Free school meals

From September 2026 the Department for Education is introducing new benefit criteria which will mean that all children from households in receipt of universal credit will be entitled to receive a free school meal.

At the same time, the transitional protections that have been in place since 1 April 2018 are ending. If your child currently receives a free school meal because they've been protected under the transitional protection rules, but you no longer receive universal credit, their entitlement will end in August 2026.