Recertification and reporting changes
SNAP is not approved forever. Your household is certified for a set period — typically 6 or 12 months (longer, up to 24 or 36 months, for households with only elderly or disabled members and stable income) — and must reapply, or "recertify," before that period ends to keep benefits flowing. Between recertifications, you must report certain changes. Missing a recertification deadline or a required report is the most common reason benefits stop, and it is almost always avoidable.
- Certification periods are usually 6 or 12 months; households with elderly or disabled members and stable income can get up to 24–36 months.
- Most households file an interim (mid-period) report — often at 6 months — confirming income and household composition.
- Report promptly: a new job, a pay rise, someone moving in or out, or a change of address. Your state notice lists exactly which changes you must report and by when.
- If benefits are cut or stopped and you disagree, request a fair hearing — usually within 90 days — and ask about aid pending to keep benefits during the appeal.
Recertification
Your state sends a recertification notice before your period ends, with a deadline and (usually) an interview requirement. Treat it like a new application: update income, household members, rent, utilities, and deductions, and provide verification the agency asks for. If you recertify on time and are still eligible, benefits continue without a gap. If you miss the deadline, benefits stop and you must reapply — and the new application is generally not backdated to the missed deadline, so a gap month is lost. Put the recertification date on your calendar the day you are approved.
Changes you must report
Between recertifications, report changes that affect eligibility or benefit size: starting or losing a job, a significant change in hours or pay, a household member moving in or out, a change of address, or a change in shelter costs. Some states use "simplified reporting": you only report if your gross income rises above 130% of poverty (or your state's limit), plus changes in household composition and address, with a mid-period report covering the rest. Your approval notice states which system your state uses and what you must report — read it, because failing to report can lead to an overpayment you must repay.
Overpayments and fair hearings
If you receive more than you were entitled to — because of an agency error or an unreported change — the state can recover the overpayment, usually by reducing future benefits (for example, by 10% or 20% of the allotment, depending on the cause). You can dispute the overpayment amount or its cause at a fair hearing, and you can ask for a compromise or waiver in hardship cases. If you disagree with any agency decision — denial, reduction, termination, or overpayment — request a fair hearing promptly: the notice gives the deadline (usually 90 days) and the phone number or address. Legal aid handles these hearings free in most areas.
Sources to check: 7 CFR 273.10(f), 273.12, 273.15 (fair hearings), 273.18 (overpayments); USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP; CRS, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits.