The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps millions of families afford the groceries they need each month. Nearly 40% of SNAP participants are children, making the program one of our nation’s most important investments in child nutrition. For many families in Tennessee, SNAP helps ensure kids have enough nutritious food to grow and learn. But recent federal cuts and structural changes to SNAP could make it harder for families to access the food assistance they need.
Last year, Congress shifted billions of dollars in new SNAP costs onto states, including a portion of benefit costs for the first time in the program’s history. In the coming years, states will now be required to pay an increased share of administrative costs and a share of SNAP benefit costs based on their payment error rate. For many states, these new costs could place significant strain on state budgets, potentially affecting programs that help families put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and meet other basic needs.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released Fiscal Year 2025 SNAP payment error rate data. While these numbers may sound technical, they could have real consequences for children and families across Tennessee.
What Is the SNAP Payment Error Rate?
To start, the SNAP payment error rate is not a measure of fraud.
Instead, it measures whether participating households received the correct amount of SNAP benefits. Payment errors include both overpayments and underpayments, and they are most often the result of administrative challenges, such as paperwork errors or the complexity of calculating benefit amounts, or misunderstandings of the complicated rules.
What Does This Mean for Tennessee?
For most states, the cost-share requirement takes effect on October 1, 2027, though states with the highest error rates (above 13.3%) qualify for a delay, and those with the lowest (below 6%) are not subject to the cost-share requirement. As many as 36 states may be subject to the cost share in FY 2028, and states are facing a minimum additional cost of $10 million and an average of more than $250 million dollars.
According to the recently published data for the 2025 fiscal year, Tennessee‘s SNAP payment error rate is 9.44%. For the 2028 fiscal year, Tennessee could be responsible for paying 10% of SNAP benefit costs under current law.
This data make it clear that these changes will affect most states, placing significant financial pressure on state budgets. If Tennessee reduces investments in SNAP as a result, eligible families may face additional barriers to accessing benefits.
For school nutrition professionals and community organizations, the impact of these changes reaches beyond SNAP. Many families use SNAP alongside school meals and other nutrition programs to help stretch their grocery budget throughout the year. Together, these programs help ensure children have consistent access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow, and succeed both during the school year and over the summer months. When families lose access to SNAP, the effects ripple throughout the community, increasing demand on food banks, schools, and other local organizations that help meet families’ needs.
Losing access to SNAP can also create additional administrative hurdles for families seeking other federal assistance, as SNAP helps streamline enrollment in other nutrition programs. Notably, the impact of SNAP participation extends beyond the household. SNAP participation rates help determine whether schools can offer no-cost meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and whether organizations can provide afterschool or summer meals at a given location.
Why This Matters Now
Across the country, more than 4 million people have lost SNAP benefits over the past year, including more than 800,000 children in just 13 states based on early analysis of participation trends. As of March 2026, SNAP participation in Tennessee has decreased by 14.35% since July 2025.
As Tennessee prepares for potential new SNAP costs, it’s important that efforts to improve program administration do not reduce access to nutrition assistance for eligible families.
Children need strong nutrition programs—in school, during the summer, and at home. We know that SNAP reaches families most vulnerable to hunger. Nearly 4 out of 5 households on SNAP have either a child under the age of 18, a senior 60 years or older, or a person with a disability.
Take Action
Congress is forcing millions, if not billions, of dollars of new costs onto states that they simply cannot absorb. Without action, these new costs could lead to further cuts to food assistance and other essential services for families while also putting pressure on other state services. With most states preparing for the benefit cost share in their upcoming state budget cycle, Congress must act quickly, whether in the Farm Bill currently under negotiation or other farm relief or supplemental budget requests.
If you believe every child deserves access to nutritious food, make your voice heard. Contact members of Congress today and urge them to support policies that keep food within reach for children and families in Tennessee.
