Tennessee Faces $220M SNAP Cost Shift Under Federal Law
New federal cost-sharing rules under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could force Tennessee to cover an estimated $220 million in additional SNAP costs next year, according to state budget data and the Sycamore Institute. The law raises states' share of SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 75%, adding $58 million to Tennessee's Department of Human Services budget in fiscal year 2026, and requires states with payment error rates above 6% to begin covering a share of SNAP benefit costs starting October 2027. Tennessee's 2025 error rate was 9.44%, which would trigger a 10% benefit cost share worth an estimated $162-171 million if it doesn't improve. States can choose 2025 or 2026 error-rate data to calculate contributions, but 2026 figures won't be released until June 2027, leaving Tennessee's exact liability uncertain. The changes took effect Thursday and arrive alongside tightened SNAP work requirements that have already removed over 100,000 Tennesseans from the program.
State budget officials and human services agencies must plan for a potentially nine-figure unfunded cost shift while facing years of uncertainty over exact liability tied to error-rate performance.
Finance
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