Guide to Supporting Requests to Waive the Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWD)

This guide explains the criteria, methodologies, and data typically used in support of requests to waive the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) advises state agencies to use this guide to understand, obtain, and prepare evidence that successfully supports an ABAWD time limit waiver request based on relevant sections of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, (the Act); Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); and historical SNAP policy. This guide updates and replaces FNS’s December 2016 Guide to Supporting Requests to Waive the Time Limit for ABAWDs.

Please note, this guide does not provide an exhaustive list of criteria, methodologies, or data that states could submit in support of a waiver, nor does it address other areas of ABAWD policy. For in-depth policy guidance on the ABAWD time limit and work requirements, please consult the Guide to Serving ABAWDs Subject to Time-Limited Participation and ABAWD-related policy memos available on the FNS public website at Work Requirement Policy Resources | USDA-FNS.