School meals

Changes to free school meal eligibility from September 2026

From September 2026, the government is expanding free school meal eligibility.

All children whose parent or carer receives Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of household earnings. 

We encourage all eligible families to apply, as this also helps schools receive additional funding to support pupils.

Who is eligible for free school meals?

Free school meals are available to children whose parents or carers receive one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Households may also be entitled to a meal if they:

• are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds

What this means for families

• If you receive Universal Credit, your child will be entitled to free school meals from September 2026.
• If your child already receives free school meals, this will continue until the end of July 2026 under the current arrangements.
• From September 2026, eligibility will be assessed under the new national criteria.

There are three different types of free school meals. These are based on different government schemes:

Targeted free school meals 

Children may be entitled to Targeted FSM if their parent or carer receives certain qualifying benefits and meets specific income-related criteria.

Eligibility under this scheme is used to determine whether a school receives additional funding through the Pupil Premium, which supports children from lower-income families.

Expanded free school meals 

Children will be entitled to Expanded FSM if their parent or carer receives Universal Credit, regardless of household income.

This expanded entitlement increases access to free meals; however, Pupil Premium funding will continue to be based on the targeted eligibility criteria.

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal, regardless of family income.  This is known as Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM).

Children may still qualify for Targeted FSM in addition to UIFSM. This is important as it may enable the school to receive additional funding.

Nursery pupils

A child attending a maintained nursery (including academies) may be eligible for free school meals if:

• they attend for a full day (before and after lunch), and
• their parent or carer receives a qualifying benefit

Transitional protections (until July 2026)

Transitional protections were introduced in 2018 to ensure that children who became eligible for free school meals continued to receive them, even if their family’s income later increased.

These protections will remain in place until the end of the 2025/26 academic year (July 2026). 

From September 2026, the new national eligibility rules will apply.

When should I apply?

• You should apply as soon as you start receiving a qualifying benefit.
• Applications are not backdated.
• You should inform your child’s school if your circumstances change.

How do I apply?

If your child is enrolled at a school, the school is responsible for assessing eligibility.

• Contact your child’s school and request an application form
• You may be asked to provide evidence of your benefit

If your child is not currently enrolled, or their setting cannot provide meals, please contact us for advice.

A child is only eligible to receive a free school meal where both:

• a claim for this support has been made
• their eligibility has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority 

Why should I apply?

If your child is eligible, they will receive a healthy school meal at no cost to you.

Eligibility can also help with access to:

• support with home-to-school transport
• the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme

It also enables the school to receive additional funding:

• £1,345 per pupil (primary)
• £955 per pupil (secondary)

This funding is provided even if your child chooses not to take the meal and helps schools support pupils to achieve their best.

Opt-out auto-award of free school meals

We have introduced an opt-out auto-award process* to help ensure that all eligible children receive free school meals and that schools receive appropriate funding.

School transport and meals

Free school meals and home-to-school transport are separate schemes with different eligibility criteria.

Being eligible for free school meals does not automatically entitle a child to free home-to-school transport.  However, children eligible for Targeted FSM can be considered for additional travel support under the Extended Rights criteria.

Families with no recourse to public funds

Guidance for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) is available on GOV.UK