EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
The federal government in late June released state-by-state data on payment errors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The report could have major consequences for most states, taxpayers and SNAP beneficiaries.
That's because starting in October 2027, states with error rates above a certain threshold will be required to pay for a portion of benefits from SNAP, which helps about 1 in 9 Americans buy groceries.
That's a wrinkle in the tax and policy law President Donald Trump signed in 2025. It represents a major departure from the way SNAP has long been run, with the U.S. paying the cost of benefits and state and federal governments splitting the administrative costs.
The newly released data covers the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, 2025. The nine states with error rates under 6% for that year won't have to pay the cost of benefits during the federal fiscal year that starts in October 2027. Most the states have the current fiscal year to try to reduce their rates. A group of states with the highest error rates last year — above 13.34% — can delay their cost-share requirements until at least October 2028.
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READ AP’S STORY
Dozens of states could face new costs because of high error rates in SNAP food aid
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SEE AND INTERPRET YOUR STATE'S DATA
The Agriculture Department has posted 2025 error rates by state on its website. AP has also created an interactive map with the data. Find the embed code at the end of the guide.
The department also has details on benefits paid by state. To access that, go to this USDA site and download the .zip file under the header “National and/or State Level Monthly and/or Annual Data.” Once you've downloaded the file, you can open the data for the desired year. The newest one with full-year figures is the FY25 file. In it, states are sorted in tabs by region.
When states are required to share in the cost of SNAP benefits, as soon as late next year, it will be under a sliding scale:
— States with error rates under 6% won't have to contribute.
— States with error rates from 6% to 7.99% will have to pay 5% of benefit costs.
— States with error rates from 8% to 9.99% will have to pay 10% of benefit costs.
— States with error rates of 10% or higher will have to pay 15% of benefit costs.
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REPORTING QUESTIONS
— How much is your state likely to be required to contribute? You can use the 2025 benefit costs and the new error rate guideline to calculate an estimate. For states with error rates of under 6%, there would be no contribution. For those with error rates of 6% to just under 8%, it would be 5% of the benefit cost; for those with error rates of 8% to just under 10%, it would be 10% of the benefit costs; for those with error rates of 10% or higher, it would be 15% of benefit costs. Be sure to explain that it was calculated based on previous benefit numbers. It's also advisable to ask the department in your state government that administers SNAP if there are reasons the state's situation would vary from that calculation.
— What might your state have to change in its future budgets to accommodate a requirement that the state contribute to benefit costs? Legislative budget chairs and the governor's budget office might be willing to address the question.
— How has your state's error rate changed? And why has it changed? You can view past error rates on the USDA site here.
— What steps has your state government taken to try to reduce its error rate?
— Has your state considered dropping out of SNAP entirely?
— Participation in SNAP has been declining. State-by-state tables for the number of persons, households and benefits can be seen under “State Level Participation & Benefits” on this USDA site. What have participation rates looked like in your state? Can state officials or advocacy groups help explain any changes?
— Starting in October 2026, states are also going to have to pay a larger share of SNAP administrative costs — 75% instead of half. How might that change affect government finances?
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EMBED THIS MAP
The following digital embed shows SNAP payment error rates for each state for FY2025. This map is current as of June 24, 2026 and will not update. Source: USDA
To embed, insert this code into your CMS:
!-- start AP embed --
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!-- end AP embed --
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