Have any state waivers or temporary adjustments changed 2025 SNAP income limits?
Executive summary
Yes — federal FY2025 and FY2026 cost‑of‑living adjustments raised the nationwide SNAP income eligibility standards effective Oct. 1, 2024 (FY2025) and again for Oct. 1, 2025 (FY2026); the USDA’s COLA memos and web pages list updated gross/net limits and higher asset thresholds (e.g., asset limits rising to $3,000 and $4,500) [1] [2] [3]. Separate from those annual federal adjustments, many states have used FNS waivers to change program rules (notably to restrict certain purchases and to seek or lose ABAWD time‑limit waivers), but available sources do not say states changed the federally set 2025 income limits themselves — rather, states vary in adopting BBCE and other options that affect practical eligibility [4] [5] [6].
1. Federal COLA raised the baseline income standards for 2025 and 2026
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued Cost‑of‑Living Adjustment (COLA) memoranda that update SNAP maximum allotments and income eligibility standards for each federal fiscal year. FNS’ FY2025 memo and web guidance show the income eligibility standards used for Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2025, and FNS’ FY2026 materials set new tables effective Oct. 1, 2025 — these are the federal baselines states must use when determining gross and net income tests [1] [3]. The COLA materials also raise asset limits (e.g., $3,000 standard limit; $4,500 for households with elderly/disabled members), which affect whether households face resource tests [2] [1].
2. States can’t unilaterally change federal income‑limit tables — but they can change practical thresholds
The FNS tables set the nationwide income eligibility standards (gross at 130% FPL and net at 100% FPL for FY cycles) that apply across the 48 contiguous states and D.C., while states exercise flexibility through options like Broad‑Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) to align SNAP rules with state TANF/MOE programs and effectively allow higher income/resource cutoffs for categorically eligible households [4] [7]. That means a state can, in practice, expand who qualifies without rewriting the federal COLA tables — available sources do not indicate any state action that directly rewrote the federal 2025 income tables themselves [4] [1].
3. Waivers have changed other eligibility levers — ABAWD waivers and purchase restrictions
Since 2025 the USDA has approved two major waiver strands that alter who keeps benefits or what benefits buy. First, waiver authority over the Able‑Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit was revised under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 and FNS has issued implementation guidance; states can request temporary ABAWD waivers for high‑unemployment areas but FNS has tightened criteria and encouraged states to fully enforce work requirements [8] [5]. Second, the USDA has approved state waivers that amend the statutory definition of eligible food so participating states can restrict purchases of soda, candy, and similar items via pilot waivers commencing in 2026 (dozens of approvals across states are documented) — these change what SNAP pays for but do not change federal income‑limit tables [9] [10] [11].
4. What this means for applicants and recipients in 2025
For individual households, the key immediate effect is that federal FY2025 and FY2026 COLAs raised the income thresholds and maximum allotments used nationwide; states will apply those tables in eligibility calculations [1] [3]. At the same time, whether a given household actually qualifies can depend on state choices: many states use BBCE or local policies that raise practical eligibility ceilings or eliminate resource tests; other states are implementing stricter ABAWD screening that may remove benefits for some people even if they meet income tests [4] [8]. Applicants should therefore check their state SNAP office for exact dollar cutoffs and any waiver‑driven program changes [12].
5. Competing perspectives and political context
Advocates for the waivers and the administration framing argue restricting junk‑food purchases and tightening work rules will improve public health and taxpayer stewardship; USDA and allied officials publicized waivers approving restrictions in multiple Republican and some Democratic states as part of a “Make America Healthy Again” initiative [9] [10]. Critics and some policy analysts warn tighter ABAWD enforcement and purchase restrictions risk denying food to people who meet income tests and that restricting choices addresses symptoms rather than food affordability; the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and others have cautioned states about rapid rollouts and recommended careful USDA guidance [13] [14]. Both perspectives appear in the reporting and government releases catalogued in the available sources [10] [13].
6. Limits of available reporting and what we don’t know from these sources
Available sources list the federal COLA tables and waivers approved through 2025 and early 2026, and they describe state options like BBCE and ABAWD waivers [1] [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention any state that has unilaterally rewritten the official federal income‑limit tables for 2025 — if you want to know whether your state applied BBCE or other program options that effectively raise eligibility in 2025, check your state SNAP page or the FNS State Options Report for the latest state‑level selections [6] [12].
If you’d like, I can look up your specific state’s SNAP page from the FNS State Options Report or the state human services website and summarize exactly how practical eligibility was altered in 2025 [6] [12].