No, food stamps are not ending. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a permanent federal program, and no law has been passed to shut it down. What has changed is real, though: pandemic-era benefit boosts have expired, and a 2025 law rewrote large parts of who qualifies and what they have to do to keep receiving help. Those are modifications, not a termination.
Why SNAP Isn’t Going Away
SNAP is authorized by federal law and funded through annual congressional appropriations. Unlike temporary relief programs with built-in expiration dates, it has no termination clause. Its policy framework sits inside the Farm Bill, which Congress renews roughly every five years. The most recent full version, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, was extended through fiscal year 2025 after Congress could not agree on a replacement.1Library of Congress. Expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill and Extension for 2025 When a Farm Bill lapses without a successor, short-term extensions keep the money flowing. Benefits have not stopped during any of these transitions.
Much of the current worry traces back to something narrower: the end of Emergency Allotments. Those were temporary supplements authorized under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, added on top of each household’s regular deposit to bring everyone closer to the maximum benefit for their household size.2Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP State Activity Reports When that emergency authority expired, monthly deposits dropped, sometimes by hundreds of dollars. The program didn’t end. The top-up did. Standard SNAP benefits are still deposited every month for every eligible household.
What the 2025 Law Actually Changed
The bigger story for anyone on SNAP right now is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), signed into law in 2025. It made the most significant changes to SNAP eligibility in years. The law expanded who has to meet work requirements, narrowed exemptions that previously covered millions of recipients, and restricted the geographic waivers states used to excuse participants in high-unemployment areas.3Library of Congress. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions
The result is that many people who were receiving SNAP without a work obligation now have one, and if they don’t meet it they can lose benefits after three months. If you were on SNAP in 2024 without working, these rules may already have caught you.
Expanded Work Requirements
Before the new law, SNAP work rules mostly applied to adults ages 18 to 54 without dependents. The law raised the upper age to 64 and pulled in several groups that used to be exempt: parents of children ages 14 through 17, caretakers of adult dependents, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth.3Library of Congress. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions
The core rule itself has not changed. You need to work or take part in an approved training program for at least 80 hours per month. Approved community service also counts.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements Miss the requirement without qualifying for an exemption, and your benefits are capped at three months within any three-year period. After that you lose eligibility until you either put in a 30-day qualifying work period or wait for the clock to reset.
Who Is Still Exempt
Several groups remain excused from work requirements:
- Households with children under age 14.
- Pregnant individuals, for the duration of the pregnancy.
- People physically or mentally unable to work.
- Adults age 60 and over.3Library of Congress. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions
The law also added exemptions for certain Native American and tribal populations. If you think you qualify for an exemption, contact your local SNAP office before your three-month window closes rather than assuming the agency will apply it automatically.
Fewer High-Unemployment Waivers
States used to request waivers for areas with elevated unemployment so residents there could keep benefits without meeting work requirements. The new law limits those waivers to areas where unemployment exceeds 10 percent. Alaska and Hawaii use a threshold of 1.5 times the national unemployment rate.3Library of Congress. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions In most of the country, a 10 percent bar means far fewer places will qualify than under the old standard.
If the New Rules Put Your Benefits at Risk
The three-month clock is the main pressure point for people affected by the expanded work rules. There are practical steps that keep benefits in place.
Use the Employment and Training Program
If you need to satisfy the work requirement but aren’t currently employed, the SNAP Employment and Training program is designed for that gap. Every state runs one, federally funded, offering job search help, skills training, career counseling, and support services like transportation and supplies.5Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Employment and Training Participation in an approved E&T program counts toward your 80 monthly hours. Your SNAP office can tell you what’s available where you live.
Don’t Miss Recertification
The most common reason people lose SNAP has nothing to do with any law. It’s missed paperwork. Eligibility is authorized for a set certification period, and near the end of that period the agency sends a renewal notice. You have to complete the forms by the deadline, and in most cases attend an interview with a caseworker. Miss the deadline and your benefits automatically stop at the end of the certification period. No grace window.
Keeping your mailing address and contact information current is the single most useful thing you can do to avoid an accidental lapse. If you’ve moved and the notice went to your old address, that still counts as a missed deadline. Report significant income changes within 10 days, as most states require.
Appeal If Benefits Are Cut or Denied
If your benefits are reduced, denied, or terminated, you can challenge that decision through a fair hearing. Federal regulations give you 90 days from the date of the agency’s action to file.6eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings You can also dispute your current benefit level at any point during your certification period.
Timing is what matters most. If you request a hearing before the effective date shown on your adverse action notice, your benefits continue at their current level while you wait for a decision.6eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings Wait longer than that, and the appeal still moves forward, but your benefits are reduced or cut in the meantime. If the decision is upheld after the hearing, you’ll owe back any benefits paid during the appeal that exceeded what you should have received.
Two Other Changes People Sometimes Mistake for “Ending”
Two smaller shifts have added to the sense that the program is being dismantled, but neither ends SNAP.
The first is state-level restrictions on what SNAP can buy. Benefits have never covered alcohol, tobacco, vitamins, supplements, hot prepared foods, or non-food items. Starting in 2026, a growing number of states are adding more restrictions under USDA food restriction waivers. As of mid-2026, at least 19 states have received approval to block SNAP purchases of items such as soda, energy drinks, candy, and in some cases prepared desserts.7Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers The specific list varies by state and rolls out on different timelines. Your local SNAP office or EBT retailer can confirm what applies where you live.
The second is the end of federal replacement for stolen benefits. Congress authorized replacement of SNAP benefits stolen through card skimming and cloning in late 2022, but that authority expired on December 20, 2024.8Food and Nutrition Service. Replacing Stolen SNAP Benefits: State Plan Approvals Federal reimbursement for stolen benefits is no longer guaranteed. Change your EBT PIN regularly, never share it, check your balance often, and report suspicious transactions to your SNAP office right away. If you spot unauthorized charges, freeze the card and request a replacement.
Neither of these changes shuts the program. They change the edges of it. SNAP itself continues, benefits continue to be deposited, and the households that meet the current eligibility rules continue to receive them.