Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act

Senate Bill

S. 302

119th Congress

Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 29, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Joni Ernst

Senator

Republican

IA

Cosponsors

2

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Summary

The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act requires states to recoup SNAP benefit overpayments and adjusts the state liability formula for payment errors. It eliminates the tolerance level for small payment errors (from about 56 dollars to zero) and increases the liability rate multiplier from 10% to 25%, incentivizing states to reduce overpayments and recover excess benefits.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act requires states to recoup SNAP benefit overpayments and adjusts the state liability formula for payment errors. It eliminates the tolerance level for small payment errors (from about 56 dollars to zero) and increases the liability rate multiplier from 10% to 25%, incentivizing states to reduce overpayments and recover excess benefits.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments ActThis bill requires states to recoup any overpayments of benefits made to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients and adjusts the formula for determining a state's liability rate for overpayments.As background, the SNAP quality control system measures how accurately SNAP state agencies determine a household’s eligibility and benefit amount and determines overpayments of benefits and underpayments. States that have comparatively high payment error rates for two consecutive years are assessed a penalty (i.e., liability amount). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) must use a statutory formula to determine the liability amount.Under current law, FNS must set a tolerance level for excluding small payment errors in the calculation of payment error rates (e.g., $56 or less in FY2024). This bill reduces the tolerance level for excluding small errors to $0 for FY2025 and each succeeding fiscal year.The bill also requires state agencies to recoup any overpayments of benefits made to SNAP beneficiaries.The bill adjusts the liability rate formula to reduce the state payment error rate based on the percentage of overpayments recouped by the state. Further, the bill increases the multiplier used in the liability rate formula to 25% (from 10%).

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires states to recoup SNAP overpayments
Eliminates tolerance for small payment errors
Increases state liability multiplier to 25%
Reduces overpayment threshold to zero
Adjusts state liability for recouped amounts
Tightens SNAP quality control standards

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill significantly tightens SNAP payment accuracy requirements. By eliminating small error tolerances and increasing state penalties, it creates stronger incentives to prevent overpayments. States would be required to pursue recovery of all overpayments from recipients. Critics may argue this could burden low-income families and increase administrative costs while reducing the small error margin that accounts for inevitable processing variations.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

302, 119th Congress (2025). "Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-302