For most of SNAP’s history, the strictest work rules stopped at age 54. A person who turned 55 could keep receiving food assistance without logging work hours. That line has moved. Under the tax-and-spending law signed in July 2025, the group subject to the toughest work requirement now reaches all the way to 64, pulling in more than a million older adults who were exempt a year ago and who now have to document their hours or watch their benefits stop.
The ABAWD rule and the new 55-to-64 age band
The requirement applies to a category the government calls able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWDs. Before the law, that category covered people aged 18 to 54; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act raised the ceiling so it now runs from 18 to 64. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, states that people in this group must generally work, train, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month to keep benefits beyond a short grace period. Adults 55 through 64 who were previously past the cutoff are, in the plain terms of the change, newly on the clock. The National Association of Counties, tracking the federal guidance, notes the shift is one of several ABAWD changes made under the law that also narrowed some longstanding exemptions.
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What counts as 80 hours — and the three-month clock
The 80 hours do not have to be a paycheck. USDA counts a combination of paid work, participation in an approved work or training program, and volunteering, and a person can mix activities to reach the monthly total. The consequence for falling short is not immediate: an adult subject to the rule can receive SNAP for up to three months in any 36-month period without meeting it, and after that the benefits stop until the person either logs the hours, qualifies for an exemption, or the clock resets. That structure is easy to misread. The three months are cumulative over three years, not a fresh three months each year, so an older adult who drifts in and out of qualifying work can exhaust the cushion well before realizing it is gone.
Exemptions that still apply to older adults
The expanded age band does not sweep in everyone in their late 50s and 60s. USDA maintains exemptions for people who are physically or mentally unable to work, those caring for a child under a certain age or an incapacitated family member, pregnant individuals, and people already meeting work requirements through another program. Someone who is medically unable to hold a job may qualify for an exemption but has to establish it with the state agency rather than assume it applies automatically. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which studies the program, has documented that paperwork and reporting failures — not an actual refusal to work — account for many of the people who lose benefits under time limits, which is why confirming exemption status in writing matters as much as the hours themselves.
Why the change bites near-retirees specifically
Adults in their late 50s and early 60s are often in the hardest spot to satisfy a rigid hourly rule. Many are in the gap between leaving a physically demanding job and claiming Social Security, some are managing health conditions that limit steady hours, and others live in areas with few openings for older workers. States began implementing the expanded requirement in late 2025, and most started checking compliance in earnest during 2026, which means the practical deadline for an affected 58- or 62-year-old is not a distant policy date but the next few reporting periods. The concrete step for anyone in the age band who receives SNAP is to contact the state agency now, confirm whether the rule applies to their case, ask which activities the state will count toward the 80 hours, and document every hour — because under this law, an unproven month can become a lost benefit before the year is out. Eligibility details and reporting rules are laid out on USDA’s SNAP recipient page.
The dollars at stake are not abstract for this group. For an older adult living on a small Social Security check or no income at all while waiting to claim, a monthly food benefit can be the difference between covering groceries and skipping meals, and losing it does nothing to make work easier to find. Advocates for older Americans have warned that the expanded rule is likely to remove some people who would actually qualify for an exemption but fail to complete the paperwork in time — the same pattern seen when comparable time limits applied to younger adults. That makes two habits especially valuable: keeping copies of pay stubs, volunteer logs, or class schedules that prove the hours, and responding to every notice from the state agency rather than assuming a gap will be forgiven. A person who believes an exemption applies, whether for a disability, a caregiving role, or another qualifying reason, should ask the agency to document that status in the file so a routine review does not end benefits by default.
This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI and reviewed by The Financial Wire editorial team.
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David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
