150K IL residents could lose SNAP benefits May 1. Here’s why and what they can do
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office estimates as many as 150,000 Illinoisans could lose their food and nutrition benefits beginning May 1 due to new federal eligibility requirements.
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded who is considered an able-bodied adult without dependents, and as such must to meet work requirements to be eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly called food stamps. The new work requirement and subsequent loss in eligibility will affect SNAP recipients across the nation.
Those at risk of losing SNAP beginning next month include those who haven’t worked, participated in a training program or volunteered a minimum of 80 hours per month, beginning Feb. 1; are between 18 and 64 years old; do not have children younger than 14; are able-bodied (physically and mentally able to work); and are not eligible for an exemption. Previously, work requirements only applied to those aged 19 to 54 without dependents.
“For 60 years, Americans across the country have relied on federal food assistance to prevent them from going hungry. Now, as the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities are all rising, Donald Trump is ripping away food assistance from Illinoisans,” Gov. Pritzker said, in part, in the release.
The new, stricter eligibility requirements come just a few months after SNAP recipients’ benefits were in limbo nationwide due to a U.S. government shutdown.
State officials encourage people who receive SNAP benefits to use an online screening tool to check their eligibility status under the new requirements. As of March 2026, there were 1.68 million individuals receiving SNAP benefits in Illinois, according to the state’s department of human services.
Able-bodied adults without dependents younger than 14 can only receive SNAP benefits for up to three months within a three-year period if they don’t meet work requirements, and since the provision went into effect in February, May 1 is when some will be at risk of losing benefits. Some exemptions are available.
The estimated 150,000 Illinois SNAP recipients at risk of losing benefits have not yet submitted documentation of work, training, volunteering or an exemption from the requirement.
“SNAP is an extremely important lifeline for people across Illinois and provides them with nutritious meals when they need it most,” Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Dulce Quintero said in the news release. “The federal government continues to find new ways to implement cruel policies that take vital benefits away from Illinoisans. At IDHS, we continue to expand resources for our SNAP customers to meet new federal work requirements and give people more opportunities to keep their benefits.”
You can earn job training hours for SNAP online through a free job readiness program called JobReadyIL.com. The website notes the program is approved by IDHS as one qualifying for the SNAP work requirement, but participation alone does not guarantee eligibility.
Illinois residents looking to meet SNAP requirements through volunteer work can utilize online resources from the state to identify volunteer opportunities.
For those in the metro-east in need of food assistance, help is available at more than a dozen food pantries across St. Clair and Madison counties. Local resources are also available for those who need assistance with keeping their pets.
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