What Is Georgia’s SNAP Error Rate? And What Can Policymakers Do About It?

If you’ve been following recent news in Georgia about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—better known as SNAP or food stamps—you might have heard an alarming number: 

Georgia’s SNAP payment error rate was 15.21% in 2025.

That’s one of the highest rates in the country. And under new federal rules, it could cost Georgia hundreds of millions of dollars.

So what does the error rate mean for taxpayers, families, and the people who administer SNAP?

And what are Georgia lawmakers doing to reduce it?

What Does the SNAP Error Rate Measure?

A SNAP payment error happens when a household receives more or less in benefits than it should have. In 2025, 13.62% of Georgia’s SNAP payments were overpayments, and 1.59% were underpayments. Added together, these two percentages total the state’s error rate.

In April of 2025, about 1.88 million Georgians relied on SNAP assistance to feed their families. That means that over 255,000 payments were too high, while about 30,000 were too low.

It’s important to note that making an error isn’t the same thing as committing fraud. Fraud is intentional. SNAP payment errors are usually unintentional and can happen when a household’s information changes, an eligibility worker makes a mistake, or the system that administers the program calculates benefits incorrectly.

Why Is the Error Rate Getting Attention Now?

The federal government has historically paid the full cost of SNAP benefits.

But with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, most states with SNAP error rates of 6% or higher will have to pay a share of their residents’ benefits starting in October of 2027. The higher the error rate, the higher the state’s share will be:

• Error rate below 6%: state will pay 0% of SNAP benefits
• Error rate from 6% to 8%: state will pay 5% of SNAP benefits
• Error rate from 8% to 10%: state will pay 10% of SNAP benefits
• Error rate of 10% or higher: state will pay 15% of SNAP benefits

At Georgia’s current SNAP payment error rate of 15.21%, the state could soon face a cost of about $500 million a year to make sure everyone receives their payments. 

This creates a big potential burden for taxpayers because Georgia could have to raise taxes or cut public services to increase revenues enough to pay the state’s share of SNAP benefits. 

For families who use SNAP payments to help put food on the table, the discovery of an incorrect benefit amount—either too high or too low—could create uncertainty as they work to manage a tight budget. They might be especially worried about having to pay something back if they’ve been receiving overpayments. 

The high error rate also has SNAP recipients wondering whether they’ll face changes to eligibility requirements or even reduced access to the program if the state isn’t able to cover all the new costs.

But the federal government has granted Georgia and other states with error rates over 13.34% permission to delay the start of their SNAP cost-sharing until October of 2028. 

That extra year creates a window of opportunity for Georgia’s leaders to address the issue, but they still need to act quickly.

What Can Georgia Do to Reduce Its Error Rate?

Lawmakers are already making key changes that should lower Georgia’s SNAP error rate: 

• They increased funding for SNAP in the new state budget that took effect in July of 2026, including $6.9 million specifically dedicated to reducing the error rate. 
• They’re expanding administrative staff training on the complicated SNAP eligibility rules and empowering case workers to conduct more thorough case reviews. 
• They’ve submitted waiver requests to the federal government to allow the state to automate more of the eligibility process.

Moving forward, state leaders are also planning to improve Georgia Gateway, the online system Georgians use to apply for and manage SNAP and other public benefits. Better technology should make it easier for families to submit information correctly and for eligibility workers to process cases accurately.

And as lawmakers implement these SNAP system improvements, they could also explore reforms to better integrate welfare (safety net) and workforce programs. That would make it easier for someone receiving public assistance to gain skills, find a job, and become self-sufficient—so they can thrive without welfare benefits.

What’s the True Measure of a Successful Welfare Program?

Safety net programs like SNAP are vital to the well-being of people and communities across Georgia. They support individuals and families when they face challenges like disabilities or temporary hardships. 

So it’s crucial that these programs operate correctly, but it’s also essential to make sure they achieve their ultimate goal. 

After all, the true measure of a program’s success isn’t just a low error rate—it’s the ability of that program to help break cycles of poverty and make it easier, not harder, for Georgians and their families to flourish.

Additional Resources

What States Can Expect with the New SNAP Match: Options to Reduce State Error Rates

Alliance for Opportunity

Georgia Among States Possibly Facing Costs Because High SNAP Payment Error Rates

CBS News

Georgia Economic Justice Primer for State Fiscal Year 2027

Georgia Budget & Policy Institute

Georgia’s SNAP Payment Errors Could Cost the State Millions of Dollars—but Not Quite Yet

Georgia Recorder

Ensuring Eligible SNAP Households Get the Right Benefits

U.S. Food and Nutrition Administration

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Number of Persons Participating

U.S. Food and Nutrition Administration

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Payment Error Rates (Fiscal Year 2025)

U.S. Food and Nutrition Administration