Beginning Feb. 1, nearly 42 million low-income Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see significant changes take effect.
The nation’s largest nutrition assistance program has been a major point of debate during the second Trump administration. SNAP funding became a focal issue during the 43-day government shutdown in 2025, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in October that it would not issue the following month’s benefits.
Legislation that ended the shutdown restored funding after several states filed lawsuits challenging paused payments, eligibility changes, and federal requests for sensitive personal data. Even so, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed last summer, had already introduced sweeping changes to SNAP, including stricter work requirements and billions of dollars in funding cuts.
Expanded work requirements for SNAP recipients take effect Sunday, Feb. 1. Here’s what to know.
New SNAP work requirements start Feb. 1
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” approved in July, reduced SNAP funding by an estimated $186 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The law also added new restrictions, including expanded work requirements that begin Feb. 1, 2026.
Under the new rules, able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 65 without dependents must work or participate in a work-related program, such as SNAP Employment and Training, for at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible. Previously, the upper age limit was 55.
Parents and household members must also meet work requirements if they have a dependent child age 14 or older. Before the change, households with a child under 18 were exempt.
Veterans, individuals age 24 and younger who recently aged out of foster care, and unhoused people are no longer exempt from the work requirements.
The law also limits states’ ability to extend benefits beyond three months in areas with limited job availability. States may now request a waiver only if the local unemployment rate is 10% or higher.
Typically, SNAP benefits are limited to three months within a 36-month period unless recipients meet additional work-related conditions. In the past, states had greater flexibility to secure temporary waivers based on employment data.
The bill further restricts eligibility to certain lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens, eliminating access for other legally present individuals. This includes people granted conditional entry under asylum or refugee provisions, as well as those admitted for urgent humanitarian reasons, such as survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
States are also now responsible for up to 15% of benefit costs, depending on payment error rates, and face increased administrative expenses, with cost-sharing rising from 50% to 75%.
Tightened requirements raise concerns about safety net
The USDA has said the changes are intended to reduce fraud, a point repeatedly emphasized by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The agency’s SNAP guidance states that the updated rules reflect the importance of work and personal responsibility.
Rollins has claimed that thousands of ineligible individuals were receiving benefits, stating the administration intends to ensure that taxpayer-funded assistance goes only to those who are truly vulnerable.
“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” the USDA previously said in a statement to USA TODAY.
However, the USDA has not presented evidence to support claims of widespread fraud. An April 7, 2025, report from the Congressional Research Service described SNAP fraud as rare, noting that most overpayments result from unintentional errors.
Advocates warn that stricter rules could leave more people without access to food assistance.
“You have to question what the administration is trying to achieve by removing protections that ensure the most vulnerable people have access to food security,” said Shailly Barnes, director of research and policy at the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. “This sets the stage to justify deeper SNAP cuts planned for 2027.”
Who qualifies for SNAP?
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides Electronic Benefits Transfer cards to about 12% of Americans for limited periods to help purchase basic food items. Many recipients are elderly, disabled, or children.
To qualify, households must earn no more than 130% of the federal poverty level. In 2026, that threshold was $15,960 for a single person, $27,320 for a three-person household, and $38,680 for a five-person household.
In 2025, the maximum monthly benefit was $298 for a one-person household, $785 for a three-person household, and $1,183 for a five-person household, according to the USDA. Additional rules apply to households that include elderly or disabled members.
SNAP benefits are administered by states and funded by the USDA. Recipients must recertify regularly to maintain eligibility, and benefits are generally limited to three months within a 36-month period unless additional work-related requirements are met.
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