Determining Household Eligibility & Verification

   Determining Household Eligibility

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The 2025-26 Free & Reduced Price School Meals Household Application and Verification forms are used for determining student/household eligibility for school meals, notifying households of benefits, conducting verification, sharing information, and notification of Direct Certification.

**IMPORTANT NOTES** 
  • SFAs with year round schools should submit renewal documents and information as soon as possible in order to complete the entire agreement renewal process by the deadline, June 18, 2025.
  • Submitting the F&R Price School Meals Household Application for approval is not applicable to SFAs that have implemented the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) district wide.
  • All SFAs operating CEP must have an approved Direct Certification letter. All families should be notified if they are approved through Direct Certification, even if Free & Reduced Applications are not collected in the SFA.

Application for Need-Based Assistance

Every school year, a variety of opportunities are available for students from families with limited financial resources. SFAs should use the designated space on this form to describe how the school plans to use the household socioeconomic information to assist the student. Examples include, but are not limited to, fee waivers for Advanced Placement Testing or SATs, a grant for classroom technology, after-school tutoring, band or athletic uniforms, etc.
 

Free and Reduced Price Income Documentation for Institutionalized Children

This form is used by Residential Child Care Institutions to document and determine eligibility of the students attending the facility.
 

Record of Extended Benefits Form Template

This template provides a recording tool to maintain documentation of all benefits that are extended.  This is an optional template that can be used if eligibility software does not provide this information.  All extended benefits documentation must be maintained for three (3) years plus the current year.

USDA Translated Free & Reduced Application and Verification Forms  (49 languages)

This page features foreign language translations of the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals. They are provided by USDA as a template to assist State and local agencies in serving households where English is not spoken as a primary language. Households may also download these resources directly to be filled out and submitted to their local school district.

In addition to the application form, each translated packet also includes application instructions, a parent letter/FAQ. We also provide a packet of communications documents to be used by State and local agencies for information sharing requests, income verification, and benefit issuance notices to households. State and local agencies responsible for administering the school meal programs may use these materials in their current form, or may adapt them as needed.

Additionally, an "I Speak" resource document is available to help identify the primary language of non-English speakers. It uses a short phrase in each of the 49 languages that an applicant can check to indicate the language they speak. "I Speak" can help Local Educational Agencies select the appropriate translation as well as ensure consistent and effective interaction with applicants who have limited English proficiency.

(Source: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/translated-applications .Nov 22 2021.) 

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 amended the National School Lunch Act to provide an alternative to household eligibility applications for free and reduced price meals in high poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) (or districts) and schools.  The overall purpose of the CEP is to improve access to nutritious meals for students in high poverty areas by providing meals to all students “at no cost” to the students. 

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Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 amended the National School Lunch Act to provide an alternative to household eligibility applications for free and reduced price meals in high poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) (or districts) and schools.  The overall purpose of the CEP is to improve access to nutritious meals for students in high poverty areas by providing meals to all students “at no cost” to the students. 

Verification Process & Resources

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