SNAP work rules will change from February 1st
People showed up at the Inglewood food pantry today to receive food and get clarity on the SNAP changes starting February 1st.
Fox – 32 Chicago
When February 1 arrives, the roughly 42 million low-income Americans who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can expect big changes.
The nation’s largest nutrition assistance program has been a fundraising flashpoint for the second Trump administration, taking center stage when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in October that it would not pay next month’s benefits during the 43-day government shutdown in 2025.
The bill ending the shutdown would restore funding to the program following a series of lawsuits filed by states over payment suspensions, eligibility requirements and requests for sensitive national data from the federal government. Still, President Trump’s Big Beautiful Act, passed last summer, already included significant changes to the program, including stricter work requirements and billions of dollars in funding cuts.
SNAP recipients will have to comply with increased work requirements starting Sunday, February 1, as part of the bill. Here’s what you need to know:
New SNAP work requirements will be added on February 1st
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Act, passed in July, will cut SNAP funding by an estimated $186 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It also adds new restrictions to the program, including expanded work requirements, effective Sunday, February 1, 2026.
- The bill would require able-bodied people between the ages of 18 and 65 without dependents to work at least 80 hours a month or participate in a work program such as SNAP employment or training to receive benefits. Previously, the maximum age was 55.
- Additionally, if the dependent child is 14 years of age or older, the parent or household member will be required to meet additional work requirements. Previously, people with children under 18 were exempt from the requirement.
- Veterans, people under the age of 24 who have recently aged out of foster care, and people who are unhoused are no longer exempt from the work requirement.
- It also limited the ability of states to temporarily extend benefits beyond three months in areas with job shortages. Currently, you can only apply for an exemption if the local unemployment rate is 10% or higher.
- Generally, SNAP can only be provided to an individual or household for three months of a 36-month period unless the participant meets additional work-related expectations beyond the general requirements. Previously, states could more easily obtain temporary waivers to extend benefits based on employment rates.
Additionally, the bill would significantly limit benefits to certain lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens, and disqualify others who are lawfully present in the United States. This includes people eligible for conditional entry under the Asylum and Refugee Act or on urgent humanitarian grounds, such as survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
Additionally, states currently bear the burden of up to 15% of benefit costs depending on payment error rates, increasing administrative costs from 50% to 75%.
Tighter labor requirements could weaken safety nets
USDA said these changes are aimed, among other things, at reducing fraud, a point often cited by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The USDA’s SNAP webpage also states that its rules “reflect the importance of work and responsibility.”
Rollins previously claimed that thousands of people who are not eligible are receiving SNAP benefits and said the Trump administration is “going to make sure that everyone who receives taxpayer-funded benefits through food stamps is literally vulnerable and cannot live without them.”
“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure that SNAP fraud, waste, and continued abuse ends,” the USDA previously told USA TODAY in a statement.
USDA has provided no evidence to support claims of mass fraud. The U.S. Congressional Research Service described SNAP fraud as “rare” in an April 7, 2025, report and said available data and reports indicate that many overpayments may be due to unintentional errors.
Supporters argue that tightening the terms of a program that already had work requirements will result in more Americans falling through the cracks.
“You have to wonder what the administration is trying to accomplish by eliminating the protections that have been put in place to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society have access to food security, access to put food on the table,” said Shiley Burns, director of research and policy at the Kairos Center for Religion, Rights, and Social Justice. “This is really just stage setting to justify the deep cuts to the SNAP program scheduled for 2027.”
Who receives SNAP benefits?
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides what is known as an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card to about 12% of Americans for a limited time to help purchase basic groceries. Many of the beneficiaries are the elderly, people with disabilities, and children.
To qualify, households must be at or below 130% of the poverty line, which means their income is at or below 30% of the federal poverty guidelines ($15,960 for a single-person household, $27,320 for a three-person household, and $38,680 for a five-person household in 2026).
In 2025, the monthly cap for a one-person household will be $298, but it could rise to as much as $785 for a three-person household and $1,183 for a five-person household, according to the USDA. There are special additional rules for households with elderly or disabled people.
SNAP benefits are determined by the state and funded by the USDA. To maintain eligibility, recipients must recertify periodically. Benefits are typically only provided for three months out of a 36-month period unless additional work-related requirements apply. Approved recipients will have a limited timeline to access benefits.
