SNP Assurance Program
In order to provide our customers with the highest level of haplogroup confidence, Family Tree DNA provides the SNP Assurance Program. If a person’s Y-DNA haplogroup cannot be predicted with 100% confidence, the SNP Assurance Program will run your sample through our Backbone SNP test for free.
Specifically, if we cannot predict a person’s Y-DNA haplogroup with sufficient confidence that they can join the National Geographic’s Genographic Project, we will automatically perform a Backbone SNP test in order to identify the haplogroup assignment.
The following depth of haplogroup prediction or confirmation is guaranteed for all new Y-DNA tests beginning with batch 173:
A, B, C, D, E, E1b1a, E1b1b1, F, G, H, I, J, J1, J2, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, Q1a3a, R, R1, R1a1, R1b1b2, R2, T
The level of guarantee will be reviewed annually, updated on this page, and provided to subsequent new Y-DNA test orders.
What are haplogroups?
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that identify where in the Y-DNA or mtDNA tree of humanity you fit in. Haplogroups are what allow us to identify how large groups of people migrated from Africa around 60,000 years ago to different parts of the world.
For a more detailed explanation of haplogroups, please click here.
What is a Backbone test?
A Backbone test determines which haplogroup, or major branch of the Y-DNA tree, your paternal line belongs to. It tests the “backbone” of the tree or the SNPs that determine the major branches.