Dozens of states could face new costs because of high error rates in SNAP food aid
Source: AP
Updated 11:22 PM EDT, June 24, 2026
Several dozen states could have to fork over millions of dollars to provide food aid to lower-income residents, if they don’t cut down on payment errors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Nine states, meanwhile, won’t have to pay a penny toward SNAP benefits, because their error rates are so low that they won an exemption from a cost-sharing requirement included in a big tax-and-spending law signed by President Donald Trump.
Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a first look at the winners — and potential losers — under the new law.
The error rate refers to the percentage of SNAP benefits paid either above or below what people should have received, primarily because of mistakes. While low-error states are guaranteed to owe nothing when the annual cost-sharing requirement begins in October 2027, others will have another year to try to reduce their errors and decrease the hit to their budgets.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/snap-food-aid-error-rates-4fa06549e3ec2bd1a1c665b1985cefea
Link to USDA PRESS RELEASE - USDA Announces FY 2025 State Payment Error Rates in SNAP
Link to USDA REPORT. (PDF) - https://www.fna.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-qcfy25-per.pdf