Strengthening SNAP payment accuracy for America’s largest nutrition safety net
We partner with state human services agencies so SNAP stays accurate reliable, and sustainable for the 42 million Americans who depend on it.
The scale of the safety net
Americans rely on SNAP to keep food on the table
USDA FNS
of benefit dollars are issued improperly each year
USDA FNS FY 2024 QC Report
projected state liability by FY 2028
H.R. 1 provisions
Based on USDA FNS FY 2024 rates, projected since Jan 1, 2026
At the current error rate, states collectively accumulate ~$365 in new liability every second.
Strengthening payment accuracy protects billions in taxpayer investment, and keeps SNAP reliable for the 42 million people who depend on it.
Why payment accuracy matters
SNAP is America’s largest nutrition safety net. It reaches 42 million people across every state, county, and zip code, and for millions of households it’s the reason food gets on the table from month to month. The program’s future depends on how accurately states can deliver it.
Today, roughly one in nine benefit dollars is issued improperly: overpayments that trigger clawbacks, underpayments that leave eligible families short, and processing mistakes that ripple through state systems. Strengthening payment accuracy is a bipartisan challenge. Improper payments are a $10B+ annual problem, driven by complicated rules, legacy tools, and overwhelming caseloads, not by fraud.
The people this affects aren’t abstractions. They’re parents feeding kids between paychecks. Eligibility workers managing hundreds of cases at once. State agencies working to balance accuracy, speed, and fairness at enormous scale.
Where we are today
Savor Snap is conducting applied research on the operational and policy drivers of SNAP payment errors, through direct work with administrators, supervisors, and eligibility staff across the country (30+ officials across 8 states and USDA FNS so far). We’re researching the root causes of payment errors and advising on the interventions most likely to reduce them. A cross-state findings report synthesizing this work is forthcoming in mid-2026. Where our research points to clear, under-addressed opportunities to improve payment accuracy, we design software, including purpose-built AI tools, built around the people who actually administer the program.
SNAP error rates by state
SNAP improper payment rates vary widely across state human services agencies that administer SNAP, from under 4% in the strongest states to over 24% in others. Strengthening payment accuracy is a shared, bipartisan priority for the program’s long-term sustainability.
Data based on USDA FNS FY 2024 Quality Control reports. Cost-share estimates based on H.R. 1 tiered provisions.
How Savor Snap partners with states
Savor Snap partners with state human services agencies to strengthen SNAP payment accuracy for the 42 million Americans who rely on the program. Our work rests on two pillars. First, applied research: we research the root causes of improper payments (the operational and policy drivers) through direct work with administrators, supervisors, and eligibility staff, and advise on the interventions most likely to reduce them. Second, human-centered design: where research surfaces a clear, under-addressed opportunity, we design software, including purpose-built AI tools, built around the people who administer the program every day.
We bring deep domain expertise in food assistance policy together with applied research methods and human-centered engineering, meeting states where they are rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all platform.