Changes to Free School Meal eligibility

As you know, from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal. While your school will be preparing for these changes we’ve put together  a brief overview of the changes below:

There will be two categories of benefits-based free school meals:

  • Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less
  • Expanded FSM, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit

Following the expansion of FSM, Ever 6 FSM will be based on targeted FSM.  Pupils who are, or have been, eligible for FSM over the last 6 years are part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort.

Who is eligible for benefits based free school meals

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, the government is expanding FSM eligibility to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings. 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
  • support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

A pupil 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 

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

Full guidance from the DfE can be found here and an operational readiness checklist here. 

For those of you supporting learners applying to Higher Education, a reminder that FSM learners are eligible for an application fee waiver with UCAS. 

  • Students who are currently enrolled at school or college, and have been in receipt of UK government funded free school meals at some point during the last six years (i.e. during their secondary education) up until the end of their final year, will be eligible to have the application fee waived
  • Students who are not currently enrolled at a school or college, but are applying through a registered centre and can demonstrate to the centre that they have been in receipt of UK government funded free school meals at some point during the last six years, are eligible to have the application fee waived
  • Students applying from the independent school sector can indicate their financial circumstances would have made them eligible for UK government funded free school meals in the past six years. This can be verified by teachers/advisers using confirmation through your previous school or college, a letter of confirmation from the local authority, or using the Bursary Assessment Associates contextualised data service.

You can find further information on the UCAS website here.