Hundreds of thousands of Americans between 60 and 64 who rely on SNAP benefits now face a new requirement: prove they are working, in a training program, or qualify for an exemption, or lose food assistance after three countable months in a 36‑month window. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, 2025, raised the age ceiling for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) work rules from the previous cap to 64, pulling older adults into a compliance system many have never encountered. States are scrambling to update notices and screening procedures before affected recipients hit their time limits.
How the ABAWD age ceiling jumped to 64
The shift did not happen overnight. The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 began a staged expansion of the ABAWD time-limit age range, according to USDA Food and Nutrition Service guidance on that law. That earlier expansion moved the upper boundary past the longstanding threshold of 49, eventually reaching 54. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act then pushed the ceiling again. A USDA implementation memo states that the law “increases the age of those subject to the time limit to age 64,” meaning adults who previously aged out of work-requirement scrutiny in their mid‑50s are now covered for another decade of their working lives.
The statutory text of the new law appears in the House legislation, which places the revised ABAWD provisions alongside other SNAP changes. Under the existing federal regulation at 7 CFR 273.24, participants subject to the time limit must document at least 80 hours per month of work, job training, or a qualifying community service activity. Those who cannot do so, and who lack a valid exemption, lose benefits after three countable months in any 36‑month period. For many 60‑ to 64‑year‑olds who have cycled in and out of low-wage jobs, these months can accumulate quickly.
State rollout gaps and the waiver question
The federal mandate is clear, but execution falls to 50 different state agencies with vastly different administrative setups. USDA’s central implementation hub for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act directs state agencies to update notices so individuals ages 55 through 64 are properly informed they now fall under the ABAWD time limit. Nebraska, for example, already lists individuals ages 18 to 64 as subject to ABAWD work requirements on its public information page for the law.
The real divergence will likely show up between states that hold broad area-based ABAWD waivers and those that rely on individual, case-by-case exemptions. States with active waivers covering high-unemployment areas can temporarily shield residents from the time limit without requiring each person to document work hours. That infrastructure could slow the rate at which 60‑ to 64‑year‑olds lose benefits in the early months of implementation. States without such waivers will need to screen and verify every newly covered individual, a process that demands staff time, updated IT systems, and clear communication to recipients who may not realize they are now subject to rules they never faced before.
Local advocates warn that older adults may be especially vulnerable to gaps in communication. Many 60‑somethings on SNAP have long work histories but are between jobs, recovering from health setbacks, or caring informally for grandchildren or aging relatives. If they do not receive clear notices, or if those notices use unfamiliar acronyms like “ABAWD,” they may fail to respond in time and see benefits cut off for reasons they barely understand.
Who is exempt – and who must comply
Federal law carves out several categories of people who should never be subject to the ABAWD time limit, including those medically certified as unfit for work, pregnant individuals, and people already responsible for a minor child in the household. The Food and Nutrition Service has issued detailed guidance on how states should apply exemptions under the new age range, emphasizing that agencies must screen proactively rather than waiting for recipients to self-identify.
For 60‑ to 64‑year‑olds, the exemption rules intersect with the realities of aging. Many in this group live with chronic conditions that limit their ability to work full time but have never applied for disability benefits. Others may be on the cusp of retirement but not yet eligible for full Social Security, leaving SNAP as a crucial backstop. If caseworkers do not systematically ask about health limitations or caregiving responsibilities, these older adults could be misclassified as ABAWDs and pushed into time-limited status.
No primary federal data currently quantifies how many SNAP recipients between 60 and 64 lack documented exemptions. That gap makes it difficult to predict how many people will actually reach the three-month cutoff, or how quickly caseloads will shrink as the new age ceiling takes effect. Analysts expect large differences between states that invest in outreach and screening and those that treat the new rule as a purely administrative change.
What comes next for older SNAP recipients
In the coming year, the practical impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on older adults will depend less on statutory language than on the everyday choices of state and local agencies. Decisions about how to word notices, how many staff to assign to exemption reviews, and whether to partner with workforce or aging-services organizations will all shape whether 60‑ to 64‑year‑olds keep access to food assistance.
For now, advocates are urging older SNAP recipients to watch their mail closely, respond quickly to any requests for information, and tell caseworkers about health conditions or caregiving duties that might qualify them for an exemption. As states move from paper rules to real-world enforcement, the new ABAWD age ceiling is poised to test how well the safety net can adapt to an aging, economically fragile population.
