The deepest SNAP cuts in history are already underway, and millions have lost their SNAP benefits already. Millions more are projected to be affected by the end of the year.
I absolutely hate bringing you bad news, but today we’re going to do a deep dive into what is causing this, when it might hit your area, and what you can do to make sure you are not at risk of losing those benefits that I know are so vital to you. So, with that, let’s dive in.
This is a transcript of our video. You can watch the full video on our YouTube channel: Low Income Relief.
Millions Have Already Lost Benefits
We know that almost two million people lost their benefits in 2025 just with all of the new rules and new hoops that people had to jump through. We know that it wasn’t a drop in need, right?
Some people look at these numbers and go, “Oh, this is great. People don’t need food help as much anymore.” But if that were the case, then the food banks wouldn’t see surging demand. They wouldn’t be struggling as more and more people come to food banks for help after losing their SNAP benefits.
So we know it’s not a drop in demand. This is largely due to new barriers, fear, and other factors that are making it hard for people to get the assistance they need.
The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that 2.4 million people will lose their SNAP every month over the next, I think they said, 10 years as a result of the new work requirements.
Some of those people may be legitimately able-bodied and able to work, and they may just make enough money to get off SNAP. And that’s great. But we also know from experience that some of those people are going to be seniors who don’t know how to keep up with the new rules and verification requirements and hoops they’re going to have to jump through. Some of those people will probably be veterans. Some of them will be kids.
It’s a very hard situation to know that there is going to be this much loss in this program when I know how much this program means to so many of you personally.
Why The Rollout Has Been Confusing
The reason we’re talking about this today is because the rollout of these new requirements wasn’t clean-cut. It didn’t all go into effect nationwide in one day. It’s kind of been staggered, and there are a lot of different reasons for that.
We know that Nevada, for example, is going to see 45,000 people lose their SNAP benefits in March. That’s almost 1 in 10 people who receive SNAP in the state who will suddenly have their benefits stopped.
That’s a pretty abrupt change because Nevada has been exempt from those work requirements since 2008 due to the employment and economic situation in that state. That exemption is now gone, and for the first time in almost 20 years, people now have to comply with these new work requirements.
A lot of them, I would assume, simply don’t know how to prove that they’re eligible for an exemption or how to meet those requirements and do the reporting and all of the new hoops these rules are going to introduce.
Part of the reason that the numbers are so big and so drastic in terms of who’s being cut off is because almost no states qualify for those unemployment waivers now.
The rules used to be a lot more lax. If an area had high unemployment, they could get an unemployment waiver where the USDA would say, “Yeah, we realize there’s not enough jobs in this area for everybody. Just let them eat.” That’s not a thing anymore.
The new administration, when they took over last year, was very clear that they wanted to make these waivers very, very hard to get. There are only 10 counties nationwide now that qualify for these ongoing waivers because your area has to have over 10% unemployment in order to get one. That means 1 in 10 people has to be unable to find work, which is a very high number for unemployment.
So there are only 10 counties now where those waivers exist, and everyone else has to comply with these new work rules.
There are 42 million people on SNAP. That’s about 1 in 8 Americans who rely on SNAP, and a large portion of them could be impacted by these changes.
Please don’t tune out. I know this is bad news, and I know how hard it is to listen to bad news. It’s hard for me to deliver bad news to you. But a little bit later, we’re going to talk about some action steps you can take, some proactive tips you can use to keep yourself safe, and the timeline as to when this may begin to affect you. Please just stick with me.
Who Is Affected By The New Work Requirements
Assuming that you live outside of those 10 counties where waivers still exist, the new requirements are for able-bodied adults without dependents. If you qualify in this category, you can only get SNAP for three months in a three-year period if you don’t meet the work requirements.
In a lot of states, if not most states, that three-year period is fixed, meaning it runs from, say, January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2025. In that period, you can get it for three months, and then when it rolls over to the next period, you can get it for three months again. If you don’t comply with the work requirements, that’s all you get unless you qualify for an exemption or your situation changes.
If you do meet the new work requirements, then your benefits can continue uninterrupted, and you can keep receiving SNAP as long as you’re eligible. But that does require you to put in 80 hours a month in order to maintain those benefits.
Those 80 hours a month can come from work, participating in a work training program, a combination of work and work training, or something called workfare, which is where the government has you volunteer with a nonprofit or organization in exchange for those benefits. There are a lot of different ways you can meet that requirement.
We did a really great video recently on the SNAP E&T, or Education and Training program, that can help you meet these requirements. But again, if you’re disabled or caregiving for someone, these options aren’t going to work for you. So it’s important to know what those exemptions are.
Right now, those who are going to be most affected by these new work rules are likely those between the ages of 50 and 64. Previously, the age limit for work requirements was 49. Once you hit 50, you didn’t have to worry about it. But they have since raised that to age 65, so you’re expected to meet these requirements until your 65th birthday.
It’s also going to affect parents whose kids are between 14 and 18 because previously they didn’t have to meet the requirements, and now that age limit has been dropped. If your child is 14 or older, you now have to meet the work requirements.
Veterans and those who are homeless will also be affected because they had automatic exemptions and now they don’t. Refugees and asylees are no longer eligible at all for this program under the new rules.
One of the things that concerns me personally is the age issue. We’ve heard from so many of you in the comments who are concerned about this because ageism is a very real thing that people face in the workplace. Now they’re requiring workers between the ages of 55 and 64 to go find jobs, but 44% of this age group was unemployed for 15-plus weeks in 2024 because ageism makes job searching harder.
It really feels like the government is requiring what the market isn’t offering.
If you do find yourself in this age bracket and required to work for your SNAP, you can look into workfare options where you’re volunteering. That might be a good workaround.
Who Is Exempt From The Work Rules
There are still exemptions for some people.
- If you’re under 18, you don’t need to worry about this.
- If you’re age 65 or older, you don’t need to worry about this.
- If you are physically or mentally unable to work and you can get a doctor to verify that for you, you can get an exemption.
- If you’re caring for a child under the age of 14, there’s an exemption.
- If you’re a student enrolled in school at least half-time, that counts.
- If you are receiving SSI, SSDI, or VA disability benefits, that’s a pretty easy way to prove that you are considered disabled and do not need to meet those work requirements.
If you need help applying for SSDI, we have an amazing sponsor, Injury Claims, that can help connect you with a free case review. If you have previously been denied for VA or SSDI, they can also help you file an appeal, but you’ll need to follow a different link.
Automatic exemptions are no longer available for veterans, homeless individuals, people aging out of foster care, refugees, asylees, and others, so do be aware of that.
The Paperwork Trap Is Real
A lot of people have talked about how all of the hoops required with these new requirements are turning people away from the program. That paperwork trap is a very real thing.
We know that when there are long wait times, there’s a lot of administrative churn because they’re hoping you’ll get frustrated and give up.
I know a lot of the seniors who follow this channel have told me that they get the absolute rock-bottom bare minimum of $24 a month. There’s only so much you’re going to put up with before you decide that’s not worth it. And honestly, sometimes it feels like that’s what they’re trying to do.
Please, please be persistent. Take care of yourselves. Persistence really is your most powerful tool right now.
When Will This Affect You?
This bill was passed on July 4, 2025, and then it had a grace period until November 1, 2025. That’s when all the states were supposed to implement it.
But some states had waivers and other circumstances, so not all states have even started the clock yet. Then able-bodied adults without dependents get a three-month period after they start the clock.
It’s really hard to track when the cutoff is going to begin in each state.
We are doing our best to aggregate a list of the cutoff dates and the three-year periods on our website at lirlinks.com because that matters. If you use that three-month period but then it resets, say in September 2026 like it does in at least one state, then you can get it for another three months again after that reset.
Both pieces of that puzzle are really important to understand, and we’re doing our best to get all of that information available to you at lirlinks.com.
For now, we know that in some states like Texas, those cutoffs have already begun. In other states like Ohio and Illinois, those cutoffs are going to begin in May because they’re just now getting around to starting the clock, and then that clock has to run out before the cutoffs begin.
In California, they have a waiver that doesn’t even start the clock until the end of 2026, so you have a little more time. It really depends on where you’re located, and you need to know when those deadlines are.
What You Can Do Right Now
First, if you have any physical or mental limitation that makes work difficult for you, ask your doctor for a note. You don’t strictly have to have a disability rating, but it helps. Having some sort of medical documentation is key if you’re going to try to get a disability waiver.
Also, see if you’re eligible for any other exemption. You need to know whether you are exempt or whether this is something you have to follow. If you do have to follow it, you need to understand the 80-hour rule and follow your state closely for information on when it starts, how you prove participation, and all of those details.
We’re going to try to do a state-specific series on our Fast Facts by Low Income Relief channel, but I’m not entirely sure we’ll be able to get them all out in time because we’re currently going through all the E&T paperwork over there.
Next, make sure your contact information is updated so the state can reach you. If they can’t reach you, you could get cut off without realizing it because the notice they’re sending won’t reach you.
Please log into your state SNAP portal or call and confirm that your address, phone number, and email address are current so they can contact you if they need to.
If you do need to work to meet these requirements, please check out the SNAP Education and Training program. We did a video on it here on this channel about a week ago, and we’re doing more detailed state-specific deep dives on Fast Facts by Low Income Relief.
Some states are offering thousands of dollars for laptops. They’ll help pay for internet connection, gas cards, car repairs, uniforms, training, materials, and tuition. There is so much help available through this program.
Forty-one states have just released new plans that, as far as I’ve seen so far, improve their offerings to make it easier for you to get the support you need to get to work. Rather than lose your SNAP benefits, please go check out this program. It can be life-changing.
I realize this is probably the last thing on your mind, but we do partner with Amazon and Walmart, and they both offer EBT discounts on their subscription services. We’ll put those links in the description below if you’re interested.
If not, please go watch our video on the SNAP Education and Training programs because they are amazing.
We’ll be back soon with more ways you can save money and get free stuff. Stay safe out there, my friends.