Free school meals expanded: How to know if your family is eligible - and how to apply

• The Government is expanding its eligibility criteria for free school meals
• Hundreds of thousands of children may benefit
• The move could also save struggling families nearly £500 a year, for each child
• But parents will still need to apply to take advantage of the scheme

Over half a million more children will be tackling the school day fuelled by a nutritious hot meal - at no cost to their parents.

This week, the Government announced that it would be expanding the eligibility criteria for its free school meal programme. The move is expected to open the door to the scheme for thousands of new families, saving them much-needed cash during a cost of living crisis.

These expanded free school meals are part of a wider Labour initiative to lift a hundred thousand children out of poverty, by easing the financial burden for struggling families. Others include free school breakfast clubs, which are currently being trialled, as well as a cap on the number of branded uniform items school can require parents to buy.

But these latest changes won’t kick in for quite some time yet. So what exactly has been announced, and how can you tell if your family will be eligible? Here’s what you need to know:

What’s new for free school meals?

The criteria which allows families to apply for their child to receive a free hot meal at school will be expanded, giving thousands more access. But the changes aren’t being rolled out just yet.

They will kick in at the start of the 2026/27 school year - to give schools time to prepare for the increased number of meals they'll need to provide. The Government estimates that this will save families about £495 per year, per child.

But beyond savings for parents, the Department for Education (DfE) says that the programme will ensure more children receive nutritious meals during school hours, “which supports their learning and concentration in the classroom, physical health and development, and overall wellbeing”.

Announcing the changes, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.

“My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn,” he continued. “This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”

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Who will be eligible for the expanded programme?

Now, all households receiving Universal Credit will qualify for free school meals. Previously, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income was less than £7,400 per year, “meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty have been unable to access free school meals”, according to DfE.

Basically, this means that if you receive Universal Credit payments - whether it’s because of a disability, because you’re currently unemployed, or because you’re not earning enough - your child will be able to get a free meal at school.

The Government estimates that this will make an extra half a million (or 500 thousand) children eligible, on top of the 2.1 million already receiving them.

How to enrol

In a blog post, the Department for Education said that most schools should allow parents to apply before the start of the next school year - in 2026 - by simply providing their National Insurance Number to check their eligibility.

However, it added: “It's important to note that while eligibility will be automatically granted to all Universal Credit recipients, families will still need to actually apply to receive the benefit.”

If your child attends a state-funded school, parents usually have to apply for free school meals via their local authority. The Government has a dedicated search page online here to help you get more information about this. By entering your postcode, you’ll be directed to the relevant council webpage with information for your area, including how to apply - often a form you can complete and submit online.

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