by the time limit.

Are veterans and homeless people still exempt from SNAP work requirements?

No, not automatically. Those exceptions ended July 4, 2025.

What counts toward the 80 hours a month?

Paid work, in-kind work, verified volunteering, approved work programs and workfare.

How do I get SNAP back after the 3-month time limit?

Work or train 80 hours in 30 days, or become exempt.

Which states have SNAP work requirement waivers?

Twelve states have partial waivers as of October 1, 2026; none are statewide.

Does a parent with a 15-year-old have to meet SNAP work requirements?

Yes, for the time limit, unless another exception applies. Only a child under 14 in the same SNAP household exempts a parent.

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Sources

1. Public Law 119-21 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), section 10102 (opens in a new tab), signed July 4, 2025 - new exceptions, waiver criteria, Alaska and Hawaii exemptions
2. USDA: ABAWD Exceptions Implementation Memorandum (opens in a new tab), October 3, 2025 - ages 18 to 64, child under 14, removed and added exceptions, July 4, 2025 effective date, November 1, 2025 QC grace period end
3. USDA: ABAWD Waivers Implementation Memorandum (opens in a new tab), October 3, 2025 - 10% unemployment test, termination of "lack of sufficient jobs" waivers, Alaska and Hawaii provisions
4. USDA: Time Limit Changes Questions and Answers #1 (opens in a new tab), June 11, 2026 - ages 60 to 64, Social Security, child in same household, discretionary exemptions
5. USDA FNA: SNAP Work Requirements (opens in a new tab), page updated July 16, 2026
6. USDA FNA: Time Limit Waivers (opens in a new tab), FY2027 Quarter 1 waiver status (PDF) (opens in a new tab) and FY2025-2029 waiver documents (opens in a new tab)
7. 7 CFR 273.24, Time limit for able-bodied adults (opens in a new tab) - countable months, what counts as work, regaining eligibility, fixed or rolling clock
8. 7 U.S.C. 2015(d) and (o), Food and Nutrition Act section 6 (opens in a new tab) (Cornell LII reproduction) - general work requirements, penalties, discretionary exemptions
9. USDA FNA: SNAP Eligibility (opens in a new tab) and FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments (opens in a new tab) - fair hearings, maximum benefit for one person