The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), signed by President Trump on July 4th, 2025, includes the largest cut to food assistance in American history. Over the next decade, it will reduce SNAP funding by $186 billion. These changes are expected to affect 22.3 million families who will lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. In New York, more than 300,000 households are projected to lose some or all of their benefits.
Since the law passed, there has been widespread confusion about the sweeping changes to the program’s work requirements, eligibility rules, and benefit calculations, and how they’ll be implemented. Many details are still being clarified as states work to update their systems and the USDA continues to issue guidance. This guide breaks down what changed, who’s affected, and what steps you can take to prepare based on what’s known so far.
Question 1: Will Your Immigration Status Affect Your Benefits?
The law drastically limits eligibility for legally present noncitizens. In New York State, an estimated 41,000 people are expected to lose their food benefits as a result of these changes.
Non-Citizens Who Lost SNAP Eligibility
If you are a refugee or an asylum-seeker you are no longer eligible for SNAP. For decades, federal law specifically allowed these groups to receive SNAP, but, in one of the most significant changes in the law, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” removed this provision entirely.
You are also no longer eligible if you are:
- A trafficking victim previously certified by Health and Human Services
- Someone granted “withholding of removal” (protection from deportation to dangerous countries for those who don’t technically meet the refugee or asylum definition)
- An Iraqi or Afghan special immigrant visa holder who worked with U.S. forces or agencies
- A Temporary Protected Status holder from countries including El Salvador, Honduras, and Venezuela
- A humanitarian parolee (except for Cuban and Haitian entrants specifically)
- An Amerasian (the non-citizen child of a U.S. citizen born in specific Asian countries)
Non-Citizens Who Can Still Receive SNAP
You can still receive SNAP under the same rules as before if you are a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), but you typically need to wait five years after getting your green card, unless you’re under 18, disabled, blind, or have military connections. If you originally entered the U.S. as a refugee or were granted asylum but have since adjusted your status to become a lawful permanent resident, you remain eligible for SNAP.
You can also still receive SNAP if you are a Cuban or Haitian entrant through humanitarian parole programs, or if you are a citizen of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands and are in the U.S. under Compact of Free Association agreements.
Question 2: Do the New Work Rules Apply to You?
The new law significantly expands who is subject to SNAP’s time-limited work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD), including groups that were previously exempt. These time-limited work requirements mean you must work or participate in approved job training for at least 80 hours per month (roughly 18 to 20 hours per week). If you can’t meet this requirement, you can only receive SNAP for three months out of any 36-month period. This can be paid work, volunteer work, or participation in an approved job training program. Not all training programs are officially approved to count toward the requirement, and which programs are available depends on where you live.
Who is Subject to ABAWD Work Requirements:
- You’re between 18 and 64 years old
- You don’t have a child under 14 living with you
- You aren’t disabled
- You aren’t pregnant
- You are homeless
- You are a veteran of any military branch
- You are a former foster youth between 18 and 24 who aged out of foster care
The new law makes three major changes to ABAWD work requirements. First, the age limit has been increased from 54 to 64. If you’re in your late fifties or early sixties, these rules now apply to you. Second, the definition of “dependent child” has changed from under 18 to under 14. If your youngest child is 14 or older, you now face the same 80-hour monthly requirement as someone without kids. If you have multiple children, it’s your youngest child’s age that matters. Once that youngest child turns 14, the work requirement kicks in. Third, if you are homeless, a veteran, or a former foster youth, you previously had an automatic exemption, but you now face these work requirements unless you qualify for another exemption.
Additionally, if you were previously exempt from work requirements because of state waivers, you are now likely to face these requirements. Previously, states had more flexibility to waive the three-month time limit in areas where unemployment was high or jobs were hard to find. As of April 2025 20 states had temporarily suspended the three-month time limit in at least some areas, with some states offering statewide waivers. While many of these waivers had expiration dates extending into next year, the USDA recently announced they will all end on November 2, 2025.
Under the new law, states can do this only in areas where the unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent, a level that’s rarely reached. Most of these waivers will end under the new rules, which means that even if you live somewhere with limited job openings, you’ll probably still face the three-month limit unless you meet the requirements for another exemption. Alaska and Hawaii are granted more flexibility in the waiver process through separate provisions in the law.
Who is Exempt from ABAWD Work Requirements:
You’re exempt from ABAWD work requirements if:
- You’re under 18 or over 64
- You’re pregnant
- You have a disability and have been medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment (this includes both permanent and temporary disabilities)
- You’re caring for a child under 14
- You are Native American, an Alaska Native, or Indigenous. This is a new exemption created by this law. The USDA’s full definition of who qualifies for this exemption can be found here.
SNAP’s General Work Requirements:
These ABAWD requirements are different from the program’s general work requirements. The general work requirements were not changed by the new law, and most SNAP recipients who are between the ages of 16-59 and able to work are already subject to them. Under the general work requirements, which are less restrictive than the ABAWD rules, you need to register for work and show that you’re either working or actively looking for work. This means job hunting, participating in any SNAP Employment & Training programs you’re assigned to, accepting suitable job offers that pay at least minimum wage, and maintaining employment of at least 30 hours per week without voluntarily quitting or reducing your hours. If you don’t follow these rules, you could lose benefits temporarily, but you can get them back once you start meeting the requirements again.
Question 3: Will Changes to Utility Allowances Reduce Your Benefits?
Changes to utility allowances could reduce your benefit amount, depending on the composition of your household and whether you receive energy assistance. SNAP calculates benefits based partly on housing and utility costs. Higher costs have historically meant higher benefits, since you would have less money left for food. The new law changes the way SNAP calculates these costs.
If Nobody in Your Household Is Age 60+ or Has a Disability:
Yes, your benefits may shrink. Under the old rules, receiving heating or cooling assistance from a federal program such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) automatically qualified you for a substantial standard deduction, typically several hundred dollars per month, depending on your state. Now, households without an elderly or disabled member no longer qualify for that automatic standard deduction no matter how much energy assistance they receive.
To claim utility costs, you must actually pay heating or cooling bills (either in your name or directly to your landlord). You’ll need to provide copies of your bills, and SNAP will only count what you actually spend, which may be less than the old standard amount. If utilities are included in your rent, you likely won’t be able to claim them at all.
If you receive third-party energy assistance payments under a state law (as opposed to federal programs like LIHEAP), you may face additional cuts to your benefits. SNAP has always counted this state-based energy assistance as income, which reduces your benefits. But under the old rules, SNAP also let you deduct your actual utility bills as expenses, which increased your benefits, so these two factors more or less balanced each other out. Under the new rules, you lose that deduction. If you receive state heating assistance, you can’t claim your heating costs as an expense, even if you pay most of the bill yourself. The assistance will still count as income, but without the offsetting expense deduction. In addition, internet costs can no longer be counted as a utility expense in benefit calculations.
If Someone in Your Household Is Age 60+ or Has a Disability:
You can still get the automatic standard utility deduction if you receive more than $20 per year from LIHEAP or a similar federal energy assistance program. If you receive third-party energy assistance payments through a state program, the law provides an important new protection: this assistance won’t count as income, and you can still include your utility expenses when calculating your benefits. However, internet costs can no longer be counted as a utility cost and factored into benefit calculations.
Question 4: Are There Other Changes That May Impact Your Benefits?
Your benefits may also fail to keep pace with rising food costs because of changes in the way SNAP calculates benefit amounts. SNAP benefits are based on the “Thrifty Food Plan,” which estimates the cost of buying nutritious food on a limited budget. Previously, this plan was re-evaluated every five years to reflect what healthy food actually costs, after accounting for changes beyond general inflation. The new law eliminates these comprehensive updates. Benefits will now only adjust for general inflation, even if food prices rise faster. Over time, this means benefits will certainly fall behind actual food costs. By 2027-2031, benefits are estimated to be about $7 per person per month lower than they would have been under the old system, growing to a $15 monthly gap by 2032-2034, making it increasingly difficult to afford healthy groceries.
Question 5: When Will These Changes Go into Effect?
November 1, 2025 is the federal deadline for states to update their systems with the new rules. The timing of how these changes affect you varies by state and your specific situation.
For Most Current SNAP Recipients Changes Happen at Recertification
If you currently receive SNAP, you’ll likely be impacted by the new rules at your next recertification appointment, when your state reviews whether you still qualify for benefits. These appointments typically occur every six to twelve months. What happens at recertification depends on which, if any, changes affect you. To find your recertification date, call your caseworker or check your state’s benefits portal. If you currently receive SNAP, you’ll likely be impacted by the new rules at your next recertification appointment, when your state reviews whether you still qualify for benefits. These appointments typically occur every six to twelve months. What happens at recertification depends on which, if any, changes affect you. To find your recertification date, call your caseworker or check your state’s benefits portal.
If the immigration restrictions eliminate your eligibility, your benefits will likely end on the date of that recertification appointment. If you’re newly subject to work requirements because you’re now between ages 55-64, your youngest child is 14 or older, or you lost your exemption as a veteran, homeless person, or former foster youth, your state will determine whether you’re currently meeting the 80-hour monthly requirement or qualify for another exemption. If you don’t meet the requirement and don’t have an exemption, you’ll receive benefits for three more months, with the countdown beginning the month after your recertification appointment. After those three months end, your benefits will stop unless you begin meeting the work requirement or qualify for an exemption. If utility allowance changes reduce your benefits, the new calculations will apply at your recertification appointment.
State-by-State Variation
While most states are applying these changes at recertification, implementation varies by state. Some may implement certain provisions earlier. If your state applies any rules before your scheduled recertification, they must notify you in writing and give you time to provide documentation, such as proof of an exemption, before reducing or ending your benefits. Check your state SNAP office’s website for their specific implementation timeline.
The Waiver Exception
If you’re currently exempt from work requirements because your area has a state waiver, the timing of when you’ll be impacted is different. After waivers end November 2, 2025, you have three more months (December, January, and February) to meet the work requirement or qualify for an exemption. If you don’t, your benefits will potentially end in March 2026.
New Applicants
If you’re applying for SNAP for the first time, the new rules apply to applications processed on or after July 4, 2025.
Question 6: Will the Government Shutdown Affect Your Benefits?
This is a separate and immediate crisis from the One Big Beautiful Bill changes described above. The current government shutdown threatens your SNAP benefits, regardless of the new eligibility rules or your household situation. Specifically, your November payments may be delayed or not issued at all if the shutdown continues.
On October 10th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a directive instructing states to halt sending recipient data to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendors, citing “insufficient funds.” Following this directive, multiple states including Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, California, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Illinois have issued alerts warning that SNAP recipients may not receive their November payments until the shutdown ends and federal funding is released.
While the USDA has multiyear contingency funds equivalent to two-thirds of what’s needed for a full month of benefits that could cover both state administrative costs and participant benefits during a shutdown, the agency has not indicated whether it plans to tap into these reserves. This is different from what happened during the 2018-2019 shutdowns when benefits were disbursed early to prevent disruptions. The situation is highly fluid and changing day by day. As of now, it remains unclear whether you will receive your November benefits on time.
Question 7: What Should You Do Right Now?
Given both the immediate shutdown crisis and the upcoming permanent changes to SNAP, here are the most important steps you can take to protect your access to food assistance:
Monitor the shutdown situation. Check your state’s SNAP website or call your local SNAP office for updates about November benefit payments. Sign up for text or email alerts if your state offers them. The situation is changing rapidly, and staying informed will help you plan accordingly.
Update your contact information. Call your SNAP office or log into your state’s benefits portal and confirm that they have your current phone number, email address, and mailing address. As states implement these changes, they’re required to send notices about eligibility changes, benefit reductions, and recertification appointments. Missing a notice could mean losing benefits you’re actually still eligible for or missing deadlines to provide required documentation.
Start gathering documentation. While some people will lose eligibility under the new law regardless of documentation, having the right paperwork can help ensure you receive any benefits you still qualify for. Gather documents based on your situation: for work requirements, collect pay stubs, timesheets, or employer letters showing 80+ hours monthly, or documentation from job training programs or volunteer organizations verifying your hours. For exemptions, gather medical documentation for disabilities, birth certificates proving your youngest child’s age, tribal enrollment documents for Indigenous exemptions, or proof of pregnancy or being 65 or older. Keep immigration documents accessible–your green card if you’re a lawful permanent resident, or documentation proving you’re a Cuban or Haitian entrant or citizen of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands who is in the U.S. under Compact of Free Association agreements. For utility costs, keep copies of heating and cooling bills in your name or written documentation from your landlord if you pay utilities directly to them.
Seek community resources. Find food resources in your area, including food banks, pantries, and community meal programs, that can help if you lose some or all of your SNAP benefits. Organizations like Feeding America can help you locate food assistance in your area. If you live in New York City, you can also check out the Hunter College Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guide. Also look for organizations that help people navigate SNAP applications, recertifications, and appeals. Local legal aid societies, community action agencies, and groups like Hunger Free America can provide guidance and support throughout the process. Many churches, community centers, and nonprofit organizations also offer both food assistance and help with SNAP applications.
If you need legal help with immigration-related eligibility issues, verify that any organization or individual is legitimate by confirming they’re licensed attorneys, Department of Justice-accredited representatives, or established nonprofit legal organizations before sharing personal information or paying fees.
For the millions of families who rely on SNAP to feed their families, both the shutdown and the permanent changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill are significant and potentially devastating. Although not everyone will be affected equally by these changes, and the shutdown’s impact remains uncertain, preparing now can help you understand your situation and where to find support if and when you need it.
