By Hola Iowa
Iowa had nearly 24,000 fewer people enrolled in SNAP in May than a year earlier, while the state’s 5.34% payment error rate kept it below the federal penalty threshold.
Iowa’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had 247,907 people enrolled in May, down from 271,880 in May 2025, according to state data.
The drop comes as federal SNAP rules have changed under the 2025 tax-and-spending law signed last year. The law expanded work requirements for some adults and changed how states share SNAP costs with the federal government.
Iowa also recorded a 5.34% SNAP payment error rate for Federal Fiscal Year 2025. That keeps the state below the 6% federal threshold tied to future penalties and below the national SNAP payment error rate of 10.62%.
The two numbers measure different parts of the program. The enrollment drop shows fewer Iowans receiving SNAP. The payment error rate measures how accurately the state issues benefits based on eligibility and benefit calculations.
SNAP enrollment fell by nearly 24,000 people in Iowa
Iowa had nearly 24,000 fewer SNAP enrollees in May compared with the same month last year.
The decline was larger than recent year-to-year changes in the state’s SNAP rolls. Enrollment dropped 1% between May 2023 and May 2024, then rose 3% between May 2024 and May 2025.
The latest drop was about 9% from May 2025 to May 2026.
Federal law expanded work requirements for some SNAP recipients
The 2025 federal law expanded SNAP work requirements to more adults.
The changes extended requirements to people ages 55 to 64, parents of children 14 and older, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who aged out of foster care.
SNAP enrollment can change for several reasons, including income, household changes, eligibility reviews and administrative requirements. Iowa HHS has said some provisions in the federal law are contributing to the enrollment decline.
Iowa stayed below the federal penalty threshold
Iowa’s SNAP payment error rate was 5.34% for Federal Fiscal Year 2025.
Because Iowa’s rate stayed below 6%, the state will not be required to pay federal penalties in Federal Fiscal Year 2028 tied to that measure.
The federal threshold matters because states with higher SNAP payment error rates can face financial consequences. Under the current federal framework, states with error rates at or above 6% can be required to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs or enter corrective action processes.
Iowa was one of nine states with a SNAP payment error rate below 6% in 2025.
The rate measures payment accuracy, not grocery rules
A SNAP payment error rate measures how accurately a state determines eligibility and benefit amounts.
Payment errors can include overpayments, when a household receives more than it should have received, and underpayments, when a household receives less than it should have received.
The 5.34% figure does not change Iowa’s current SNAP purchasing rules. Families using SNAP or SUN Bucks remain under the federal food-purchase guidelines now in effect in Iowa.
ALSO READ: Iowa reverses SNAP rules: what families can buy at the grocery store again
Iowa’s rate was lower than the national average
Iowa’s 5.34% SNAP payment error rate was about half the national average of 10.62% for Federal Fiscal Year 2025.
The national rate reflects payment accuracy across state SNAP programs. USDA uses the data to measure how states are administering eligibility, benefit amounts and case processing.
Iowa’s latest rate places the state among the stronger performers nationally for SNAP payment accuracy.
Iowa recently returned to federal SNAP grocery rules
Iowa recently returned to federal SNAP food guidelines after its Healthy SNAP waiver was reversed.
Earlier this month, Iowa families using SNAP and SUN Bucks were allowed again to buy food items that were eligible before the state’s Healthy SNAP waiver took effect on January 1.
That grocery-rule change is separate from the new payment error rate and the enrollment decline. One affects what items can be purchased with benefits. The other two show how many Iowans are enrolled and how accurately the state issues SNAP payments.
SNAP benefits continue through regular Iowa channels
SNAP benefits in Iowa continue through the state’s regular eligibility and EBT systems.
Families with card-related questions can contact EBT Customer Service at 800-359-5802. Eligibility questions, case updates and benefit information continue through Iowa’s regular HHS benefits channels.
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