Free School Meals Eligibility

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

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earning from up to three of your most recent assessment periods). 
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual gross income of no more than £16,190 
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after the person stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): temporary extension of eligibility

• There is a temporary extension of free school meals eligibility for children of those who have no recourse to public funds. Families in these groups cannot apply online and should telephone 0300 500 80 80 to apply.