Making Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Enrollment Easier for Gig Workers

Despite incomplete data on the number of people who work in the smartphone app–mediated gig economy (for example, driving for Uber, delivering groceries for Instacart or takeout meals for DoorDash), it is clear that this form of labor is on the rise. Gig work is low paid, offers little to no workplace protections, and is stressful, yet it serves as an important option to earn money for people facing unemployment. Notably, a growing number of gig workers are parents of young children, for whom being able to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is critically important in maintaining food security while they engage in precarious, poorly compensated labor. However, the SNAP application process can be difficult for gig workers, who work inconsistent hours, receive sporadic paychecks, and have minimal documentation of their earnings. This article explores some of the challenges gig workers face in enrolling in SNAP, as well as present and future policy solutions to ease access to SNAP.