SNAP Bill Raises Work Age to 65, Requires Six Months of Prior Aid for Eligibility

The aptly named SNAP Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2025 is a two-part bill, with one section focusing on how the government measures poverty and the other making significant, potentially life-altering changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

Title I is all about getting a clearer picture of poverty. Starting in Fiscal Year 2025, the Census Bureau must collect detailed data on nearly every federal benefit received—not just cash, but the estimated dollar value of non-cash aid like housing vouchers, Medicaid, and SNAP itself. This new data will be used to create an alternative poverty measure that factors in all government assistance, giving researchers a more accurate snapshot of who is truly struggling, though the bill explicitly states this new data cannot be used to change the official Federal Poverty Line. This is a big win for data nerds and policymakers who want to know if programs are actually working, but it requires massive data collection, with felony penalties threatened for anyone who illegally accesses this sensitive, personally identifiable information (Sec. 101).

The New Rules of the SNAP Game

Title II is where the rubber hits the road for anyone receiving or needing food assistance. The bill significantly tightens work requirements for SNAP recipients. The age limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) is being raised from 50 to 65, meaning if you are 60 and laid off, you now face these work requirements. Furthermore, the required monthly work or training hours are increasing from 55 to 64 hours for certain recipients (Sec. 201).

For states, the rules for exempting areas with high unemployment are getting much tougher. States must now look at unemployment rates at the county level instead of the broader “labor market area,” and areas with 10 percent unemployment or less are no longer exempt. Crucially, the overall percentage of a state’s caseload that can be exempted from work requirements is slashed from 15 percent down to a mere 5 percent. This means fewer people in areas with fewer jobs will be able to get a pass, potentially forcing them into job searches or training programs that may not exist locally (Sec. 201).

The Six-Month Hurdle and State Budget Shock

Perhaps the biggest change is a new eligibility requirement: to qualify for SNAP, a household must first prove they have received some form of need-based public assistance (cash or non-cash) for at least six consecutive months, with a total value of at least $50 (Sec. 204). Think about a family that just lost a primary earner due to illness or layoff. Under this rule, they can’t immediately access SNAP, even if they qualify financially, because they haven't been on public aid for the last half-year. This creates a six-month waiting period for newly struggling families, effectively blocking access to immediate food assistance.

State governments are also going to feel a major pinch. Currently, the federal government covers most of the administrative costs for running SNAP. This bill introduces a new, escalating state matching fund requirement for those administrative costs, starting at 10% in FY 2025 and rising steadily until states are required to pay a full 50% match by FY 2033 (Sec. 203). This massive cost shift will force state legislatures to either find billions in new funding or significantly cut back on SNAP administration staff and services.

Cracking Down on Fraud and Defining 'Food'

On the fraud front, the bill is clear: if you are under investigation for SNAP fraud, cooperation is mandatory for continued eligibility, including attending hearings and meetings (Sec. 205). Retailers face significantly harsher penalties, too. Stores convicted of illegally trading SNAP benefits for cash, guns, or drugs face a mandatory permanent disqualification from the program, though states can make exceptions if banning the store would cause “hardship” for recipients (Sec. 209).

One final, small but potentially impactful change is that the Secretary of Agriculture must now determine that a food, meal, or item is “essential” before it can be purchased with SNAP benefits (Sec. 201). This grants the Secretary significant new power to define what is or is not allowed on your plate, which could lead to subjective restrictions on what recipients can buy.