What is the SNAP improper payment rate in the latest USDA report (year)?

Executive Summary — Latest SNAP improper-payment number and the reporting dispute in plain terms

The most recent and consistent figures from USDA Quality Control materials show a national SNAP improper payment (payment error) rate of 10.93% for Fiscal Year 2024, reported in a June 30, 2025 USDA release and repeated across related summaries ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Older USDA reporting for Fiscal Year 2023 put the rate at about 11.67–11.68%, as shown in the FY2023 report and analyses published in mid‑2024 ^{[4] [5]}. The apparent discrepancy arises because some sources cite the latest FY2024 rate (10.93%) while others continue to reference FY2023 (≈11.7%), so the correct answer depends on which fiscal year the question intends to reference ^{[1] [4]}.

1. Why the 2024 number matters: USDA’s latest snapshot signals change

USDA’s June 30, 2025 Quality Control release lists Fiscal Year 2024 SNAP improper payments at 10.93%, with overpayments accounting for 9.26% and underpayments 1.67%, indicating a reduction from the FY2023 total error rate near 11.7% ^{[1] [2]}. This FY2024 figure is a weighted national average derived from state-level QC samples and is the USDA’s official snapshot for that fiscal year; it also triggered administrative consequences for states—44 states required corrective action and five faced financial sanctions—underscoring that the number carries program management and fiscal implications, not just statistical interest ^[3]. The FY2024 number therefore matters because it is the most current USDA‑reported measurement and shapes oversight and compliance responses ^[1].

2. The alternative view: FY2023’s higher rate and why it still circulates

Fiscal Year 2023’s aggregated SNAP payment error rate—reported at about 11.67–11.68%—remains widespread in analyses and media citing 2023 outlays and error estimates ^{[4] [5]}. That FY2023 figure was presented in USDA documents dated June 28, 2024 and was used in oversight reports and audits that translated the percentage into dollar estimates (roughly $10.5 billion of about $90.1 billion in outlays, per one analysis) ^[6]. The persistence of the FY2023 number in secondary sources reflects reporting and publication lags: many summaries and oversight documents prepared after FY2023 but before the FY2024 QC release continued to treat FY2023 as the “latest” available dataset ^[4].

3. Reconciling the two figures: timeline and methodology explain the gap

The apparent conflict between 10.93% (FY2024) and ≈11.7% (FY2023) is resolved by looking at publication dates and USDA’s annual QC cycle: the FY2023 rate was published in mid‑2024 and remained the most recent until the USDA published the FY2024 QC results on June 30, 2025 ^{[4] [1]}. Both rates use the SNAP Quality Control methodology—state sample results weighted to produce a national payment error rate—but year‑to‑year shifts can reflect changes in caseload composition, administrative flexibility, pandemic-era policy carryovers, and state operations. Observers noting long‑term trends point out the rate’s increase since FY2013 lows, and the FY2024 release explicitly connected higher modern rates to program administration choices and pandemic-era flexibilities ^{[7] [1]}.

4. What different stakeholders emphasize when citing these numbers

Federal officials and program managers highlight the FY2024 10.93% as the current benchmark for corrective action and sanction decisions, stressing the state‑level consequences tied to that metric ^{[1] [3]}. Researchers and watchdogs citing FY2023’s ~11.7% emphasize fiscal magnitude and historical comparisons—translating percentages to dollar estimates to argue for stronger controls or systemic reform ^{[6] [5]}. Advocacy groups and state agencies sometimes reference state‑specific rates—such as Oregon’s 2024 rate—when arguing about fairness of cost‑share thresholds and the impact of federal flexibility on error rates ^{[8] [3]}. Each actor selects the fiscal year and framing that best supports their oversight, budgetary, or advocacy agenda.

5. Bottom line and how to cite the number correctly today

If the question asks for the latest USDA report as of the USDA’s June 30, 2025 release, the correct answer is 10.93% for Fiscal Year 2024, with breakdowns of 9.26% overpayments and 1.67% underpayments ^{[1] [2]}. If the question instead refers to the most‑recent pre‑2025 published year, the answer would be the FY2023 rate of about 11.67–11.68%, often quoted with dollar estimates in post‑2024 analyses ^{[4] [6]}. Users should cite the fiscal year explicitly when reporting the SNAP improper payment rate to avoid confusion between these two adjacent annual measurements ^{[1] [4]}.