Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

High-priority program

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Program level Payment Integrity results

Sponsoring agency: Department of Agriculture

SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets. It is the largest domestic nutrition assistance program. SNAP is a Federal program administered by States (All 50 States, D.C., Guam, and the Virgin Islands). States are responsible for determining a SNAP applicant's eligibility and issuing benefits to eligible residents following Federal requirements. Within those requirements, State agencies have flexibility to tailor the program to meet the needs of their residents through various policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects. As a result, corrective actions to address payment errors must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances/particular root cause of error

View on Federal Program Inventory

PROGRAM METRICS

Did not report

in FY 2022

PROGRAM METRICS

$75,987 M

in FY 2023 outlays, with a

88.5%

payment accuracy rate

PROGRAM METRICS

$90,062 M

in FY 2024 outlays, with a

88.3%

payment accuracy rate

PROGRAM METRICS

$93,510 M

in FY 2025 outlays, with a

89.1%

payment accuracy rate

  • Improper payment estimates over time
    View as:

    Chart toggle amounts:
    Proper payments
    Overpayment
    Underpayment
    Technically improper
    Unknown

Payment Integrity results

Unknown Payment Details

Evaluation of corrective actions

Future payment integrity outlook

Additional programmatic information

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not issue an error rate for FY 2021 due to a lack of information. Specifically, COVID-19 related flexibilities provided to the State agencies that administer SNAP, and provisions in both 2021 continuing appropriations acts (P.L. 116-159 and 116-260), suspended the quality control system SNAP uses to collect error rate data for significant portions of FY 2020 and FY 2021. Quality control activities have resumed for FY 2022 and as a Phase 2 program, SNAP will submit official improper payment rates in 2023.
Although SNAP is unable to report an improper payment estimate for the current reporting year, certain payment integrity activities continue, including the following:
There are a number of recovery-related activities to identify and recover overpayments. Recipient claims are established against households that receive more Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits than they are entitled to receive or households that have trafficked benefits (exchanged for cash). According to section 13(b) of The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, States must collect all over- issuances of SNAP benefits. SNAP regulations at 7 CFR 273.18(b) require State agencies to develop plans to establish and collect on claims. State agencies use various methods to collect claims. The two primary methods are allotment reduction and the Federal debt collection programs such as the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). Allotment reduction is when the household’s benefits are reduced each month to collect the claim. Allotment reduction is the primary collection method for households that continue to participate in SNAP.
State agencies refer delinquent claims to the TOP. This is the most effective collection method for households that no longer participate in SNAP. TOP intercepts Federal payments to individuals. The sources for these offsets vary but currently they are primarily from Federal income tax refunds and Federal salaries.
Other methods of collection include but are not limited to: lump sum and installment payments, wage garnishments, unemployment compensation benefit intercepts, and State income tax refund and lottery winnings.
In order to monitor and oversee State agency management and operations of SNAP, FNS regional office staff conduct Management Evaluations and Financial Management Reviews each year to ensure State and local agencies are complying with Federal regulations and using funds for intended purposes. Data gathered through this process provides a basis for assessing the administration of FNS programs and planning future management objectives. With this information, FNS can identify the types, frequency, and scope of problems that are occurring and target resources to correcting the problems.
FNS regional offices conduct Recipient Claims Management Evaluation Reviews (RCMERs) which examine a State agency’s or local SNAP office’s operations to determine compliance with Federal SNAP requirements governing establishment and collection of SNAP claims. The review focuses on recipient claim establishment activities, including recoupment and collection, TOP procedures, and quality control error review.
Although SNAP will not issue a payment error rate for FY 2021, because legislation related to the COVID-19 public health emergency suspended the QC system for significant portions of the year, other oversight activities such as management evaluations, technical assistance, and CAPS continue.
One example of technical assistance conducted in FY 2021 to help prevent improper payments and ensure those that do occur are promptly detected and recovered involved verification of household earned income. State agencies are required to verify a household’s gross non-exempt income prior to certification in all cases. States typically meet this requirement for earned income, a common top driver of errors year to year, by requesting that the household provide documentary evidence such as pay stubs. In addition, many States consult a third-party income database to request documentation of the household's income. In FY 2021, FNS provided grants to 16 States to evaluate best practices and effects of State SNAP agency usage of commercially available third-party income databases to verify household earned income. States participated in interviews and submitted two datasets designed to systematically measure variations in usage and impacts. FNS is still reviewing that data.

  • FY 2023 improper payment estimates

    Chart legend and breakdown

    Payment accuracy rate

    Improper payment rate

    Unknown payment rate


    Sampling & estimation methodology details

    Sampling timeframe:

    10/2021 - 09/2022


    Confidence interval:

    95% to <100%


    Margin of error:

    +/-0.49

  • Actions taken & planned to mitigate improper payments

    Mitigation strategy Description of the corrective action Completion date Status
    Training
    Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered by State agencies, who also determine the structure of SNAP amongst numerous policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects, corrective actions must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances and particular root causes of payment error. As such, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is primarily focused on providing training and equipping State agencies with the knowledge and tools needed to individually develop meaningful root cause analysis and corrective action plans, including through the issuance of policy guidance. In FY 2023, FNS conducted a root cause analysis training series that provided training to State agencies on how to conduct a root cause analysis using FNS-provided and widely available tools (such as Excel). The series featured policy staff at FNS that explored different policy responses and resources available to address root causes of payment error. Several State agencies presented throughout the series on approaches they took and the results they saw. All sessions offered a question and answer component as well, allowing State agencies to ask questions tailored to their situation. FNS also developed tools to assist with conducting root cause analysis by State agencies, created dashboards for FNS to better identify State agencies struggling with payment errors, and issued guidance to State agencies on improving verification procedures and developing corrective action plans. FNS verification guidance documents related to income verification sources and using information received from other public assistance programs. FNS also provided significant guidance and technical assistance to assist States in managing the transition from COVID-19 related administrative flexibilities back to normal processes while keeping a focus on payment accuracy.
    FY2023 Q4
    Completed
    Training
    Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered by State agencies, who also determine the structure of SNAP amongst numerous policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects, corrective actions must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances and particular root causes of payment error. As such, FNS is primarily focused on providing training and equipping State agencies with the knowledge and tools needed to individually develop meaningful root cause analysis and corrective action plans, including through the issuance of policy guidance. Additional tools planned for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 include new dashboards for State use in conducting root cause analysis and a new payment accuracy data entry and analysis system for State and Federal users. FNS has also contracted support to update the Keys to Payment Accuracy, a guidance document for State SNAP administering agencies on key strategies for improving payment accuracy.
    FY2024
    Planned

Overpayments

Overpayment root cause Overpayment amount
Amount of overpayments within the agency's control $0.0 M

Overpayments related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are outside of FNS' control because SNAP benefits are processed and administered by State agencies. FNS provides State agencies with guidance related to eligibility determinations, provides oversight and technical assistance to States, and measures and reports improper payments. State agencies make decisions about how to administer the program amongst various policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects; directly determines eligibility for SNAP; and provides benefits to recipients. Therefore, FNS must work with its State agency partners to measure, monitor, and address improper payments.
Overpayment root cause Overpayment amount
Amount of overpayments outside the agency's control $7,477.95 M
Amount of overpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
The amount of overpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
The amount of overpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $7,477.95 M

Overpayment type Eligibility element/information needed Eligibility amount
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Citizenship $36.64 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Education $48.61 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Employment $50.85 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Financial $6,469.92 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Household Size $835.29 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Identity $15.7 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Residency $20.94 M

Underpayments

Underpayment root cause Underpayment amount
Amount of underpayments $1,295.12 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $1,295.12 M

Eligibility element/information needed Eligibility amount
Citizenship $4.01 M
Education $17.35 M
Employment $14.51 M
Financial $1,115.49 M
Household Size $142.33 M
Identity $1.3 M
Residency $0.13 M

Mitigation strategies taken Mitigation strategies planned
Training Training

Technically improper payments

The amount of improper payments that were paid to the right recipient for the correct amount but were considered technically improper because of failure to follow statute or regulation $0.0 M

Additional information

$1,295.12 M

Unknown Payment Details

Evaluation of corrective actions

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will conduct training to assist State agencies in identifying the specific corrective actions needed to address the root causes of error found in their States. FNS will also utilize its payment error report and dashboard tools to provide technical support to State agencies as they implement corrective actions to ensure the root causes being addressed are properly targeted.

In addition, FNS has contracted for support to help update the Keys to Payment Accuracy, a guidance document for State SNAP administering agencies on key strategies for improving payment accuracy. As part of the development of the update, FNS is focused on solutions that incorporate caseload size and administrative characteristics to address variations in SNAP administration across all 53 SNAP State and Territorial agencies.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, FNS will provide third-party income verification services for all State SNAP agencies. Errors related to earned income regularly account for the top three causes of error nationally and within State agencies. This is expected to provide States with improved resources to accurately determine income for the SNAP benefit calculation. FNS plans to make an official announcement about the vendor(s) awarded the contract in October 2023 and then make the income verification resource available to all States shortly thereafter.

Future payment integrity outlook

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has NOT established a baseline.

Out-Year improper payment and unknown payment projections and target
Current year +1 estimated future outlays $110,812 M
Current year +1 estimated future improper payments $12,793.69 M
Current year +1 estimated future unknown payments $0 M
Current year +1 estimated future improper payment and unknown payment rate 11.55 %

The program's current year improper payment and unknown payment rate of 11.55 % may or may not be the tolerable rate. The agency has not yet determined the tolerable rate for this program.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are processed and administered by State agencies, with Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversight. State policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State, resulting in different root causes contributing to payment errors. FNS provides oversight and technical assistance to States in measuring and reporting improper payments. Because FNS does not provide benefits directly to recipients, the Program must work through its State administering agencies to measure, monitor, and address improper payments. As a result of this statutory structure, establishing a tolerable rate that would apply to each State agency has proved difficult.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are processed and administered by State agencies, with FNS oversight. State policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State. FNS provides oversight and technical assistance to States in measuring and reporting improper payments. Because FNS does not provide benefits directly to recipients, the Program must work through its State administering agencies to measure, monitor, and address improper payments and is not positioned to determine or control each State agency's internal controls, human capital, or information systems.

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has not determined a tolerable rate for the program.

Additional programmatic information

  • FY 2024 improper payment estimates

    Chart legend and breakdown

    Payment accuracy rate

    Improper payment rate

    Unknown payment rate


    Sampling & estimation methodology details

    Sampling timeframe:

    10/2022 - 09/2023


    Confidence interval:

    95% to <100%


    Margin of error:

    +/-0.48

  • Actions taken & planned to mitigate improper payments

    Mitigation strategy Description of the corrective action Completion date Status
    Automation
    The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) entered into contracts to provide State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administering agencies with access to two commercial databases of employment and earnings records. As of September 12, 2024, 27 states have onboarded to one or both vendors' services. States can use these services to verify earned income sources and amounts for SNAP households. Since income is a key factor in the SNAP benefit calculation, these efforts are expected to help improve payment accuracy.
    FY2024 Q4
    Completed
    Training
    Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered by State agencies, who also determine the structure of SNAP amongst numerous policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects, corrective actions must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances and particular root causes of payment error. As such, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is primarily focused on providing training and equipping State agencies with the knowledge and tools needed to individually develop meaningful root cause analysis and corrective action plans, including through the issuance of policy guidance. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, FNS developed tools to assist with conducting root cause analysis by State agencies, including publishing two dashboards for State Quality Control (QC) managers and staff to use to analyze causes of payment errors and trends over time and held two training sessions with both State and Federal users. FNS also introduced the new Keys to Payment Accuracy, that provides best practices to states on how to improve payment accuracy and began a series of webinars targeted to state and regional office staff to discuss how to use the Keys as they develop their payment accuracy related corrective action plans.
    FY2024 Q4
    Completed
    Training
    The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will continue to conduct training for State agencies and will provide additional tools to conduct root cause analysis and identify trends in error rate data. Additional tools include new dashboards for State use and a new payment accuracy data entry and analysis system.
    FY2025
    Planned

Overpayments

Overpayment root cause Overpayment amount
Amount of overpayments within the agency's control $0.0 M

Overpayments related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are outside of the Food and Nutrition Service's control because SNAP benefits are processed and administered by State agencies. FNS provides State agencies with guidance related to eligibility determinations, provides oversight and technical assistance to States, and measures and reports improper payments. State agencies make decisions about how to administer the program amongst various policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects; directly determines eligibility for SNAP; and provides benefits to recipients. Therefore, FNS must work with its State agency partners to measure, monitor, and address improper payments.
Overpayment root cause Overpayment amount
Amount of overpayments outside the agency's control $9,035.39 M
Amount of overpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
The amount of overpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
The amount of overpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $9,035.39 M

Overpayment type Eligibility element/information needed Eligibility amount
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Citizenship $81.32 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Education $75.9 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Employment $52.41 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Financial $8,032.46 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Household Size $717.41 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Identity $38.85 M
Overpayments Outside Agency Control Residency $37.05 M

Underpayments

Underpayment root cause Underpayment amount
Amount of underpayments $1,480.51 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $1,480.51 M

Eligibility element/information needed Eligibility amount
Citizenship $10.66 M
Education $21.17 M
Employment $10.81 M
Financial $1,236.67 M
Household Size $198.24 M
Identity $2.81 M
Residency $0.15 M

Mitigation strategies taken Mitigation strategies planned
Training Training

Technically improper payments

The amount of improper payments that were paid to the right recipient for the correct amount but were considered technically improper because of failure to follow statute or regulation $0.0 M

Additional information

$1,480.51 M

Unknown Payment Details

Evaluation of corrective actions

"The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will continue to conduct training to assist State agencies in identifying the specific corrective actions needed to address the root causes of error found in their States. FNS will also utilize its payment error report and dashboard tools to provide technical support to State agencies as they implement corrective actions to ensure the root causes being addressed are properly targeted.

In addition, FNS has updated the Keys to Payment Accuracy, a document for State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administering agencies on key strategies for improving payment accuracy. As part of the development of the update, FNS focused on solutions that incorporate caseload size and administrative characteristics to address variations in SNAP administration across all 53 SNAP State and Territorial agencies.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, FNS provided non-competitive grants for third party income verification services for all State SNAP agencies based on state population size. Errors related to earned income regularly account for the top three causes of error nationally and within State agencies. These third party income verification services provide States with improved resources to accurately determine income for the SNAP benefit calculation. FNS awarded the contract in October 2023 and then made the income verification resource available to all States shortly thereafter. "

Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered by State agencies, who also determine the structure of SNAP amongst numerous policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects, corrective actions must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances and particular root cause of payment error. As such, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is primarily focused on providing training and equipping State agencies with the knowledge and tools needed to individually develop meaningful root cause analysis and corrective action plans, including through the issuance of policy guidance. By equipping all 53 State agencies with the ability to identify root causes of error and develop corrective action plans, FNS is adequately supporting efforts in improving payment accuracy. The Keys to Payment Accuracy are a critical resource for States that has proved beneficial over the years and the updates to this document will ensure its continued usefulness. Additionally, third party income verification grants directly target certain income-based payment errors.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) conducted additional training and provided resources aimed at equipping State agencies with the knowledge needed to improve their own specific causes of payment error. This is critical since each State agency will vary in terms of causes of error and approaches/options to reduce error. At a higher level, the Keys to Payment Accuracy also provide additional, updated guidance on how State agencies can improve payment accuracy. Additionally, by providing grants for third-party income verification resources to all State agencies, FNS is addressing a common cause of payment errors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) related to accurate income determinations in the financial criteria element.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) continues to place an emphasis in assisting State agencies in conducting robust root causes of error analysis and in providing tools to assist states with this analysis. Training and guidance will be implemented with the assistance of FNS regional offices and prioritized by leadership at all levels of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) but specific implementation details will vary based on the training and guidance needed. Both the Keys to Payment Accuracy and grants for third party income verification systems will be implemented following a specific communications and implementation strategy for each.

Future payment integrity outlook

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has established a baseline.

The CY+1 improper payment targeted reduction rate is based on available state reported data for the in-progress program year. This is based on the best available data at the time. While the state provided data shows a downward trend for the improper payment rate, historically the improper payment rate based on state and federal data is greater than the rate based on state data alone. The agency therefore gives a more conservative estimate of 11 percent.

Out-Year improper payment and unknown payment projections and target
Current year +1 estimated future outlays $93,364.17 M
Current year +1 estimated future improper payments $10,901.48 M
Current year +1 estimated future unknown payments $0 M
Current year +1 estimated future improper payment and unknown payment rate 11.68 %
Current year +1 estimated future improper payment and unknown payment reduction target 11.0 %

The program's current year improper payment and unknown payment rate of 11.68 % may or may not be the tolerable rate. The agency has not yet determined the tolerable rate for this program.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Prgoram (SNAP) benefits are processed and administered by State agencies, with Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversight. State policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State, resulting in different root causes contributing to payment errors. FNS provides oversight and technical assistance to States in measuring and reporting improper payments. Because FNS does not provide benefits directly to recipients, the Program must work through its State administering agencies to measure, monitor, and address improper payments. As a result of this statutory structure, establishing a tolerable rate that would apply to each State agency has proved difficult.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are processed and administered by State agencies, with Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversight. State policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State. FNS provides oversight and technical assistance to States in measuring and reporting improper payments. Because FNS does not provide benefits directly to recipients, the Program must work through its State administering agencies to measure, monitor, and address improper payments and is not positioned to determine or control each State agency's internal controls, human capital, or information systems.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has not determined a tolerable rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Additional programmatic information

Accountability for detecting, preventing, and recovering improper payments

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, provides disincentives in the form of financial penalties to encourage States to accurately issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and maintain low improper payment rates. The liability process to establish financial penalties against State agencies is statutory. In addition, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has a regulatory process that requires States to enter into corrective actions at the State level to address payment error rates that exceed six percent, a standard established by law.

  • FY 2025 improper payment estimates

    Chart legend and breakdown

    Payment accuracy rate

    Improper payment rate

    Unknown payment rate


    Sampling & estimation methodology details

    Sampling timeframe:

    10/2023 - 09/2024


    Confidence interval:

    95% to <100%


    Margin of error:

    +/-0.0048

Causes

Improper payments related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are largely unintentional and have causes that vary by State agency. For improper payment reporting, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) generally classifies all errors as errors that are outside of FNS' control and are overpayments and underpayments that occur because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to issuing benefits. State agencies make improper payments related to SNAP mainly because they cannot or do not obtain certain information needed to determine program eligibility. This failure to access information can be caused by a variety of factors and the specific details will vary by State agency since State agency policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State, resulting in different root causes contributing to payment errors.
Improper payments are outside of FNS control because SNAP benefits are processed and administered by State agencies. FNS provides State agencies with guidance related to eligibility determinations, provides oversight and technical assistance to States, and measures and reports improper payments. State agencies make decisions about how to administer the program amongst various policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects; directly determine eligibility for SNAP; and provide benefits to recipients.

Overpayment root cause Overpayment amount
Amount of overpayments within the agency's control $0.0 M
Amount of overpayments outside the agency's control $8,662.05 M
Amount of overpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
Amount of overpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
Amount of overpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $8,662.05 M

Underpayment root cause Underpayment amount
Amount of underpayments $1,558.47 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $0.0 M
The amount of underpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment $1,558.47 M

The amount of improper payments that were paid to the right recipient for the correct amount but were considered technically improper because of failure to follow statute or regulation $0.0 M

The amount that could either be proper or improper but the agency is unable to determine whether it was proper or improper as a result of insufficient or lack of documentation $0.0 M

Prevention

Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered by State agencies, who also determine the structure of SNAP amongst numerous policy options, waivers, and demonstration projects, corrective actions must originate in and be tailored to each individual State agency's circumstances and particular root causes of payment error. As such, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is primarily focused on providing training and equipping State agencies with the knowledge and tools needed to individually develop meaningful root cause analysis and corrective action plans (CAPs), including through the issuance of policy guidance.
FNS has a regulatory process that requires States to enter into CAPs at the State level to address payment error rates that exceed six percent, a standard established by law. States are responsible for developing and implementing their own CAPs to address program deficiencies that resulted in high improper payment rates. State CAPs are based on each State's own root cause analysis. State agencies follow FNS guidance and conduct their own root cause analysis to identify the sources, magnitude, and causes of deficiencies leading to improper payments. As States conduct their root cause analysis, they are encouraged to request technical assistance from FNS' Regional offices in interpreting data and identifying root causes.
In addition, the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, provides disincentives in the form of financial penalties to encourage States to accurately issue SNAP benefits and maintain low improper payment rates.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will continue to conduct training to assist State agencies in identifying the specific corrective actions needed to address the root causes of error found in their States. FNS will also utilize its payment error report and dashboard tools to provide technical support to State agencies as they implement corrective actions to ensure the root causes being addressed are properly targeted. In addition, FNS has updated the Keys to Payment Accuracy, a document for State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administering agencies on key strategies for improving payment accuracy. As part of the development of the update, FNS focused on solutions that incorporate caseload size and administrative characteristics to address variations in SNAP administration across all 53 SNAP State and Territorial agencies. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, FNS issued grants to State agencies aimed at improving their ability to verify earned income. These third-party income verification services provide States with improved resources to accurately determine income for the SNAP benefit calculation.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) continues to place an emphasis on assisting State agencies in conducting robust root causes of error analysis and in providing tools to assist States with this analysis. Training and guidance are implemented with the assistance of FNS Regional offices and is prioritized by leadership at all levels of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but specific implementation details will vary based on the training and guidance needed. Both the Keys to Payment Accuracy and grants for third party income verification systems are being implemented following a specific communications and implementation strategy for each.

Payment type Mitigation strategies taken Mitigation strategies planned
Overpayments Training Training
Underpayments Training Training

Eligibility element/information needed Description of the eligbility element/information
Citizenship Recognized as a United States citizen through birth or naturalization, or as a lawfully present non-citizen in the United States
Education The education level or enrollment status of the recipient/beneficiary
Employment The employment status of the recipient/beneficiary
Financial The financial position or status of a beneficiary, recipient, or their family
Household Number of family members in a household
Identity Able to establish that someone is uniquely who they claim to be
Residency Status of recipient's living location or arrangement

Additional information

Reduction target

10.43 %

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are processed and administered by State agencies, with Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversight. State policy options, organizational structures, and use of technology vary from State to State. FNS provides oversight and technical assistance to States in measuring and reporting improper payments. Because FNS does not provide benefits directly to recipients, the Program must work through its State administering agencies to measure, monitor, and address improper payments and is not positioned to determine or control each State agency's internal controls, human capital, or information systems.

For the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget submission, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) requested $83,752,000, an increase of $2,144,000, for payment accuracy and cooperative services. This line item supports a wide range of activities aimed at increasing payment accuracy and promoting integrity and efficiency in State administration of the program by promoting a State exchange of ideas and information. This line item also provides funding for the Federal Quality Control (QC) system and computer systems designed to provide states with greater access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) integrity tools. These activities are a core part of the United States Department of Agriculture's program integrity investments.
For the FY 2026 budget submission, FNS requested $8,490,000, an increase of $235,000, for web-based automation of systems. This line item provides funding for information technology (IT), automation, and technology-based process improvement resources to improve SNAP recipient program integrity.
For the FY 2026 budget submission, FNS requested $44,996,000, an increase of $1,247,000, for program evaluation and monitoring. FNS conducts a variety of studies, evaluations, and related activities that respond to the needs of policy makers and managers and help ensure that nutrition programs achieve their goals. This line item supports efforts for programs funded in the SNAP account, including the Federal staff needed to oversee this vital work.

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, provides disincentives in the form of financial penalties to encourage States to accurately issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and maintain low improper payment rates. The Food and Nutrition Service also has a regulatory process that requires States to enter into corrective actions at the State level to address payment error rates that exceed six percent, a standard established by law. Additionally, at the federal level, senior executives are held responsible for program oversight and integrity via the annual strategic planning process and performance system.

$1,558.47 M