SNAP - Expungement Options

In an effort to reduce fraud, waste and abuse, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is issuing this memorandum to clarify Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) expungement policy. States are strongly encouraged to expunge benefit allotments nine months after issuance, regardless of the household’s SNAP activity, in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Section 7(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, requires states to expunge SNAP benefits after nine months and requires states to provide sufficient notice to the household before expungement. FNS regulations (7 CFR 274.2(i)(1)) allow states to fulfill this requirement by choosing between two approaches:

Option 1: Under the first option, states expunge benefit allotments that have been inactive for nine months. An EBT account is considered inactive if the household has not initiated activity that affects the balance of the account, such as a purchase or return.

Option 2: Under the second option, states expunge benefit allotments that have aged to nine months from the date of issuance, regardless of account activity.

Expungement option 2 will generally result in a higher value of expungements, since unused benefits will be expunged even from active SNAP accounts. States should consider utilizing expungement option 2 as a way to recoup SNAP funds sooner, facilitate budgetary planning, and prepare for upcoming cost-sharing changes enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. This option is also an integrity measure that will help curb large benefit balances from accruing in household accounts, which protects the taxpayer. Large benefit balances can make households a target for bad actors looking to steal benefits.

If a state intends to change its expungement approach, the state should update their State Plan of Operation and notify SNAP households. State agencies with questions should contact their FNS regional office representative.

Respectfully, 

Ronald Ward
Acting Associate Administrator
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture