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Understanding Changes to SNAP

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Grandfather and grandson cooking in a kitchen.

March 2026

Kinship families facing food insecurity may have questions about changes to SNAP benefits and requirements under HR-1, the comprehensive budget bill passed in 2025.

What is SNAP?

SNAP is the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Although people often refer to this assistance as food stamps, benefits are now loaded onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, typically near the beginning of the month.

SNAP can be used to purchase most food items at authorized stores or retailers, such as grocery stores, superstores, convenience stores, certain online retailers, and many farmers markets. SNAP may not be used for non-food items, like vitamins, laundry detergent, or paper towels, nor can it be used for hot, ready-to-eat foods, like pizza or rotisserie chicken. To learn more, see Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for Kinship/Grandfamilies.

Not sure if your local store accepts SNAP? Look for the SNAP EBT sign or sticker near the entrance or ask store associates if they accept EBT.

Who is eligible for benefits?

SNAP eligibility is based on household income and size. A handful of states also require households to meet an asset or resource test, but most do not. U.S. citizens and certain legal immigrants are eligible to apply for SNAP. Immigrants without legal status have always been ineligible for SNAP. HR-1 further restricts benefits to certain categories of legal immigrants. Kin/grandfamily caregivers do not need to be related to or have legal custody or guardianship of the child(ren) they are raising to include them in their SNAP application.

Benefit amounts are based on household income and size, as well as certain expenses, such as housing, energy, and child care costs. Child support and caregiver income are included in family income to determine both eligibility and benefit amounts. There are special rules for households that include an older adult, a person with disabilities, and/or a child who is in the foster care system. For example, household members who are age 60+ or receiving a disability benefit can claim unreimbursed healthcare expenses that exceed $35 per month to boost their SNAP benefits.  

Some states have an application process that combines SNAP and other benefits. To apply for SNAP benefits or get information about SNAP, families may contact their local SNAP office. 

For more information, find a guide to SNAP in your state.

What are the SNAP work requirements?

SNAP has always included general work requirements. In 2025, HR-1 extended work requirements to all adults up to age 65 with no children in their homes and to caregivers who are raising children who are 14 years old or older. The 2025 law also eliminated previous work requirement exceptions for veterans, individuals who are homeless, and former foster youth.

The work requirements are often referred to as time limits, because they take effect after an adult has been receiving SNAP benefits for three months. After those three months, adults must be able to document that they are spending an average of 20 hours per week performing paid or unpaid work, participating in an employment or training program, or engaging in a combination of those two activities. If the adult is not working or in school (or does not have enough hours from those activities), they can still keep their SNAP by doing community service with a nonprofit or government agency. The amount of community service needed is based on the SNAP benefit they receive, divided by the state’s minimum wage. For example, if the adult gets $298 per month in SNAP and lives in a state with a $15 per hour minimum wage, they must spend roughly 20 hours per month (5 hours per week) doing community service.

Only the non-exempt adult in a family risks losing SNAP if they do not meet the work requirements. The children and any exempt adults should continue receiving their SNAP benefits even if an adult in the household becomes ineligible. The monthly SNAP benefit, however, will be lower for the household.

How are adults screened for possible exemptions to the work requirements?

Under federal rules, state SNAP agencies are required to screen adults under age 65 to see if they qualify for an exemption. If they do, the agency must offer to help the SNAP recipient get any required proof. This screening should happen at the household’s next SNAP recertification (official case review).

What are the work requirement exemptions, and how can they help kinship/ grandfamilies?

Many kin/grandfamily caregivers are likely exempt from the SNAP work requirements. Adults – including parents, grandparents, and other kin caregivers – are not subject to the work requirements if any of the following exemptions apply to them:

  • They are responsible for and live with a dependent child under 14 years of age.
  • They are responsible for and live with an incapacitated person. 
  • They are medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment.
  • They are pregnant.
  • They have earned income (before taxes) of at least $217.50 per week ($870 per month), regardless of hours.
  • They applied for or are receiving unemployment benefits.
  • They are a student enrolled at least half time in a recognized school or training program.
  • They are a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation.
  • They are a regular participant in a drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program.

Be sure to confirm that these exemptions are accurate for your state before sharing them with kin caregivers, as the list above is based on the federal exemptions, and there is some variation in the states.

What about high unemployment exemptions?

Only states with an unemployment rate of 10% or more can request waivers from the work requirements. At this time, no state meets that requirement. Alaska and Hawaii have a special exemption that allows them to request waivers for the work requirements without meeting the 10% threshold required for all other states.

What are the SNAP eligibility requirements for immigrants?

To qualify for SNAP, an individual must either be a U.S. citizen or fall into a narrow category of legally present immigrants. Immigrants without legal status have never been eligible for SNAP for themselves. HR-1 cut off SNAP for many lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, victims of human trafficking, and victims of domestic violence.

HR-1 restricts SNAP to:

  • Legal permanent residents (LPRs, also known as “green card” holders). Some adult LPRs may need to have this status for five years before qualifying. The five-year wait does not apply to LPRs who had a humanitarian status before receiving their green cards. It also does not apply to children who are LPRs or to most adults with a disability who are LPRs.
  • Nationals of Cuba or Haiti who qualify as “Cuban-Haitian Entrants” under federal rules, including if they entered the U.S. with Humanitarian Parole or have a pending asylum case.
  • Nationals of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA), notably from the nations of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.

States are required to review SNAP eligibility for these immigrants at the household’s next SNAP recertification (case review). Many states will be conducting these recertifications during 2026 and 2027.

It is important to note that immigrants with or without legal status can apply for SNAP for eligible family members, including children who are U.S. citizens or LPRs.

Are there other SNAP changes in HR-1?

  • The SNAP education program was defunded.
  • Beginning in October 2026, states will have to pay 75% of SNAP administrative costs, an increase from 50%.
  • Beginning in October 2027, many states will have to pay a share of SNAP benefits. Until this change, the federal government has always paid for all SNAP benefits.
  • New rules will prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from increasing SNAP benefit amounts based on changes to the cost of food.
  • To account for the costs of heating, electricity, and other utilities, SNAP permits households to deduct a standard utility allowance (SUA) from their household income.
    • HR-1 reverses the USDA rule that allowed internet expenses to count toward the household SUA, reducing families’ SNAP benefit amounts.
    • Households receiving support from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) no longer automatically qualify for the SUA in SNAP. However, SNAP households that receive LIHEAP and include an older adult (age 60+) or an adult receiving a disability-based benefit will continue to receive the SUA.

For more information on the changes to SNAP, see the Budget Reconciliation Impacts Fact Sheet released by the Food Research & Action Center.

Will families who are currently receiving benefits continue to do so?

Yes! As always, each state must recertify families every six months. At that time, adults must provide documentation that they are working or exempt from the work requirement. Families currently receiving benefits need not recertify until their state SNAP agency requests that they recertify.

How do we help kinship/grandfamilies keep their SNAP benefits?

The most important thing for you to do is to provide caregivers with clear information about the work requirements and exemptions. You can assist kinship/grandfamilies by learning these rules and helping caregivers share any exemptions, and any necessary documentation, with the SNAP state agency. And remember, if a caregiver is doing unpaid work for a family member who lives outside their home or a friend or neighbor, that also counts toward the 20-hour-per-week work requirement, if they are not otherwise exempt.

If families feel like they’ve been unfairly denied benefits, what can they do?

Families who feel they’ve been unfairly denied benefits can request an appeal, and a local Legal Aid provider may be able to help them do so.

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