New SNAP requirements kick in for New York this weekend
Sign at supermarket entrance with text reading We Welcome EBT customers and a SNAP logo in Lafayette, California, November 13, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - New York residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will have to meet new work requirements starting this weekend.
What we know:
In order to qualify for food stamps, adults ages 18 to 64 who do not have children under the age of 14 in their household must work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month.
Those who do not meet these requirements are limited to three months of benefits in a three-year period.
The new SNAP work requirements go into effect on March 1 for New York residents.
What you can do:
SNAP recipients included in the new work requirements will have to submit additional paperwork, according to AARP.
If you haven’t already received a letter, phone call or text message from your local SNAP office, you can find contact information here.
The backstory:
Previously, work requirements were applied to adults ages 18–54 who are physically and mentally able to work and don’t have dependents under age 18. The new law expands those requirements to ages 55–64 and to parents without children younger than 14.
It also takes away work exemptions for homeless people, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care; and limits the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas lacking jobs.
New SNAP work requirements kick in for more states Feb. 1: What to know
Some SNAP recipients could lose their food assistance as soon as Sunday, depending on what state they’re in.
Big picture view:
The new SNAP requirements are part of the "Big Beautiful Bill," a massive tax cuts and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2025.
About 42 million people — or 1 in 8 Americans — receive SNAP benefits. The new requirements are expected to reduce the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million people over the next 10 years,
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from SNAP and previous reporting by FOX 5 NY.