When Will ABAWDs Lose Their SNAP Benefits?

If you receive SNAP (food stamps) and you’ve heard the term ABAWD, you may be wondering what it means — and more importantly, when (or if) you could lose your benefits.

ABAWD rules can be confusing and stressful, especially if you’re already struggling to make ends meet. In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• What ABAWD means
• Who the rule applies to
• When ABAWDs lose SNAP benefits
• How to keep your benefits
• Who is exempt from the time limit
• What to do if you’re about to lose coverage

Let’s break it down in simple, clear terms.

What is an ABAWD?

ABAWD stands for Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents

This term applies to certain adults who:

• Are between 18 and 54 years old (in most states under current federal law)
• Do not have dependent children living with them
• Are physically and mentally able to work

If you fall into this category, special time-limit rules may apply to your SNAP benefits.

The ABAWD Time Limits

Here’s the most important rule to understand:

ABAWDs can only receive SNAP for 3 months in a 36-month period unless they meet work activity requirements.

This is often called the “3-month time limit.” It means thatt if you are an ABAWD and you are not meeting work requirements, you can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months within a rolling 3-year window.

After those 3 months are used, your benefits will stop — unless you begin meeting the requirements or qualify for an exemption.

What are the Work Requirements?

To keep SNAP beyond 3 months, ABAWDs must work or participate in qualifying activities for at least 80 hours per month. That averages to about 20 hours per week.

You can meet this requirement through:

• Paid employment (part-time or full-time)
• Self-employment
• Volunteer work (if approved)
• SNAP Employment & Training (E&T) programs
• Workfare programs
• Job training programs
• Workforce programs like WIOA

If your total hours equal 80 per month, you generally meet the requirement.

When Exactly Do ABAWDs Lose SNAP?

An ABAWD loses SNAP benefits after receiving 3 full months of benefits during a 36-month (3-year) period while not meeting the work requirement and not qualifying for an exemption.

The 3 months do not have to be consecutive. They are tracked within the 36-month clock your state uses.

Each state operates on its own 36-month period schedule. If you’re unsure where your state is in the cycle, your local SNAP office can tell you.

New 2026 State-by-State Implementation Dates

As of 2026, states are rolling out the updated ABAWD/SNAP work-requirement rules on different timelines, so it’s important to know when they take effect where you live.

Under federal guidance, these work rules were supposed to go into effect no later than November 1, which means that many ABAWDs began losing their benefits on February 1. However, some states have started enforcing compliance at recertification or specified cutoff dates throughout the year.

We have done our best to find accurate dates for when the cutoffs begin in each state. If you aren’t sure of your date, check your state SNAP office or benefit notices for your specific timeline.

REMEMBER: You have three months after you are notified to meet the requirements. The cutoff dates listed below are the earliest that you could be affected, but the date may be later depending on your recertification deadline. Also, it is proving very difficult to track down these exact dates by state. Our team is still working on gathering this data. Bookmark the page for updates.

We will continue adding and updating this information as we are able to locate more authoritative sources. To protect you from misinformation, we are only using highly authoritative sources to populate this list. We are calculating the cutoff date as three months after the implementation date, since that is the earliest that ABAWDs can lose their benefits. Remember that you may be affected later, since many states are waiting until your next certification to start that three month clock.

What Happens if I Lose SNAP?

If you use up your 3 time-limited months and do not meet work requirements, your SNAP benefits will stop.

However, you can regain eligibility in several ways:

• Start working at least 80 hours per month. If you work 80 hours within a 30-day period, you can requalify for SNAP.
• Participate in an approved work program. Completing required hours in a SNAP Employment & Training program may restore benefits.
• Qualify for an exemption. If your situation changes — for example, if you become pregnant, disabled, or begin caring for someone — you may become exempt from the ABAWD rule.

Relief Recap

If you’re an Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents, you generally:

• Can only receive SNAP for 3 months in a 36-month period
• Unless you work or participate in qualifying activities at least 80 hours per month
• Or qualify for an exemption

The key is understanding whether the rule applies to you — and taking action early if you’re close to losing benefits.