On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBB). The law contains several provisions that affect our programs.
On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. We are issuing this memorandum to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program state agencies with additional information on implementing Section 10103 of the OBBB, which changes the treatment of certain energy assistance payments for SNAP.
This memorandum covers questions related to provisions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Standardization of Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances rule and the implementation process. FNS plans to publish additional question and answer guidance in the following months.
The final rule, SNAP: Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances, was published in the Federal Register on Nov.18, 2024. This final rule amends SNAP regulations for calculating standard utility allowances (SUAs) and expands allowable shelter expenses to include basic internet costs. The rule also finalizes updates to the treatment of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments. This memo provides a summary of the final rule provisions.
This final rule amends SNAP regulations for calculating standard utility allowances (SUAs) and expands allowable shelter expenses to include basic internet costs. The rule also finalizes updates to the treatment of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments.
Broad-based categorical eligibility is a policy that makes most households categorically eligible for SNAP because they qualify for a non-cash TANF or state maintenance of effort funded benefit.
States annually update Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs) to reflect changes in utility costs. When determining a household’s eligibility, states consider a household’s total shelter costs, including the cost of utilities. Since actual utility costs are often hard to determine, states can use SUAs, which are standard amounts that represent low-income household utility costs in the state or local area. SUAs may be used in lieu of the household's actual costs when determining eligibility and benefit amount.
This document informs the public that the FNS is withdrawing the proposed rule titled Revision of Categorical Eligibility in SNAP that published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2019.
This report examines the impact of using Medicaid data to directly certify students for free and reduced-price school meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs in 15 states in school year 2017-18. Certification, participation and reimbursement outcomes for Cohort 1 states in their second year of implementation and Cohort 2 states in their first year of implementation are discussed.
This TEFAP program guidance memorandum provides information on current flexibilities in distribution procedures that are available for state agencies that administer TEFAP.