Up to 80,000 more Marylanders on food stamps will have to show they are working, volunteering or in a training program to keep their benefits, according to the Maryland Department of Human Services. The state counts them as additional recipients pulled in by a wider federal work rule.
The department explains the change on its page about important changes to SNAP benefits, last updated October 16, 2026. It says the work requirements went into effect on November 1, 2025, and that current customers meet them at their next recertification. The 80,000 figure is the state’s own estimate.
Who counts as an adult who must report hours
Before H.R. 1, the 2025 federal law that rewrote parts of SNAP, the work rules covered adults 18 to 54 who did not have a child under 18 in the house. Maryland DHS says they now cover adults 18 to 64 who do not have a child under 14 in the house…