H.R. 1 Changes Coming to CalFresh

As you may know, the Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1) passed in July 2025 and will include severe changes to CalFresh eligibility.

Watch our H.R. 1 YouTube Training!
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If you’d like a full breakdown of these changes, download our toolkit here!
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Immigrant Eligibility Changes

Only the following immigrants will be eligible for CalFresh benefits starting
April 1st, 2026:

  • Citizens

  • Legal Permanent Residents (of at least 5 years)

  • Green Card Holders

  • People granted Cuban or Haitian Status

  • Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau who live in the US (COFA—Compact of Free Association Agreement)

For those currently on CalFresh:

Immigrants who are currently eligible can contribute to receive benefits after April—until their recertification (renewal) is due.

  • Note—recertifications are typically 12 months after you initially applied or 6 months after your SAR7 renewal.

    • The exact date can be checked on BenefitsCal or by calling the County Access Line: 1-866-262-9881

  • CDSS does NOT expect families to report mid-period that they have lost eligibility due to immigration status.

For those who are new CalFresh Applicants:

All new applications after April 1st will immediately be subject to new immigrant eligibility rules.

ABAWD Work Requirement Changes

The following new ABAWD rules will be enforced starting
June 1st, 2026:

  • The new definition of an ABAWD will be expanded to include the ages between 18 to 64, meaning more people will need to meet work requirements

    • Previously, the definition only affected individuals aged 18-54

  • The rule is also expanding to include families with children who are aged 14 years or older, meaning more families will also need to meet work requirements

  • Work requirement exemptions are immediately eliminated for

    • People experiencing homelessness

    • Individuals under age 24 who aged out of foster care at 18

    • Veterans struggling with employment

  • Are between the ages of 18 and 64 (previously only affected individuals aged 18-54)

  • Do not have a dependent child under 14 years old

  • Are considered physically and mentally able to work at least 20 hours per week

These rules will apply to you if you:

For those currently on CalFresh:

Current CalFresh households will be subject to the new work requirement rules after their next recertification (after June 1st).

  • The 1st countable month of the time limit is the 1st month of the new recertification period

  • The exact date can be checked on BenefitsCal or by calling the County Access Line: 1-866-262-9881

For those who are new CalFresh Applicants:

All new applicants will be subject to work requirements—meaning they must show that they work, volunteer, or meet an exemption in order for their application to be approved.

For a list of Exemptions, visit the link below:

Click Here!

Additional H.R. 1 Changes

  • Currently, applying for CalFresh does not impact immigration status and will not affect someone’s ability to update their immigration status or become a naturalized citizen.

    However, the current administration has proposed possible changes. For now, nothing has officially changed but we will revise edits as the changes occur.

  • The Federal Government has been making attempts to access the personal information of people who receive CalFresh. Many states have sued the federal government to stop this, and as a result, California has secured a temporary court order ensuring that states do not have to share information about people who receive CalFresh.

    California has not shared any information to date— however it is unclear what steps the federal government will take next.

  • Starting October 2026, only 25% of CalFresh Administrative funding will be federally funded. In California, this means an increase in administrative costs, as 52.5% of funding will be provided by the state and 22.5% will be provided by individual counties.

    This will place a heavy burden on the state budget and may lead to re-allocation of budget from other important resources. It will also impact CalFresh outreach funding.

    Citizens can expect increased wait times at county call centers, and reduced support in navigating benefits, BenefitsCal, or CalSAWS.

  • The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) outlines the cost of a nutritious, minimal-cost diet that can be prepared at home. It serves as the basis for determining the maximum SNAP benefit allotments based on household size.

    Due to H.R. 1, all future reevaluations of TFP have to be “cost neutral,” which prevents any increases to the value of the TFP based on factors beyond food price inflation.

  • As of October 2025, the CalFresh Healthy Living program (SNAP-Ed) has lost all of its federal funding.

    This program supported educational opportunities relating to nutrition and obesity prevention.