(NEXSTAR) – States are warning SNAP recipients that their eligibility for food assistance could change as a November deadline to comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill approaches.
The mega-bill, which passed into law over the summer, overhauls the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program), which provides food assistance to more than 42 million. The changes are expected to squeeze some people out of the program as federal spending on the program is cut by an estimated $186 billion over the next decade.
Changes to SNAP benefits take effect in October: What to know
Several different provisions of the bill are set to be enforced starting in November. Here’s what to know about the changes.
New work requirements and fewer exceptions
A big change to the program has to do with ABAWDs – or able-bodied adults without dependents. Put simply, able-bodied adults need to prove they are working at least 80 hours a month, pursuing an education, or in a training program to keep qualifying for SNAP. Without proof, they can only receive benefits for a maximum of three months.
Before the One Big Beautiful Bill changes, there were several key exceptions to this work requirement. Before, it only applied to adults 18 to 54. Now, any able adults under 65 have to prove they are working to continue receiving benefits.
Parents who were responsible for a dependent under 18 also used to be exempt from the work requirements, but now an exemption only applies to adults responsible for a dependent under the age of 14.
Veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults transitioning out of foster care also all used to be exempt. Now, all these groups need to meet the work requirements in order to receive more than three months of assistance.
On the other hand, there is a new exception to work requirements being put in place for “Indians, also referred to as Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Indigenous Peoples, and Tribal Members” as defined under the law.
While all of these changes were effective immediately when the law was enacted on July 4, the Food and Nutrition Service gave states 120 days to implement the changes. That deadline for full implementation expires on Nov. 1, 2025.
What if there aren’t enough jobs?
In areas where it’s especially hard to find a job, the ABAWD work requirements may be waived. The One Big Beautiful Bill requires an area has over a 10% unemployment rate in order to qualify for a waiver. There are slightly different rules for Alaska and Hawaii.
Immigrant SNAP eligibility
The One Big Beautiful Bill changes “non-citizen eligibility for SNAP,” including some groups of people in the country legally.
Refugees, those who have been granted asylum, and human trafficking survivors will all be affected and lose benefits, says Oregon’s Department of Human Services, in a memo announcing the changes.
The Food and Nutrition Service hasn’t released as many details about how this provision will be implemented, but says “further guidance is forthcoming.”
More changes to come
Other provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill will also result in cuts to who can receive food assistance and how much families qualify for, critics say. The law limits how annual cost-of-living adjustments are calculated, changes how utilities can be calculated toward households’ need, and eliminates funding for the SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, which helped expand access to healthy food.
Another big part of the bill forces states to shoulder more of the cost of administering SNAP. The cost used to be shared 50-50, but is now shifting to be 75% the states’ responsibility starting in the 2027 fiscal year.
Some states, for the first time, would also have to pay a portion of the food benefits starting with the 2028 fiscal year.
Under the legislation, the federal government would fully fund SNAP benefits only for states that make mistakes in fewer than 6% of their payments to people. Just seven states — Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming — met that threshold last year, according to federal data.
Nationwide, nearly 11% of SNAP payments had errors last year.
Starting in 2028, states with error rates greater than 6% will have to cover between 5% and 15% of the cost of SNAP benefits. Those with higher error rates generally must pay more, but a Senate amendment delays the cost-share implementation to as late as 2030 for states with the highest mistake rates.
As a result of the cost shift, the CBO assumes that some states would reduce or eliminate SNAP benefits for people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
