SNAP enrollment is at its lowest since 2019, and the work requirement now reaches recipients up to age 64.
More SNAP (food stamp) changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending law, take effect Thursday, Oct. 1.
The work rule. This part is not new; it has applied since the law was signed. Under it, Worth knowingApplying for jobs does not count toward the 80 hours, no matter how many applications you send. Only actual work or volunteering counts, as the woman in this story found when she lost benefits after applying to about 10 jobs a week..
The count. The Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group, counts 5.2 million people who have lost SNAP since the law was signed on July 4, 2025. The White House says the changes keep the program going for future generations.
One recipient. Lori Covelli, 53, lost $760 a month in benefits. She had applied to about 10 jobs a week and got no offer.
“At this point, SNAP benefits are essentially over for me.”Lori Covelli, former SNAP recipient
What next. On Oct. 1, 2027, most states start paying 5% to 15% of benefit costs. Each state's share depends on its payment error rate (the share of benefits paid in the wrong amount). A farm bill draft from the Senate Agriculture Committee would push that start back by one year.
What the 2023 law's rise to age 54 did
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning research group, estimated about 750,000 adults aged 50 to 54 were newly at risk of losing benefits
- The Congressional Budget Office projected about 225,000 people would be cut in an average month
- A 2024 Census Bureau study of nine states found no measurable change in jobs or hours worked at the age cutoff