Fact check: Which states use Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility or expanded income limits for SNAP in 2025?

1. How widespread is BBCE in 2025 — nearly every state has expanded rules, but counts vary

Official and aggregated tables compiled in 2025 show 44–45 states employing BBCE or similar expansions, a near-universal adoption compared with prior decades. State-level entries in the April 2025 BBCE table list states from Alabama and Arizona through California, and document widely varying asset limits and gross-income thresholds that many states set between 130% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, reflecting deliberate state discretion to broaden SNAP access ^[1]. Federal summaries produced earlier in 2025 also note a 44-state count, underscoring a small discrepancy in tabulations likely driven by timing, recent state administrative changes, or differing definitions of BBCE versus other categorical mechanisms; nevertheless the dominant picture is clear: most states had adopted some form of BBCE or expanded income limits by mid-2025 ^[2].

2. What BBCE changes mean on the ground — who gained eligibility and why it matters

BBCE allows states to confer categorical eligibility to households that qualify for certain non-cash TANF or State MOE-funded benefits, effectively enabling states to raise gross income and/or asset limits and bring more households into SNAP without changing federal benefit formulas. Analysts show this translation into tangible eligibility increases for working families, seniors, and disabled households, with many states explicitly using BBCE to extend limits to the 130–200% FPG range, and in practice making millions of households potentially eligible for SNAP and related school meal benefits ^[1]. That expansion reduces administrative barriers by allowing households to remain eligible throughout a certification period, though households still face reporting obligations for significant income or asset changes — a tradeoff that shapes program churn and program access in each state ^[4].

3. The disagreement: 44 vs. 45 states and why counts diverge

Publicly available compilations show a minor but notable count divergence — one dataset lists 45 adopting BBCE while another lists 44. This difference stems from timing of reporting, how states classify BBCE versus other categorical eligibility pathways, and whether transitional administrative actions are counted as full adoption ^{[1] [2]}. The April 2025 BBCE table that lists 45 states captures some very recent moves by states to formalize expanded asset or income thresholds, whereas the February 2025 federal summary recorded 44 states; both are authoritative snapshots, but the discrepancy highlights how quickly state SNAP rules can change and how sensitive headline counts are to definitions and cut-off dates ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Policy pressure ahead: legislation and federal guidance that could reverse expansions

Analysts warn that proposed federal legislation in 2025 seeks to alter state incentives through cost-sharing and administrative conditions, which could indirectly pressure states to roll back BBCE expansions or tighten asset/income limits. The reconciliation bill language and associated commentary described in the April–October 2025 period links potential elimination or restriction of BBCE to new state fiscal responsibilities, signaling that the present near-universal adoption of BBCE is politically contingent and could be reversed if states face new costs or loss of federal administrative flexibility ^[3]. Observers emphasise that while current tables show widespread BBCE usage, the 2025 policy cycle puts future state choices at risk, meaning the static list of adopter states may shrink if incentives change.

5. What to watch next — reporting windows, certification dates, and federal rulemaking

Operational guidance and implementation calendars matter: one summary notes that households applying or recertifying on or after July 1, 2025, would be treated under BBCE provisions for the full certification period, creating a clear administrative hinge point for who benefits from expansions ^[4]. Stakeholders should watch state-level MOE and TANF benefit rule changes, federal rulemaking or reconciliation outcomes that attach conditionality to SNAP administrative funding, and updated BBCE tables published after major legislative milestones. The most reliable short-term indicators of whether a state uses BBCE in practice will be state benefit manuals and the April–July 2025 reporting cycle entries that fed the existing 44–45 state tallies ^{[4] [1]}.