On June 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) state payment error rates for FY 25. The error rate measures how accurately states calculate SNAP benefits. This includes under- and over-payments to program recipients. For FY 25, the national payment error rate is 10.62%, a decrease of .31% from FY 24, which still far exceeds the newly enacted congressional threshold of 6%. Fiscal penalties and mandatory cost-sharing for states below the 6% error rate will begin on January 1, 2027, under H.R. 1. In addition, on October 1, 2026, for the first time, states will be required to pay an additional $2.7 billion per year in administrative costs for SNAP due to the administrative cost shift made in H.R. 1.
Only 10 states and territories had an error rate below 6% in FY 25, while 43 had error rates above the 6% threshold. About half of all states and territories improved their error rates since FY 24, with the largest improvements in New Jersey (-7.47%), Kentucky (-4.41%) and North Carolina (-2.85%). States with the largest increase in error rates since FY 24 include Hawaii (+4.24), Delaware (+3.63) and Minnesota (+3.6). Please see the full SNAP Error Rate Table comparing FY 25 and FY 24 rates below.