Changes from September
From the 2026/27 academic year, all children whose parent or guardian receives Universal Credit may be entitled to free school meals. This replaces the previous earnings limit for Universal Credit households.
We can only process applications for children attending a school or college within the Manchester City Council area. If your child's school or college is outside Manchester, you will need to contact the local authority responsible for that area.
Check if your child can get free school meals by visiting Apply for free school meals - GOV.UK
Who can get free school meals?
Your child may be eligible if you receive:
- Universal Credit
- Guarantee Credit (also known as Guarantee Pension Credit).
You may also be eligible if:
- Your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2. All children in these year groups are entitled to free school meals regardless of household income.
- Your child is below compulsory school age but attends full-time education.
- You are an asylum seeker.
- Your child receives qualifying benefits in their own right rather than through a parent or guardian.
When your child leaves secondary school
Your child may continue to be eligible for free meals if they are 16 to 19 and are attending a government-funded sixth form or further education college, provided you receive either Universal Credit or Guarantee Credit.
Apply for free school meals
Complete our online application form to check your eligibility and apply for free school meals.
If your child's school or college is not listed in the application form, or if you have a question about free school meals, please contact the school or college directly for advice.
Manchester schools will undertake annual eligibility checks for those currently in receipt of FSM. You should contact your child's school to ensure they have the required information from you to do this and respond to any request for information from your child's school quickly to prevent any delays to eligibility checking.
Support during the school holidays
Households who are entitled to Free School Meals will also receive support with the cost of food during the school holidays. Vouchers will be issued by the child's school. You do not need to make a separate application for this support. This applies to Manchester schools.
If your child attends school outside of Manchester you can apply for holiday free school meal support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Further details about how to do this will be provided soon.
Holiday Activities and Food
Although more children can now get Free School Meals, the eligibility rules for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme have not changed. To qualify for HAF, your household must still have a net earned income of £7,400 a year or less. This helps ensure support is targeted at families on the lowest incomes.
Visit our Holiday Care page for more information.