Who is eligible for free school meals? (check here if you can claim)

Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support 
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) 
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

In addition, the following pupils will be protected against losing their free school meals: 

• Since 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants have continued to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This applies regardless of any change in household circumstances, including if their earnings rise above the threshold during that time. Protections will remain in place until the end of the 2025/26 school year. 
• From the start of the 2026/27 school year, the Department for Education will extend entitlement to free school meals to include all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit. It is our intention to end transitional protections alongside this change in threshold, with eligibility for all pupils reverting to whether they meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of whether they were previously protected. We will issue further guidance ahead of September 2026. A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal when a claim for the meal has been made on their behalf and their eligibility, or protected status, has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority. 

A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal when a claim for the meal has been made by them or by are parent or other responsible adult on their behalf and their eligibility, or protected status, has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority.

Please note: If you have a younger child starting school in September and you are no longer eligible, they will not be protected because this would be a new claim. 

Transitional Protections 
Transitional protections apply from 1 April 2018, until the end of the 2025/26 school year.  Pupils becoming eligible for free school meals under the benefits-based criteria in this time, will continue to receive free meals until the end of the 2025/26 school year.  This applies, regardless of any change in household circumstances, including an increase in earnings above the eligibility threshold.

From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, it is the Department for Education’s intention that all protections will be discontinued, alongside an extension to the eligibility criteria for free school meals. From this point, households must meet the eligibility criteria to be entitled to free school meals. 

Source: GOV.UK June 2025 - FSM Guidance for Schools & Local Authorities

Apply for Free School Meals

First, check if you receive any of the benefits listed above (it isn't just if you are unemployed so please check the list). If you qualify, please continue to apply using one of the following options -  please note the school cannot assess your eligibility or process your claim. 

*It must be the person claiming the benefit that applies*