Eighty hours, estimated
Method
Answer a few questions about your household and we apply the 2025 work-requirement rules for Medicaid and SNAP. An estimate of whether you are subject or likely exempt — nothing stored, nothing sent.
Which of these describe you?
Note: under the 2025 law, veteran status, homelessness, and former foster youth no longer exempt you from the SNAP work requirement.
Medicaid · 80 hrs/month rule
Likely subject
- —Age 40 falls in the 19–64 range the requirement covers.
- —No listed exemption matched, so you would likely need to report 80 qualifying hours each month.
State implementation
By Jan 1, 2027
SNAP · 80 hrs/month rule
Likely subject
- —Age 40 falls in the 18–64 range OBBBA now covers (the upper age rose from 54 to 64).
- —No still-valid exemption matched, so you would likely need to report 80 qualifying hours each month.
Estimate only — not an official determination and not legal advice. Only your state agency can decide your eligibility. Use this to understand the rules, then confirm with the source below.
Rules last updated: June 29, 2026 · kff.org ↗
What changed in 2025
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act added an 80-hours-per-month work requirement to two programs. For Medicaid, states must require many expansion adults aged roughly 19 to 64 to report qualifying hours, and they must have the requirement in place by January 1, 2027. For SNAP, the able-bodied-adults-without-dependents rule was expanded: the upper age rose from 54 to 64, and the prior exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth were removed.
How this checker decides
For each program you select, the checker first looks at age. If you are outside the program's band, the requirement does not apply. If you are inside it, the checker looks for an exemption — pregnancy, caring for a child under 14, disability or medical frailty, already meeting the hours, and for Medicaid, Tribal membership. If an exemption matches, you are likely exempt; if none does, you are likely subject and would need to report the hours.
A worked example
Consider a 58-year-old veteran with no dependents who relies on SNAP. Before 2025, two things kept the work requirement from applying: the age cap stopped at 54, and veteran status was an exemption. Under the new law both protections are gone — the age band now reaches 64, and veteran status no longer exempts anyone from the SNAP rule. The same person is now likely subject to the 80-hour requirement.
What is the 80-hour work requirement?+
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in 2025, requires many adults to complete at least 80 hours of qualifying activity each month to keep Medicaid coverage or SNAP benefits. It applies separately to each program, with its own age band and exemptions.
Who is exempt from the work requirement?+
Common exemptions include being pregnant, caring for a dependent child under 14, being disabled or medically frail, and already meeting the 80 hours. Medicaid also exempts members of federally recognized Tribes, and both programs exempt people who are under the program age band or 65 and older.
What counts toward the 80 hours?+
Paid work counts, and so do approved activities such as job training, supervised job search, community service or volunteering, and enrollment in school or an education program. The exact mix of allowed activities is set by your state agency.
When do states start enforcing it?+
For Medicaid, states must implement the requirement by January 1, 2027; some states have signaled they will move earlier. The SNAP changes, including the higher age range, took effect under the 2025 law and are administered by your state.
What happens if I do not meet the hours?+
If you are subject to the requirement and do not report enough qualifying hours and do not have an exemption, you can lose Medicaid coverage or SNAP benefits. States must give notice and a chance to respond, so contact your state agency promptly if you receive one.
Is this an official determination?+
No. This is an estimate that applies the published rules to the answers you give. Only your state agency can make an official eligibility decision, so use this to understand the rules and then confirm with the source linked in the tool.