New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says 12.58% of all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments issued by the State of Minnesota were erroneous.
SNAP, one of the most popular welfare programs in the country, is a federal food assistance program that provides low-income people with vouchers to buy food. While the program is funded with federal dollars, states are responsible for administering the program.
In the last several months, state-level SNAP error rates have become a major national topic as the Trump administration has sought to clean up the program. The SNAP error rate is the rate at which overpayments or underpayments are issued to SNAP recipients by states.
In fiscal year 2024, Minnesota’s SNAP error rate was 8.98%, meaning 8.98% of all SNAP payments issued by the State of Minnesota were erroneous. That figure is comprised of 6.32% in overpayments and 2.66% in underpayments.
During the 2026 legislative session, Republican State Reps. Pam Altendorf and Nolan West warned that Minnesota would be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars if the state was unable to lower its SNAP error rate.
Altendorf and West were referring to a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill that penalizes states if their SNAP error rate is above 6%. If a state has an error rate over 6%, then it would pay the federal government 5% of the total SNAP benefits issued to that state.
States with a SNAP error rate of more than 10% would be required to pay the federal government the equivalent of 15% of all SNAP benefits issued to the state.
Now, USDA data shows that Minnesota’s SNAP error rate in fiscal year 2025 was 12.58%, a 40% increase from the prior fiscal year. According to USDA data, that 12.58% figure is a combination of 9.86% in overpayments and 2.72% in underpayments.
U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer reacted to the new data in a press release, saying, “Tim Walz’s Minnesota has one of the highest SNAP overpayment rates in the country.”
“This is unacceptable, and if it continues, hardworking Minnesotans are going to pay the price for the Walz Administration’s total inability to manage and safeguard taxpayer dollars,” Emmer continued. “Minnesotans deserve better, and there needs to be accountability for the elected officials who continue to mismanage government funds.”
In Minnesota, the SNAP program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Alpha News contacted DCYF for this story. However, the agency did not provide a statement prior to publication.
Alpha News also contacted Gov. Tim Walz for this story but did not hear back.
Despite Minnesota being over the 6% and 10% benchmarks, states will not be required to pay the federal government for their error rate overages until October of 2027.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
