SNAP has two separate work rules, and they cover different age groups. The general work requirements apply to people aged 16 to 59 who are able to work, while the three-month time limit now reaches ages 18 to 64. A person aged 60 to 64 is outside the first rule and inside the second unless an exception applies, which is why the age on a case file decides which rules a caseworker asks about.
The general work rules for ages 16 to 59
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SNAP work requirements page says, “If you are age 16–59 and able to work, you will probably need to meet the general work requirements.” Those requirements include registering for work, taking part in SNAP Employment and Training or workfare if assigned, accepting a suitable job if one is offered, and not quitting a job or cutting hours below 30 a week without good reason.
The page lists several groups who are excused. They include people who work at least 30 hours a week or earn the equivalent in wages, people who meet the work rules for TANF or unemployment compensation, people who care for a child under six or an incapacitated person, people unable to work because of a physical or mental limitation, people who regularly attend an alcohol or drug treatment program, and people in school or a training program at least half-time. Failing the general rules leads to disqualification for at least a month, and repeat violations can lead to longer disqualification.
For a household sorting out which rule applies to its members, age is the first sorting question. A 17-year-old, a 45-year-old and a 59-year-old fall under the general rules if they are able to work and no exemption fits. Someone aged 60 to 64 is not covered by the general rules, but a USDA memo says the time limit now applies through age 64 unless the person meets another exception. The next question is whether the person is unable to work, caring for a young child or already working 30 hours a week, since those reasons appear on the list of exemptions.
Two work rules with two age bands mean a household member can be exempt from one and still subject to the other at a SNAP review. The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt, alongside a renewal document checklist and a renewal and reporting calendar.
Sort out the SNAP time limit and exemptions before the next review with the Renewal Organizer →
The three-month time limit
The time limit is the stricter rule. USDA says that people who are able to work and have no dependents may need to meet an additional requirement to get SNAP for more than three months in three years. To keep benefits past the third month, a person has to work at least 80 hours a month, take part in a work program for at least 80 hours a month, or combine the two. Workfare hours assigned according to the benefit amount also count.
The consequence is spelled out on the page: “If you have to meet the ABAWD work requirement but you don’t, you will lose your benefits after three months.” ABAWD stands for able-bodied adults without dependents. To get SNAP again, USDA says a person must meet the work requirement for a 30-day period or become excused, or wait for the next three-year period.
How the 2025 law moved the age line
The time limit’s age band grew after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. In an October 3, 2025 memo, Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator of USDA’s SNAP program at the Food and Nutrition Service, wrote that the law “increases the age of those subject to the time limit to age 64.” The changes were “effective upon enactment, July 4, 2025,” and state agencies were told to apply them immediately to new applications and recertifications.
The memo also reshaped the exceptions. It added exceptions for people defined as an Indian, an Urban Indian or a California Indian under federal Indian health law. It removed the temporary exceptions for people who are homeless, veterans, and people aged 24 or younger who were in foster care on their 18th birthday. The parent or caretaker exception now applies only to a household with a dependent child under 14, down from under 18.
The memo leaves the general rules alone: “The OBBB does not change the upper age limit for the general work requirements.” USDA’s work requirements page, last updated July 16, 2026, still describes the time limit for ages 18 to 54 and lists veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth as excused. It says USDA is preparing guidance on the law’s changes to exemptions and waivers and will update the page when it is released.
Telling the two rules apart at a SNAP review
The free reference is the USDA page on SNAP work requirements, which lays out both rules and their exemptions side by side. Because the page’s time-limit age and exemption list trail the October 2025 memo, a household member close to an age cutoff or relying on an exemption should ask the state SNAP office which version it is applying.
Before a review, it helps to have records of hours worked each month, since the time limit counts 80 hours from work, a work program or both. Documents showing a reason for an exemption belong in the same folder: a note about a physical or mental limitation, proof that a child under 14 lives in the household, or proof of enrollment in school or treatment.
The age bands themselves come from USDA: 16 to 59 for the general rules, and 18 to 64 for the time limit under the memo signed by Ronald Ward.
Three months in three years, 80 hours a month
A SNAP recipient aged 60 to 64 can be outside the general work rules and still lose benefits after three months under the time limit, and an exemption that applied last year may not apply now. The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt, plus a renewal and reporting calendar so a review date does not catch a household unprepared.
Use the Renewal Organizer’s SNAP time-limit and exemption guide for the 18-to-64 band →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
