Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows Illinois’ error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) continues to climb, raising concerns about accountability and the potential cost to taxpayers.
According to USDA’s Fiscal Year 2025 data, Illinois’ SNAP payment error rate reached 14.6%, up from 11.56 percent the previous year. The error rate includes both overpayments and underpayments and measures how accurately states determine eligibility and benefit amounts.
Illinois now has one of the highest SNAP error rates in the country. Only Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia reported higher rates in FY25.
The increase comes as the federal government prepares to impose new financial consequences on states with high SNAP error rates. Under new federal rules, states with error rates above 10% are required to repay 15% of the cost of SNAP benefits. States with error rates above 13.5% have until the federal fiscal year 2029 to attempt to correct the errors.
For Illinois, that could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs if the state fails to bring its error rate under control.
Senate Republicans have continued to raise concerns about Illinois’ growing SNAP error rate, arguing that the issue is about transparency, accountability, and protecting taxpayer dollars while ensuring benefits are properly administered for those who truly need them.
SNAP provides food assistance to low-income households to help supplement their grocery budgets.
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