The records show 597 employees — about 29% of the department’s workforce — exceeded that pay threshold. Overtime costs have reached $16.48 million so far in 2026, compared with $13.10 million for all of 2025, according to Comptroller data. Because the current-year figure is not yet a full-year total, the comparison does not establish how 2026 spending will end.

One employee, SNAP caseworker Michelle Burgos, recorded $348,534 in take-home pay, the highest amount among the agency’s roughly 2,000 listed employees. The department said $269,118 of her total was back pay required under a collective bargaining agreement; her annual salary is $79,416. The department did not provide further details about the back-pay calculation.

The average pay for 144 full-time SNAP caseworkers was $57,767, state records show. The highest annual salary listed for a DTA caseworker was $196,585. DTA Commissioner Michael Cole’s salary was $186,799.

The payroll figures come amid scrutiny of the department’s administration of benefits and a federal fraud case involving LaMar Cook, a former aide to Gov. Maura Healey. Cook was arrested on federal SNAP and wire fraud charges. Prosecutors allege he received $546 a week in benefits after misrepresenting his income, employment, household circumstances and bank balances. The allegations have not been proven in court.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said her office began investigating after reports that Cook had used his SNAP card while visiting Walt Disney World in Florida. Foley criticized the state agency for not examining his eligibility after those reports, saying investigators could have checked his card activity and asked him to verify his circumstances. DTA did not provide a response to those specific criticisms in the information available.

The case has added to broader debate over how Massachusetts detects misuse while administering a program that serves 909,806 people — about one in seven state residents. More than 305,000 recipients are 18 or younger, and the state pays an average of $323 per household each month in SNAP benefits.

Separate from intentional fraud, Massachusetts also has a high SNAP payment-error rate: 12% this year, down from 14% last year, according to figures cited in the report. Payment errors can include overpayments or underpayments and are not, by themselves, proof of fraud. Federal rules described in the report could expose states with error rates above 6% to repayment obligations, potentially creating a substantial cost for taxpayers.

The distinction matters for public accountability: preventing deliberate fraud, correcting administrative mistakes and ensuring eligible households receive food assistance are related but different responsibilities. With hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents relying on SNAP, the payroll and oversight questions put pressure on state officials to explain how staffing, overtime and internal controls are serving both program integrity and timely access to benefits.