Benefits access research

About $68 billion in cash and food benefits goes unclaimed each year

National estimates for nine federal programs, ranked by the value eligible people don’t receive. Every figure links to its source.

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$68.1B

in cash and food benefits not received each year across eight programs

$32.7BSNAP

$9.3BChild Tax Credit

$8.2BEITC

$6.3BEducation credits

$11.6BPell, Lifeline, WIC and SUN Bucks

Area shows each program’s share of the $68.1B.

Plus about $31B in Medicaid and CHIP coverage for 6.5 million uninsured people who qualify.

Sources: Urban Institute, IRS, KFF, NCAN, USAC, USDA and FRAC

Who misses out

Lifeline, WIC and SNAP miss the most eligible people

Share of eligible people, households or tax units not receiving each benefit. Pell and SUN Bucks have no national rate.

0%25%50%75%100%

Lifelinehouseholds (illustrative)

78.2%

WICwomen and children

43.9%

SNAPpeople

42.5%

Education tax creditstax units

42%

Earned Income Tax Credittax units

19.2%

Medicaid and CHIPuninsured eligible people

7.6%

Child Tax Credit / ACTCtax units

Sources as in the table below. Rates come from different years and methods; the Lifeline rate is illustrative.

The gap by program

SNAP and Medicaid make up most of the gap

Eligible people not receiving each benefit and the value left unclaimed, using the latest national estimate for each program.

Unclaimed benefits by program
Program	Eligible	Average annual value	Eligible not receiving	Value not received each year
SNAPUrban Institute model, 2022–23	69.1M people	$2,255 per person	42.5%29.4M people	$32.7B
Medicaid and CHIPKFF, 2024 estimate	~85.9M enrollees	~$4,800 medical spending	~7.6%~6.5M uninsured	~$31B †
Child Tax Credit / ACTCIRS, tax year 2020	33.1M tax units	~$3,000 per tax unit	~7%2.4M tax units	$9.3B
Earned Income Tax CreditIRS, extrapolated	~29.7M tax units	$2,894 per claimant	19.2%~5.7M tax units	~$8.2B
Education tax creditsIRS, tax year 2022	~14.2M tax units	~$1,475 per tax unit	~42%~6.0M tax units	$6.3B
Pell GrantNCAN, 2024 class	830K FAFSA nonfilers	$5,339 typical grant	n/aRate not available	$4.4B ‡
LifelineUSAC, 2024–26	37.6M households	$111 discount	~78.2%~29.4M households	~$3.3B §
WICUSDA and Urban Institute, 2022–23	11.83M women and children	~$673 food benefit	43.9%5.2M people	$2.7B
SUN Bucks (Summer EBT)FRAC, 2026	10.1M children	$120 per child	n/aOpt-out states	~$1.2B

SNAP
Urban Institute model, 2022–23
$32.7B
Not receiving42.5%29.4M people
Average value$2,255 per person
Medicaid and CHIP
KFF, 2024 estimate
~$31B †
Not receiving~7.6%~6.5M uninsured
Average value~$4,800 medical spending
Child Tax Credit / ACTC
IRS, tax year 2020
$9.3B
Not receiving~7%2.4M tax units
Average value~$3,000 per tax unit
Earned Income Tax Credit
IRS, extrapolated
~$8.2B
Not receiving19.2%~5.7M tax units
Average value$2,894 per claimant
Education tax credits
IRS, tax year 2022
$6.3B
Not receiving~42%~6.0M tax units
Average value~$1,475 per tax unit
Pell Grant
NCAN, 2024 class
$4.4B ‡
Not receivingn/aRate not available
Average value$5,339 typical grant
Lifeline
USAC, 2024–26
~$3.3B §
Not receiving~78.2%~29.4M households
Average value$111 discount
WIC
USDA and Urban Institute, 2022–23
$2.7B
Not receiving43.9%5.2M people
Average value~$673 food benefit
SUN Bucks (Summer EBT)
FRAC, 2026
~$1.2B
Not receivingn/aOpt-out states
Average value$120 per child

Estimates come from different years and methods, so totals are approximate. The $68.1 billion headline adds the eight cash and food programs and leaves out Medicaid.
† Medicaid value is potential medical spending, not cash. ‡ Pell value assumes eligible students file a FAFSA and enroll. § Lifeline value is illustrative at $111 per household.
Single Stop also screens for 5 to 10 additional benefits in each state that have no credible national estimate, and maps 600,000 community resources.

Why it matters

How unclaimed benefits affect students, members and customers

Utilities

SNAP households are 46% less likely to fall behind on energy bills.

Shaefer and Gutierrez (2013), Social Service Review

See research for utilities →

Credit unions and banks

Three years after SNAP approval, households were 24% less likely to have a delinquent account.

Homonoff, Lee and Meckel (2025), NBER

See research for financial services →

Colleges and universities

830,000 Pell-eligible students skipped the FAFSA in the class of 2024, leaving $4.4 billion in grants unclaimed.

NCAN (2024)

See how Single Stop supports students →

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How these estimates were built and what they mean for the people you serve.

How much in benefits goes unclaimed each year?

About $68 billion a year across eight cash and food programs, based on the latest national estimates from the Urban Institute, IRS, NCAN, USAC, USDA and FRAC. Medicaid and CHIP add about $31 billion in potential medical coverage for 6.5 million uninsured people who qualify.

Which benefit has the largest gap?

SNAP. An estimated 29.4 million eligible people don’t receive it, leaving about $32.7 billion a year unclaimed (Urban Institute model, 2022).

Can these estimates be added together?

Only as a rough guide. Each comes from a different year and method. The $68 billion figure adds the eight cash and food programs. It leaves out Medicaid, whose value is medical spending rather than cash.

Which of these benefits does Single Stop screen for?

Single Stop’s screener covers these federal programs plus 5 to 10 more in each state, and maps 600,000 community resources.

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