A change to the food-assistance program many older Americans rely on is now taking effect, and it reaches a group that was previously shielded from its toughest rule. Adults in their late fifties and early sixties, once exempt from federal work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are being pulled into them. The result is that keeping monthly grocery help now depends on documenting a set number of hours of work or approved activity.
What the SNAP work rule requires
At the center of the change is a long-standing rule for able-bodied adults without dependents, known in the program as ABAWDs. People subject to it must work, volunteer, train, or otherwise participate in a qualifying activity for at least 80 hours a month. Those who cannot meet the threshold are generally limited to three months of benefits within a 36-month period before their assistance is cut off.
The 80-hour standard can be satisfied several ways, not only through paid employment. Federal program rules count paid work, unpaid or volunteer work, and participation in an approved work or training program toward the monthly requirement. The common thread is that recipients in the affected group must show they are meeting the hours to avoid losing benefits after the three-month window closes.
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How the age cap rose to 64
For years, the work requirement applied to a narrower age band, and older adults aged out of it well before retirement. The tax and spending law enacted in 2025 changed that by raising the upper age limit for ABAWDs to 64. That single adjustment swept in adults in the 55-to-64 range who had been exempt, so people who had qualified for SNAP without meeting the hours requirement now must comply or face the three-month limit.
The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service, which administers SNAP, has issued implementation guidance spelling out how the law changes the ABAWD rules, including revised exception and exemption criteria. The guidance is what state agencies use to determine who is now covered and how the older age threshold is applied.
The estimated million-plus who could lose benefits
The reach of the change is substantial. An analysis of the new requirements estimates that more than one million older adults are moved into the category of recipients who must work at least 80 hours a month or risk losing most of their SNAP benefits after three months. That figure is a projection of how many people fall into the newly covered age band, not a count of confirmed losses, and the actual number affected will depend on how many can meet the hours or qualify for an exemption.
For households living on tight fixed incomes, the stakes are concrete. SNAP benefits offset a meaningful share of monthly grocery costs, and losing them after three months would force affected adults to cover that gap out of savings or reduced spending elsewhere. For an older adult already stretching a Social Security check or modest wages, the loss of a monthly food benefit can mean choosing between groceries and other essentials such as utilities or prescriptions.
The three-month clock is also unforgiving once it starts. The limit allows only three months of benefits within a 36-month period for those who do not meet the requirement, so a stretch of missed hours early on can leave a recipient without a cushion later in that window, even if circumstances change. That structure puts a premium on either meeting the hours consistently or securing a documented exemption before the months run out.
Exemptions that still apply
The rule is not absolute, and several exemptions remain. People who are unable to work because of a physical or mental limitation are generally excused from the ABAWD requirement and its time limit, as are certain other categories the program recognizes. Because the 2025 law also narrowed some previous exemptions, older adults who believe they should be excused are advised to confirm their status with their state SNAP office rather than assume an old exemption still holds.
Documentation is central to keeping benefits. An adult who is working or volunteering enough hours, or who qualifies for an exemption, generally needs to provide proof to the state agency, and a lapse in reporting can trigger the same three-month cutoff as failing to meet the hours.
The timeline and what older adults should do
The changes are not uniform to a single day nationwide. States began implementing the new rules starting in November 2025, with notices to affected recipients continuing to roll out through 2026, so the exact timing an individual feels the change depends on the state. Older adults who receive SNAP and fall in the 55-to-64 range have reason to check now whether they are subject to the requirement, whether an exemption applies, and what documentation their state expects, since the difference between compliance and a missed report can determine whether benefits continue past the three-month mark.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence 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.
