New Work Requirements For SNAP In GA: What To Know

New federal work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients began this week for hundreds of thousands of Georgia residents.

On Monday, sweeping changes to the nation’s largest food aid program took effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed in July.

Many SNAP recipients were already required to show that they work, volunteer or attend job training at least 80 hours per month to qualify for benefits.

The new law expands the work requirement to people between 18 and 64-years-old and parents of children ages 14 through 17 and is in place for "able-bodied adults without dependents."

The Georgia Department of Human Services said the adjustment applies if the SNAP recipient or applicant is:

• 18-65 years of age;
• Not pregnant;
• Not responsible for the care of a dependent child younger than 14 years of age in the SNAP household; and
• Mentally and physically fit for employment.

The new rules eliminate exemptions for military veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults aging out of foster care. The law also makes it more difficult for individual states to bypass federal work requirements.

The Congressional Budget Office says the new requirements are expected to cut the monthly number of SNAP recipients by nearly 2.4 million over the next 10 years.

More than 1.4 million Georgia residents rely on SNAP to meet their basic nutritional needs.

Monthly benefits from the program, also known as “food stamps,” average around $190 per person. Recipients can use the funds to buy a wide range of grocery items.

SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco or “nonfood” items like pet food or cleaning supplies.

The Trump administration has claimed that SNAP has grown out of control, alleging that over-reliance on the program and widespread fraud have forced elected officials to take action.

Some Republicans in Congress have supported the changes to SNAP work requirements made under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

However, U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., has criticized the bill as a whole.

"Washington Republican’s Big Ugly Bill is a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich AND from the young to the old," he tweeted Monday.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who is resigning from her post effective January following disagreements with Trump, called the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in July a "major win."

"This bill is a win for American families, a win for our economy, and a win for our national security," Greene tweeted on July 3. "I’ve stood with President Trump since Day One, and I was proud to vote YES and help get this bill over the finish line."

In Georgia, adults who are able-bodied and have no dependents can receive benefits for three months in a three-year period that ends Nov. 30, 2026 if they do not meet the work requirement.