New SNAP Rules: Employment Proof Now Essential For Some Beneficiaries

Major changes took place in October for people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Congress recently made changes to the SNAP program, requiring some users to work in order to receive food stamps.

SNAP has two sets of work requirements: the general work requirements and the able-bodied adult without dependents work requirements.

Able-bodied adults up to 52 years old who don’t have children, will now have to show proof they're working at least 80 hours a month or that they're enrolled in a training program or school to get SNAP, according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

Adults up to 24 who have aged out of foster care, veterans, those experiencing homelessness, or anyone unable to work because of a disability are exempt from the new work requirements.

The new rules were set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

The department said if you don’t meet the new work requirement, you will lose your benefits after three months.

In October of 2024, the age limit for the new work requirements will rise from 52 to 54.

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What is the Fiscal Responsibility Act?

The Senate in June passed legislation to suspend the debt ceiling and limit federal spending, sending the bill to President Biden's desk to avoid a U.S. government default that would have caused economic chaos.

The Senate adopted the bill, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, by a bipartisan vote of 63 to 36. Both sides acknowledged that the deal negotiated by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Mr. Biden was far from perfect but necessary to avoid a disastrous default.