Some changes to free school meals (FSM) will be taking place from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.

Expanded FSM eligibility entitlement for families on Universal Credit

From September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to FSM, regardless of earnings.

There will also be two categories of FSM eligibility:

Targeted FSM -This category applies to children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.

Children in this category:

• Will receive free school meals.
• Will attract Pupil Premium and other disadvantage funding for their school.
• May be eligible for additional support, including:
  • Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme.
  • The extended rights element of school travel assistance.

Expanded FSM -This category applies to children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings above £7,400.

Children in this category:

• Will receive free school meals.
• Will not attract Pupil Premium funding based solely on this eligibility.
• May not be eligible for additional support linked to targeted free school meal eligibility.

End of transitional protections

Since 2018, some children have continued to receive FSM, even if their family circumstances changed during the rollout of Universal Credit. This is referred to as transitional protections.

Now that entitlement is being expanded to all families on Universal Credit, these protections will end at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.

This means:

• Some children may no longer be eligible from the start of the 2026/27 academic year if their family does not receive Universal Credit or another qualifying benefit

Eligibility will now be based on current benefit status