Farm Bill 2.0 Title IV: SNAP Eligibility, Work Rules, Thrifty Food Plan

TL;DR: Title IV of H.R. 7567 (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026) makes the most significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since the mid-1990s. Key provisions expand work requirements to adults up to age 64, tighten categorical eligibility rules, and reverse the 2021 Thrifty Food Plan update that raised benefit levels by roughly 21 percent. As of June 2026, the bill has passed the House and awaits Senate action.

Key takeaway

Title IV of H.R. 7567 would cut SNAP benefits for an estimated millions of participants by rolling back the 2021 Thrifty Food Plan update and expanding work requirements to adults through age 64.

What happened

The House passed H.R. 7567 with Title IV intact. The nutrition title drew the sharpest partisan debate of any section in the bill. Republicans argued the changes restore work incentives and fiscal discipline; Democrats and anti-hunger advocates warned of large-scale benefit loss for low-income households.

Title IV covers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and related nutrition programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The key provisions fall into three clusters: work requirements, categorical eligibility, and the Thrifty Food Plan.

You can compare these changes directly with the 2018 Farm Bill in the what's new vs 2018 section and see where the Senate stands in the Senate status tracker.

Work Requirements

Who is affected now vs. who would be affected under H.R. 7567:

Under current law (the 2018 Farm Bill and waivers extended thereafter), able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) between ages 18 and 49 must work, participate in job training, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to receive SNAP beyond a three-month limit in any 36-month period. States can apply for waivers in areas with high unemployment.

Title IV of H.R. 7567 changes this in several ways:

• Age ceiling raised from 49 to 64, pulling a new population of older adults into the ABAWD work requirement.
• Dependent child age for an exemption is lowered. Under current law, having a dependent child under 18 in the home exempts a parent. H.R. 7567 lowers that threshold to children under 7, meaning parents of school-age children (ages 7-17) would no longer be automatically exempt.
• State waiver criteria tightened. States would need to demonstrate a higher unemployment threshold to qualify for a geographic waiver, and the waiver approval process at USDA is made more restrictive.
• Verification requirements strengthened. State agencies must collect more documentation to confirm compliance before benefits are issued, not after.

Supporters say the expanded requirements encourage self-sufficiency and reduce program costs. Critics argue the changes will cause eligible people to lose benefits due to administrative barriers, particularly older workers in physically demanding jobs and parents of elementary-age children.

Categorical Eligibility

Categorical eligibility allows households receiving certain other means-tested benefits (primarily Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF) to qualify for SNAP without a separate asset test. Under broad categorical eligibility, states can extend this to households that receive only a TANF-funded brochure or referral, effectively raising the income and asset limits for SNAP.

Title IV eliminates broad categorical eligibility. Under H.R. 7567:

• Only households receiving cash TANF assistance (not informational brochures or non-cash services) would qualify for categorical eligibility.
• The standard gross income test (130 percent of the federal poverty level) and the asset test ($2,750 for most households, $4,250 for households with a member aged 60 or older or with a disability) would apply to all other households.
• An estimated 3 to 4 million households currently qualifying through broad categorical eligibility would need to qualify through the standard rules or lose SNAP, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis cited in the House Agriculture Committee report.

Thirty-five states plus the District of Columbia currently use some form of broad categorical eligibility. Eliminating it would affect state agency workloads and household benefit calculations in those jurisdictions.

Thrifty Food Plan

The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is USDA's estimate of the cost of a nutritious, low-cost diet. SNAP maximum benefit levels are set equal to 100 percent of the TFP for a family of four, adjusted monthly for inflation.

In August 2021, USDA completed a reevaluation of the TFP for the first time since 2006 and raised the TFP value by approximately 21 percent above the prior inflation-adjusted level, reflecting updated dietary guidelines and food cost data. That change added an estimated $250 per household per year in benefits on average.

H.R. 7567 Section 4001 (to be confirmed against enrolled text) rolls back that 2021 update. The bill:

• Returns the TFP to the pre-August 2021 methodology, reducing maximum benefit levels accordingly.
• Bars USDA from conducting a new TFP reevaluation that results in a benefit increase above the standard inflation adjustment without explicit congressional authorization.
• Requires any future TFP reevaluation to be subject to a cost-estimate review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a 60-day congressional notification period before implementation.

CBO scored the TFP rollback as one of the largest single savings provisions in the bill, estimated at over $40 billion across the 10-year budget window. Advocates for low-income households call the rollback the most consequential reduction in SNAP purchasing power in the program's history. The full funding picture is detailed in the funding breakdown.

What it means

For current SNAP recipients, the combined effect of the TFP rollback and tightened eligibility rules would mean lower monthly benefits and, for some households, loss of eligibility entirely. The benefit reduction from the TFP change alone would average roughly $50 to $80 per household per month, based on CBO figures and program average benefit data (exact figure to be confirmed against final enrolled text).

Groups most directly affected:

• Adults ages 50 to 64 who are able-bodied but not employed full-time, who would face work requirements for the first time.
• Parents of children ages 7 to 17 in states that do not have alternative state-funded programs.
• Households in the 35-plus states currently using broad categorical eligibility, particularly those with assets above the standard test thresholds.
• All SNAP households, who would see lower maximum benefit levels if the TFP rollback takes effect.

State SNAP agencies would face significant administrative restructuring. They would need to re-verify categorical eligibility status for a large portion of their caseload, implement new work-requirement documentation systems, and potentially handle increased appeals volume.

For agricultural stakeholders, SNAP redemptions directly affect grocery retailers and, indirectly, commodity demand. A reduction in SNAP purchasing power of this scale would register in food retail sales data, though the downstream effect on farm commodity prices is indirect and diffuse. See the full bill summary for how Title IV fits within the broader legislation.

What's next

As of June 2026, H.R. 7567 is in the Senate, where the nutrition title faces significant opposition from Senate Democrats and some moderate Republicans representing states with large SNAP caseloads. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to draft its own version, and the Title IV provisions are among the most likely to be modified in Senate markup or conference.

The timeline and status page tracks current procedural milestones. A Senate floor vote timeline has not been confirmed as of this writing.

If the Senate passes a materially different version, a House-Senate conference committee would reconcile the two texts. Historical precedent (the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills both went to conference) suggests Title IV will be a central conference negotiation point.

Implementation timelines within the bill call for most SNAP changes to take effect 180 days after enactment, giving state agencies time to update systems, but anti-hunger organizations argue that window is too short for agencies to retrain staff and build new verification infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions

What does H.R. 7567 do to SNAP work requirements?

H.R. 7567 expands SNAP work requirements to able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) up to age 64, compared to the current upper limit of 49. It also lowers the dependent child exemption from children under 18 to children under 7, meaning parents of school-age children ages 7 to 17 would no longer be automatically exempt. State waiver criteria are tightened, making it harder to exempt high-unemployment areas.

What is the Thrifty Food Plan and why does it matter for SNAP benefits?

The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is USDA's estimate of the minimum cost of a nutritious diet, and SNAP maximum benefit levels are set equal to the TFP value. In 2021, USDA raised the TFP by about 21 percent, boosting average monthly SNAP benefits. H.R. 7567 would reverse that 2021 update, lowering maximum SNAP benefit levels back to the pre-2021 methodology and reducing benefits by an estimated $50 to $80 per household per month on average.

What is categorical eligibility for SNAP and what does the bill change?

Categorical eligibility lets households automatically qualify for SNAP if they receive benefits from certain other programs, most commonly TANF. Many states use "broad categorical eligibility," which allows households receiving non-cash TANF services (like a brochure) to qualify, effectively waiving the standard income and asset tests. H.R. 7567 eliminates broad categorical eligibility, requiring households to receive actual cash TANF assistance to qualify that way, and reinstating the standard asset and income tests for all others.

How much would SNAP benefits be cut under the Farm Bill 2.0?

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the nutrition title provisions of H.R. 7567 would reduce SNAP spending by over $40 billion over 10 years, driven primarily by the Thrifty Food Plan rollback and categorical eligibility changes. For individual households, the TFP rollback alone would reduce the maximum benefit by approximately 21 percent relative to current levels, translating to a rough average reduction of $50 to $80 per month (exact household-level figures are to be confirmed against the final enrolled text and CBO scoring).

Which states would be most affected by the categorical eligibility change?

The 35 states plus the District of Columbia that currently use broad categorical eligibility would be most affected, because they would need to re-evaluate large portions of their SNAP caseloads under standard income and asset tests. States with generous broad categorical eligibility policies, typically those with higher income limits for other assistance programs, would see the largest share of their current recipients needing re-determination.

Has the Senate passed Title IV of H.R. 7567?

As of June 2026, the Senate has not passed H.R. 7567 or its own version of a nutrition title. The bill passed the House and was transmitted to the Senate, where the nutrition provisions face significant opposition. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to propose modifications, but a markup timeline has not been confirmed.

Sources

• House Agriculture Committee -- H.R. 7567 committee report and section-by-section summary, 2026.
• Congressional Budget Office -- CBO cost estimate for H.R. 7567, 2026.
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service -- Thrifty Food Plan 2021 reevaluation documentation and current SNAP program data.