Household Applications

Household Applications	Application Verification	Area Eligibility	Income Eligibility Guidelines	Special Provisions

Programs > National School Lunch Program > Eligibility and Verification > Household Applications

Household Applications

School Meal Applications

Please Note
CEs may find additional information about household applications and determining eligibility in the Administrator’s Reference Manual (ARM), Section 4, Eligibility Determination.

Click the links below to download the appropriate school meal applications and letters:

English

Spanish Versions

Standard (Multi-Child) Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals

Multi-Use Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals

Multi-Child Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals (Nonpublic School Version)*

Application Directions

Application Letter to Household for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals

* The nonpublic school version includes a question to collect ethnicity and racial data. This version is intended for CEs that do not have access to the Public Education Information Management Systems (PEIMS) or another method of collecting and retaining ethnicity or racial data.

2024-2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines for Determining Free and Reduced Price Benefits

School Meal Application Letters

The six sample eligibility determination letter types have been consolidated into a single document (one version for English, one for Spanish).

For eligibility based on predetermined eligibility for a categorical Program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR); Foster; Migrant; Homeless, Runaway, or Displaced; Even Start, Head Start, or Early Head Start, choose the appropriate template from the above document:

Letter to Household, Directly Certified Free Eligibility for Household - Sample notification letter when all students in household are directly certified to be eligible for free meals.
Letter to Household, Directly Certified Reduced-Price Eligibility for Household - Sample notification letter when all students in household are directly certified to be eligible for reduced-price meals.
Letter to Household, Directly Certified Free Eligibility for Individual Student(s) - Sample notification letter when one or some of the students in household are directly certified to be eligible for free meals.

For eligibility based on the Household Meal Application, choose the following template from the above document:

Letter to Household, Eligibility Based on Household Meal Application - Sample notification letter when the CE has determined student/child eligibility based on information reported on an application.

If operating a Special Provision school, choose the appropriate template from the above document:

Letter to Household, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
Letter to Household, Special Assistance Provision 2 (P2), Base Year
Letter to Household, Special Assistance Provision 2 (P2), Non-Base Year

Media Release Prototype

Regulations require that prior to or during the first week of school, a public release be made to the local news media, the unemployment office and any major employers who are contemplating layoffs within the school’s attendance area. When sent to the news media, the letter to parents, application form, and a complete income scale (free and reduced-price guidelines) or the same information put in a narrative form will constitute a public release. TDA has consolidated these media prototypes into single English and Spanish documents. Prototypes in each include the standard media release, media release for Provision 2, and media release for CEP. Choose the appropriate prototype from the below documents and customize as needed.

Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.