Free School Meals

Your child could be eligible for free school meals if you or your partner receive a qualifying benefit.

What are the qualifying benefits?

If you or your partner receive any of the following benefits you can apply.

• Universal Credit - your household earned annual income must be less than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed part of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit – with no Working Tax Credit and your annual household income is no more than £16,190, as assessed by the Inland Revenue

Before you apply

• If you’re a foster parent you cannot apply for free school meals as you already receive funding.
• If you already receive free school meals for a child and just want to add another child, contact us and we'll be able to check if the additional child is eligible.
• If you get Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, contact us and we’ll be able to check if your child is eligible.

How to apply

Apply online for free school meals and get an instant decision.  Remember, if your child is in reception, year 1 or year 2 and you receive a qualifying benefit, make sure you apply so the school gets the extra funding.

Apply online

What happens next?

We will inform your child’s school if you are eligible for free school meals.

How long will my child get free school meals?

There is no change to eligibility criteria if you receive a legacy benefit.

If you receive or are moving to Universal Credit, your child will get free school meals until March 2022, regardless of any changes to you or your partner's income. 

After March 2022, existing children who no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education, i.e. primary or secondary.

For example:

• If your child is in year 4 in 2023, they will receive free school meals until they finish primary school. They will not be eligible in secondary school if you and your partner’s income is more than £7,400 per year.
• If your child is in year 9 in 2023, they will receive free school meals until they finish secondary school even if your income is more than £7,400 per year.

H​alf Term help:

C​lick here for the May 2023 Half Term Activities & Food

YOUNGSTERS across Liverpool will once again be able to take part in a programme of activities during half-term.

The council is bringing together scores of organisations to offer hundreds of FREE activities for five to 16-year-olds as part of October Eat to Meet – which also guarantees healthy meals and snacks for all the children joining in the fun. The activities are open to children from families receiving benefits-related free school meals.

The whole programme of events is available through the MPAC website and activities need to be booked in advance by directly contacting organisers.

The programmes have proved incredibly popular with families. Last summer, 115 projects were delivered across 122 sites, with 12,758 children attending supported by 24,712, hours of volunteering. An amazing 243,754 meals were also provided. Projects are delivered in every ward in the city and three HAF activity days were also held during the summer in Princes Park, Garston Park, and Rice Lane City Farm

Cllr Frazer Lake, Cabinet member for Adults’ and Children’s Social Care, said: “Our commitment to fund the activity programme during the half-term breaks is now more important than ever as Liverpool families start to deal with the very real pressures of the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s incredible that over 12,000 children attended HAF activities in the summer and this is evidence of how valued the programme is by parents and carers.

“As always, we could not do this without the organisations and volunteers whose commitment and creativity makes this programme such a powerful force for good. They show why our city is such a special place.”