SNAP Work Requirements and Exemptions Explained

People shopping at a farmers market with a large sign that says We Welcome SNAP Benefits.

On June 6, the President signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 into law, bringing an end to intense negotiations over the debt ceiling and avoiding national default on the debt. Disappointingly, this deal came with provisions to expand work requirements for SNAP, further limiting low-income households’ access to food assistance. Below is an overview of who will be subject to these expanded work requirements and how they will impact SNAP participants.

Previously, able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) between the ages of 18-49 were subject to a time limit on receiving SNAP benefits unless they met certain work requirements. The debt ceiling expanded this time limit to include adults ages 50-54. The work requirements for this age group will be phased in gradually; they will take effect on September 1, 2023 for 50-year-olds, October 1, 2023 for 51–52, and October 2024 for 53–54.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that nationally approximately 750,000 adults will be at risk of losing SNAP due to this new policy.
However, the deal expanded exemptions from these time limits to veterans, young adults between the ages of 18-24 aging out of the foster care system, and those experiencing homelessness. The Congressional Budget Office estimates these exemptions will allow an additional 78,000 people to access SNAP.
Guidance to screen for these exemptions is still unclear, and there is a high likelihood that even those eligible for exemptions may inadvertently lose their benefits.
The legislation also lowered states’ max allowances for SNAP hardship exemptions from 15% of participants subject to work requirements to 8%, and no longer allows states to carry over unused exemptions for the following year.

Oklahoma is a state which has opted not to waive work requirements for SNAP. While the age group for work requirements has been expanded, there is an opportunity to leverage the new exemptions to help more individuals access SNAP. For more information on how exemptions are determined, FNS has released additional details in this document: Modification of Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Time Limit Exceptions.

With these expanded SNAP restrictions and the recent expiration of COVID flexibilities that waived work requirements for all SNAP participants, partnership and collaboration within the anti-hunger spaces is more crucial than ever. Hunger Free Oklahoma will continue work to reduce barriers to SNAP and promote policies to maximize the program’s efficacy in reducing hunger.