SNAP Error Rates – and What It Means for Kansas’ Budget
Jessica Herrera Russell | July 29, 2026
Ever since the creation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal government has provided states with funding to cover the full cost of benefits that go to enrollees. But starting in late 2027, Kansas is likely to have to start paying part of that bill due to H.R. 1, which was passed by Congress in July 2025.
For Kansas, this shift could mean tens of millions of dollars in new costs starting in FY 2028, all tied to the state’s “payment error rate.” If Kansas’ rates don’t change, the state will have to pay upwards of $40 million just to keep the program running so struggling families can put food on the table when times get tough.
New Federal Rules
Starting October 1, 2027, states will be required to pay a portion of its SNAP benefit dollars – a cost that has never been required of states in SNAP’s history. The cost shifted to states will be calculated based on each state’s “payment error rate,” or how often SNAP recipients receive the correct amount of SNAP benefits, based on a random sampling.
The Kansas payment error rate was at 9.44% in FY 2025, which would put Kansas on the hook for 10% of costs. In FY 2025, only 10 states had payment error rates below 6%.
How Are Payment Error Rates Determined?
Payment error rates are representative of the number of recipients whose benefits are calculated incorrectly, based on a select sample. These rates include “overpayments,” when a recipient receives more than they should have, and “underpayments,” when a recipient receives less than they should have.
To find the payment error rate for Kansas, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) reviews a random sample of around 90 cases each month, and a staff person reviews the applicant’s information for accuracy. Further interviews may be conducted if more information is needed, and, if errors are found in this process, DCF corrects the applicant’s benefit amount going forward.
Cases are deemed an “error” and included in the payment error rate if a monthly overpayment or underpayment discrepancy is more than $57 (2025 threshold).
How Do Payment Errors Happen?
Over or underpayments often happen due to human error, such as issues processing applications by DCF staff, applicant language barriers, and applicants transposing numbers when completing paperwork.
In a recent review of the SNAP payment error rate, the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit cites the root causes of the cases driving Kansas’ error rate as “the complexity of the SNAP program rules, DCF staff turnover, and inconsistent verification efforts.”
With the Legislature changing SNAP rules as recently as the 2026 session, DCF will need to continue putting considerable effort toward training and retaining eligibility staff workers who can use their expertise to process applications efficiently and accurately.
Budget Impact
With Kansas potentially unable to decrease its error rate enough within the coming year to under 6%, the state will be on the hook for millions of dollars in benefit costs. When the 2027 Legislature convenes next January, lawmakers will be required to pay approximately $40 million to ensure the SNAP program can continue operating.
And, for the first year of implementation of this new cost share under H.R. 1, most states (including Kansas) will use its Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 (ending September 30, 2025) or FFY 2026 (ending September 30, 2026) rate, whichever is lower.
But while the federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 every year, the federal government doesn’t release states’ final error rates until the following June. With the Kansas legislative session typically wrapping up by April, lawmakers will not yet know our final payment error rate and will have to make budgetary decisions without complete information.
SNAP’s Future in Kansas
There’s still time for Congress to delay this expensive cost shift so states have more time to build it into their budgets. But if Congress fails to do so, lawmakers will be forced to make some tough choices on what to prioritize in the FY 2028 spending plan.
If lawmakers are unable (or unwilling) to foot the bill, the state’s SNAP program could be in jeopardy — putting around 163,000 Kansans at risk of going hungry.
With the 2027 Kansas Legislature planning the next state budget, the coming legislative session will be the first real test of how Kansas plans to absorb this new cost. What lawmakers decide will shape whether SNAP remains a source of relief for thousands of struggling kids, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities.
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