No state has a statewide waiver from the SNAP three-month time limit anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service says that as of October 1, 2026, zero states and territories hold a statewide waiver, 12 hold a waiver for certain areas only, and 41 have no waiver at all.

That matters most to adults on food stamps who are not working and have no dependents. USDA’s implementation memo says people aged 18 to 64 are now subject to the time limit unless they meet another exception.

What is the three-month limit?

The rule limits able-bodied adults without dependents to 3 months of SNAP in a 36-month period unless they meet the work requirement, according to USDA’s eligibility page. That requirement is at least 20 hours a week of work or a work program.

The age range is the part that changed. A USDA memo signed by Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator of SNAP at the Food and Nutrition Service, says “individuals aged 18 to 64 are now subject to the time limit, unless they meet another exception.” The memo says the changes took effect on enactment, July 4, 2025.

The same memo narrowed the exceptions. A parent or household member responsible for a dependent child now has to have a child under 14, where the cutoff used to be under 18. The memo says the temporary exceptions for homeless individuals, veterans and people aging out of foster care were removed.

Does the limit apply where I live?

Here the new waiver list decides it. The USDA waiver status for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 shows waivers in effect as of October 1, 2026. Twelve jurisdictions hold partial waivers: Alaska, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Those waivers cover only certain areas of each place, and the USDA list does not name the areas. A resident of one of those 12 needs to ask the local SNAP office whether the county is covered. Anywhere else, the limit applies in full.

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Which 41 states and territories have no waiver?

USDA lists these 41 jurisdictions without a time limit waiver:

• Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam and Hawaii
• Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and Mississippi
• Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island
• South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming

Together the 12 partial-waiver places and the 41 with none make 53 jurisdictions, which is every state plus the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

What changed since spring?

The prior USDA list, covering the third quarter of fiscal 2026 and in effect as of March 1, 2026, showed 14 partial waivers and 39 jurisdictions with none. Two places moved out of the partial group in the new quarter: Montana and North Dakota. Both now sit in the no-waiver list above.

USDA’s list does not print start or end dates for individual waivers. It is a snapshot of what was in effect on October 1, so a local office is the place to confirm whether a specific county’s waiver is still running.

Who still has an exception?

The USDA memo lists several groups that stay exempt from the time limit. They include a parent or other household member responsible for a dependent child under 14, and members of federally recognized tribes and certain other Native American groups, including “An Indian,” “An Urban Indian” and “A California Indian,” as defined in federal law.

People with a physical or mental health reason that keeps them from working are also covered by general SNAP work exemptions, according to USDA’s eligibility page, which says it is being updated to reflect the 2025 law. The open question for an adult up to age 64 is whether a specific exemption applies, and the answer sits with the state SNAP agency.

Not sure the three-month limit reaches your county?

With no statewide waiver left, an adult up to age 64 who is not working and has no qualifying exception can see SNAP benefits end after 3 months in a 36-month period. A missed exemption or a missed reporting date is how benefits get cut by mistake.

The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt, and it comes with 51 state packs so the rules for your own state are in one place. It also includes a renewal document checklist and a renewal and reporting calendar.

Get the SNAP time-limit and exemption guide for your state →

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.