Data released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows Illinois’ payment error rate for food assistance continues to grow with federal penalties set to take effect in about a year.
The data shows Illinois made errors on 14.7% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments in federal fiscal year 2025.
That includes more than 13% of all payments being higher than they should have been.
The federal government is set to impose new penalties beginning in October 2027 on states with high error rates on SNAP payments.
Capital News Illinois says for Illinois, the penalty could cost about $700 million.
