SNAP Work Requirement Checker
Answer a few questions to see if the SNAP 3-month time limit applies to you under the rules that changed in 2025, and what you can do about it.
Your answers stay in your browser. They are saved in this page’s web address so you can come back to them, so do not share the link if you want them private.
How the SNAP time limit works
Federal law limits SNAP for some adults who can work. USDA calls them "able-bodied adults without dependents," or ABAWDs. If the rule applies to you, you can get SNAP for only 3 months in a 36-month period unless you spend at least 80 hours a month working, volunteering, or in an approved training program.
The law that changed this is H.R. 1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21), signed on July 4, 2025. Section 10102 made three big changes:
- More ages. The rule now covers ages 18 through 64. Before, it stopped at 54.
- Younger children only. Living with a child in your SNAP household now exempts you only if the child is under 14 (it was under 18).
- Different exemptions. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth up to age 24 lost their automatic exemption. American Indians, Alaska Natives, Urban Indians and California Indians gained one.
The law also made it much harder for areas to be waived. Now an area needs unemployment over 10% (Alaska and Hawaii have a special rule). As of October 1, 2026, USDA lists no statewide waivers and only 12 states with some waived areas: Alaska, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin.
Who still does not have to meet it
You are exempt if you are under 18 or 65 or older, pregnant, unable to work because of a physical or mental health condition, have a child under 14 in your SNAP household, are American Indian or Alaska Native, or are excused from SNAP’s general work rules (for example you care for a child under 6, get unemployment, work 30 hours a week, go to school half-time, or are in drug or alcohol treatment). See the full list of SNAP work requirement exemptions.
Each state started at a different time
The law took effect when it was signed, but states needed time to change their systems. Many began on November 1, 2025. Others started later: for example New Jersey and Illinois on February 1, 2026, New York on March 1, 2026, and California and Washington, D.C. on June 1, 2026. Most states check you at your next application or renewal, and a month cannot count against you until you have been screened. Find your state’s date, waived areas and phone number on the state-by-state tracker.
If you are close to the limit
- Count your months with the SNAP time limit calculator.
- Find activities that count, including volunteering and workfare, on what counts as work.
- Already cut off? Read how to get SNAP back, including good cause and appeals.
What this checker does not cover. SNAP also has general work rules for ages 16 to 59 (register for work, take a suitable job, don’t quit without good reason) and special rules for college students. Your state makes the final decision, and only its notices show your official count.
Frequently asked questions
Who has to meet the SNAP work requirement in 2026?
Adults aged 18 through 64 who can work, are not pregnant, have no child under 14 in their SNAP household, and do not qualify for another exemption. They must work, volunteer or train at least 80 hours a month, or they can get SNAP for only 3 months in a 36-month period.
Did the SNAP work requirement age really go up to 64?
Yes. H.R. 1 rewrote the age exemption so that only people under 18 or 65 and older are exempt. USDA and the states apply the time limit to people aged 18 through 64. People 60 to 64 are still excused from SNAP’s general work rules, but not from this time limit.
My youngest child is 14. Do I have to meet the rule now?
Probably, unless another exemption applies. The child exemption now covers only children under 14 in your SNAP household. It usually ends the month after the youngest child turns 14, though your state may wait until your next renewal to check.
I am a veteran (or experiencing homelessness). Am I still exempt?
Not automatically. H.R. 1 removed those exemptions. But you may still be exempt for another reason, such as a health condition that keeps you from working. Some states count serious barriers like chronic homelessness under "unfit for work." Ask your SNAP office to screen you.
Does volunteering count toward the 80 hours?
Yes. Paid work, work for goods or services, unpaid work and volunteering all count, and so do SNAP Employment and Training and other approved programs. You can add them together. See what counts as work.
What is a countable month?
A month you got a full month of SNAP while you were not exempt, not in a waived area, not meeting the 80-hour rule, and had no good cause. Partial first months do not count. After 3 countable months in your state’s 36-month period, your SNAP stops until you regain eligibility.
If I lose SNAP, does my whole household lose it?
No. Only the person who hit the time limit is removed. Others in your household can keep getting SNAP, though your income may still be counted for them.
Is my information saved or sent anywhere?
No. The checker runs in your browser. Your answers are only kept in the page’s web address so you can bookmark or reload them.
Sources
- Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1), Sec. 10102: Modifications to SNAP work requirements (govinfo.gov)
- 7 CFR 273.24: Time limit for able-bodied adults (eCFR)
- 7 CFR 273.7: Work provisions and general work requirement exemptions (eCFR)
- USDA FNS: SNAP provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, ABAWD exceptions implementation memo
- USDA FNS: Tribal consultation framing paper on SNAP policy changes (Oct. 2025)
- USDA FNS: Status of ABAWD time limit waivers, FY 2027 Q1 (in effect Oct. 1, 2026)