This page is about schools in England. It does not cover Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
What changed for 2026–27
From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, pupils from households receiving Universal Credit qualify for free school meals regardless of household earnings in maintained schools, academies and free schools, pupil referral units and non-maintained special schools in England. This includes eligible registered nursery pupils; the nursery attendance conditions are set out below. A claim must be made and eligibility verified. The legal change took effect on 17 August 2026 under regulation 4 of the commencement regulations. DfE describes meal provision from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year in its free school meals guidance, updated 7 October 2026, under ‘Changes for the 2026 to 2027 academic year’ and ‘Who is eligible for benefits-based free school meals’.
There are now two benefits-based categories: targeted FSM and expanded FSM. Transitional protection ended at the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Schools need current eligibility checks and must distinguish the two categories in the school census (same guidance, ‘Ending transitional protections’ and ‘Recording FSM eligibility in the school census’).
For the autumn 2026 census only, eligibility checks may be completed up to and including 2 November 2026, covering both rechecks and new claims. The census guidance explains how to record these later checks; the verification date returned is not simply the date of the later check (‘Verification of FSM eligibility post census day - autumn school census 2026 only’ in DfE’s 2026 to 2027 census data items, updated 6 October 2026).
Who is eligible now?
A benefits-based claim must be made by the pupil, a parent or another responsible adult. The school or local authority must verify eligibility, through the checking service or other acceptable evidence (FSM guidance, ‘Who is eligible for benefits-based free school meals’ and ‘Encouraging claims’).
- Targeted FSM: Universal Credit households with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. This category also covers households receiving support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Households receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the guarantee element of Pension Credit may also qualify, as may families meeting the separate no-recourse-to-public-funds criteria.
- Expanded FSM: Universal Credit households with annual household earnings above £7,400. This is an entitlement to meals only; it does not by itself attract pupil premium or other disadvantage funding.
Sources: FSM guidance, ‘Targeted FSM’ and ‘Expanded FSM’. Families with no recourse to public funds should use DfE’s separate eligibility guidance; that guidance sets separate targeted and expanded income thresholds.
For pupils in school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools, the guidance also requires full-time education or education both before and after the lunch period (‘Eligibility criteria for free school meals’). The extension to maintained nursery schools is already in force. The Education (Free School Lunches in Maintained Nursery Schools) (Universal Credit) (England) Order 2026 took effect on 17 August 2026. Article 3 covers registered pupils whose parent receives Universal Credit and who are not already eligible under section 512ZB(4) of the Education Act 1996.
Universal infant free school meals
All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools are entitled to free meals under universal infant free school meals. This is separate from benefits-based FSM (FSM guidance, ‘Eligibility criteria for free school meals’).
An infant meal does not establish targeted FSM eligibility. Encourage eligible families to register and have their benefits-based entitlement checked so the school can record it for funding. The census distinguishes benefits-based eligibility periods from the separate school lunch taken item (census data items, ‘Free school meal eligibility (used for funding)’ and ‘School lunch taken’).
Transitional protection has ended
Transitional protection preserved benefits-based FSM when household circumstances changed. It applied until the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. From the start of 2026 to 2027, pupils must meet the current eligibility criteria to continue receiving benefits-based meals (FSM guidance, ‘Transitional protections’).
An existing FSM record is not enough to establish current entitlement. DfE says eligibility should be reviewed through annual rechecks. Pupils who cease to qualify can remain in the Ever 6 cohort, which covers eligibility during the past 6 years, for pupil premium and National Funding Formula disadvantage funding. See the pupil premium guide for funding eligibility, rates and spending duties rather than treating the meal entitlement and funding record as interchangeable (FSM guidance, ‘Ever 6 FSM Cohort’, ‘Targeted FSM’ and ‘Transitional protections’).
Checking eligibility: ECS and its replacement
DfE’s Manage eligibility for free school meals service replaced the previous Eligibility Checking System (ECS). Local authorities have been able to access it since 1 June 2026. Schools remain responsible for ensuring their pupils’ checks are completed and should work with the local authority to use DfE’s digital service (FSM guidance, ‘Checking FSM eligibility’ and ‘The new checking service’).
The service verifies Universal Credit receipt and annual earnings to return a targeted or expanded result. The claimant details required include surname, date of birth and National Insurance number. DfE is extending access during 2026 to 2027 so schools can check directly through DfE Sign-In, with further information to follow (‘Making checks from September 2026’).
Schools using an in-house or third-party checking service can continue using it. If a provider cannot conduct checks, the guidance directs schools first to their local authority, then to DfE if that is not appropriate (‘The new checking service’ and ‘Making checks through third parties’).
Schools and local authorities should record when the initial application arrives, check promptly, and offer an alternative to online applications for families who cannot use them. DfE expects annual rechecks ahead of the October census; a check result is valid for the full academic year (‘Encouraging claims’ and ‘Checking FSM eligibility’).
Recording FSM in the school census
Schools must return accurate eligibility information and specify targeted or expanded FSM (FSM guidance, ‘Recording FSM eligibility in the school census’). The current school census guidance and its data items require the following for FSM periods:
- eligibility start date;
- eligibility verification date;
- eligibility end date, where applicable;
- country of UK;
- eligibility category.
Keep the original start date where an existing pupil is reconfirmed as targeted FSM. When a pupil moves from targeted to expanded FSM, close the targeted period and record a new expanded period. If the pupil no longer qualifies for either category, record an end date (census data items, ‘Free school meal eligibility (used for funding)’ and ‘Recording FSM eligibility’).
For the autumn 2026 extension, checks completed after 1 October 2026 and by 2 November 2026 have specific recording instructions. Where eligibility is confirmed, record 2026-10-01 as the verification date. Keep the original start date for continuing targeted eligibility. For newly confirmed targeted eligibility, record 2026-10-01 as the start date. When the pupil moves to expanded FSM, return the closed targeted period with end date 2026-07-31 and a new expanded period whose earliest start date is 1 August 2026. If no longer eligible, return the targeted period with end date 2026-07-31; no verification date is needed in that case. Schools should retain eligibility evidence for audit (census data items, ‘Verification of FSM eligibility post census day - autumn school census 2026 only’ and ‘Recording eligibility outcomes’).
These records affect funding. DfE says only pupils verified between 1 June and 2 November 2026, and recorded through the autumn census, attract FSM funding in 2027 to 2028 (FSM guidance, ‘Funding for free meals’). Targeted FSM also informs pupil premium and other disadvantage funding; expanded FSM alone does not (‘Targeted FSM’ and ‘Expanded FSM’). Pupil premium follows its own census and allocation rules: becoming eligible for targeted FSM does not automatically change the school’s current-year allocation. See the pupil premium guide for the relevant census dates and exceptions.
School food standards: who is bound?
The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 set the food standards. For maintained schools, the statutory route is section 114A of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998: subsection (4) requires the local authority or governing body to secure compliance for food it provides. Subsection (6) also requires compliance where another provider uses or occupies school premises under an agreement with the authority or governing body.
For academies, the route is through academy arrangements, including funding agreements. Section 512C of the Education Act 1996 requires equivalent food requirements and proprietor duties for academy schools and alternative provision academies. Subsection (3) treats older arrangements as including the required provisions, except for 16 to 19 academies. An older funding agreement without an express clause does not establish an exemption. These are the current provisions, rather than the former distinction between academy opening dates.
DfE’s school food guidance, updated 14 September 2026, says governing bodies must ensure lunches and other food and drink meet the standards (‘Roles and responsibilities of governors’). Proposed changes for September 2027 remain subject to Parliamentary approval (‘Important changes proposed from September 2027’); they are not the current standards.
What schools must and should do
Under the current DfE school food guidance, ‘Roles and responsibilities of governors’:
- Must: provide free meals where the eligibility criteria are met and a request has been received from the pupil or someone acting for them.
- Must: provide free drinking water at all times on school premises and free facilities for pupils eating food brought from home.
- Should: provide hot lunches wherever possible; there is no requirement for a meal to be hot.
Under ‘What the governing body should do’:
- Should: specify food standards compliance in catering contracts and obtain evidence from the caterer. Schools providing their own food should evaluate it against the standards and produce evidence of compliance.
- Should: give governors regular reports on compliance, lunch take-up and the finances of school food provision.
The standards also cover breakfast provision. Use the breakfast clubs guide for the programme and the commencement of its separate duty, alongside these food standards (‘Important information’ in the school food guidance).
National FSM eligibility figures
The national FSM eligibility series comes from DfE’s Schools, pupils and their characteristics, ‘Pupil characteristics - number of pupils by fsm eligibility’, selecting England, all pupils, FSM eligible and total school type. Its displayed period identifies the cohort measured: it is not a count of pupils newly eligible under the Universal Credit expansion.
Related roles and preparation
Use the headteacher role guide, school business manager role guide, inclusion lead role guide and pastoral leader role guide for the responsibilities around this work. For interview preparation, see the headteacher questions, and for organising the year, the school leader planners.