Major changes are coming to the nation’s largest food assistance program. Beginning Feb. 1, nearly 42 million Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will face stricter work requirements under legislation passed during President Donald Trump’s second term. The changes expand who must work to qualify, reduce state flexibility, and cut billions from future funding.
According to USA Today, the new rules stem from Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed last summer and finalized after a bruising 43-day government shutdown in 2025. While funding for SNAP was ultimately restored following lawsuits from several states, the bill locked in long-term changes that reshape eligibility.
Under the new requirements, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 65 without dependents must work or participate in an approved employment or training program for at least 80 hours per month to receive benefits. Previously, the upper age limit was 55.
Snap Benefit Changes Coming February 1 #news #snap #usa #chicago #fyp pic.twitter.com/iRAMzsrYRm
— Media Markus (@realmediamarkus) January 29, 2026
Parents and household members are also affected. Adults living with a dependent child aged 14 or older must now meet the same work thresholds. Before, households with children under 18 were broadly exempt.
Several groups that were previously protected are no longer exempt. Veterans, people who recently aged out of foster care, and unhoused individuals must now comply with work requirements to maintain SNAP eligibility.
The bill also limits when states can extend benefits in areas with limited job availability. States may now request waivers only if local unemployment reaches at least 10 percent, a significantly higher bar than before.
SNAP typically limits benefits to three months within a 36-month period unless recipients meet additional work expectations. Previously, states had more discretion to extend aid during economic downturns. That flexibility has now been sharply narrowed under the Trump administration.
New work requirements are coming to SNAP due to Trump’s Big Ugly Law, aka tax cuts for the rich, benefit cuts for everyday people.
Click here for information on who is impacted and what you need to know. https://t.co/YLjnYINDOq
— Rep. Shontel Brown (@RepShontelBrown) January 30, 2026
Beyond work rules, eligibility itself has tightened. The new law restricts SNAP access primarily to U.S. citizens and certain lawful permanent residents. It removes eligibility for others legally present in the country, including some people admitted for humanitarian reasons, such as survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
States are also being asked to shoulder more of the program’s cost. Depending on error rates, states must now cover up to 15 percent of benefit expenses, while administrative costs rise from 50 percent to 75 percent.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the changes are meant to reduce fraud and reinforce “work and responsibility.” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has argued that benefits should be limited to people who are truly vulnerable.
However, federal data does not support claims of widespread fraud. A 2025 report from the Congressional Research Service described SNAP fraud as rare, noting that most overpayments stem from administrative errors rather than intentional abuse.
Heads up! SNAP rules are changing Feb. 1. To keep your benefits, you’ll now need a dependent under 14 or 80 hours of work/volunteer service per month. https://t.co/Sm8ddral2L
— NOIR ONLINE (@noironlineorg_) January 28, 2026
Advocates warn the new requirements could push more families into food insecurity.
“You have to wonder what the administration is trying to accomplish by removing protections that ensured vulnerable people could eat,” said Shailly Barnes of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. She warned the changes may be laying the groundwork for deeper SNAP cuts planned for 2027.
SNAP currently serves about 12 percent of Americans, many of whom are children, elderly, or disabled. For recipients who fall out of compliance, the clock now starts ticking on Feb. 1. And for many households, the margin for error just got much thinner.
