Here are some resources to find out more about SNAP ABAWDs and related information.
ABAWDs can receive SNAP for only 3 months in a 3-year period if they do not meet certain work requirements. This page includes information on waiver status for states by quarter.
ABAWDs can receive SNAP for only 3 months in a 3-year period if they do not meet certain work requirements. This page includes information on waiver status for FY 2020-24 by state.
States annually update Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs) to reflect changes in utility costs. When determining a household’s eligibility, states consider a household’s total shelter costs, including the cost of utilities. Since actual utility costs are often hard to determine, states can use SUAs, which are standard amounts that represent low-income household utility costs in the state or local area. SUAs may be used in lieu of the household's actual costs when determining eligibility and benefit amount.
We adjust SNAP maximum allotments, deductions, and income eligibility standards at the beginning of each federal fiscal year.
The purpose of this guide is to consolidate guidance and policy on serving able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).
By law, adults without disabilities or dependents in their care – referred to as ABAWDs – are limited to three months of SNAP benefits in three years unless they meet the ABAWD-specific work requirements. Recent changes, linked to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, are reshaping these rules.
FNS has estimated the number of new discretionary exemptions each state has earned for FY 2024. States that operated under a statewide waiver of the ABAWD time limit did not earn any new exemptions.
FNS is issuing this second set of questions and answers in response to inquiries received from SNAP state agencies concerning implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
This memorandum provides the FY 2024 Cost-of-Living Adjustments to the SNAP maximum allotments, income eligibility standards, and deductions. Under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, COLAs are effective as of Oct. 1, 2023.