NCSL Statement in Response to FY 2025 SNAP Payment Error Rates

Washington, D.C. - Yesterday's SNAP Payment Error Rate (PER) results highlight state progress in improving payment accuracy and the ongoing challenges of administering a complex federal-state program. The national rate declined from 10.93% in fiscal year 2024 to 10.62% in FY 2025-with some states seeing larger decreases-suggesting that investments in program integrity are having an impact, while also underscoring that lasting change takes time.

States are pursuing system upgrades, policy updates, staff training and other quality control measures. However, the FY 2025 rates largely reflect operations that occurred before many H.R. 1 provisions were implemented and do not fully capture the significant policy, systems and administrative changes now underway.

The stakes for states-including Washington, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands-are substantial. Under H.R. 1, states with payment error rates above 6% may be required to pay a share of benefit costs for the first time in the program's history beginning in FY 2028. Based on FY 2025 results, 10 states below 6% will be exempt from first-year cost sharing, while seven above 13.33% would be eligible for the delayed implementation timeline provided in H.R. 1. The remaining 36 jurisdictions may collectively face billions of dollars in new costs.

States remain fully committed to administering SNAP accurately and being held accountable for performance. However, the FY 2025 results make clear that additional time is needed to implement meaningful and sustainable improvements.