Do you qualify for FSM?

You are strongly encouraged to register for Free School Meals for any year group.

If you are on a low income or receive Child Benefit AND any of the following benefits, you could claim free school meals for your child.

To qualify for Free School Meals you must CURRENTLY receive one of the following benefits.

• Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400.
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190

You will not qualify for free school meals for your child if:

• Your combined income is more than £16,190 a year (this includes any benefits you are receiving)
• You receive Working Tax Credit

Children who receive Income Support or Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.

If the answer is ‘yes’ and you do receive one of the benefits listed above, all you need to do is go to Southend Borough Council website to complete a short online form, which you can access below. We can perform a simple online check to see if you are eligible. All information is kept confidential at all times. In the event of difficulties accessing this system, please approach your child’s school directly if you think you are eligible.

You will need the following information to complete the form:

• First andLast Name of parent(s) that child resides with.
• Date of Birth of parent(s) above.
• National Insurance Number of parent(s) as above.

New applications can be processed online via the following links:

Southend on Sea Borough Council

We are writing to inform you of significant changes to free school meals (FSM) that will come into effect from 1st September 2026. 

From September 2026, the Government is expanding eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM), so that all children from households receiving Universal Credit may now be entitled to Free School Meals regardless of income. (Previously only households who received Universal Credit and had a yearly income of £7400 or less were eligible.) What do you need to do? To ensure all eligible families receive the support available to them, we are asking all families who believe they may qualify to complete the form in the link before your child returns in September 2026. 

If you are unsure if you will qualify, please click on the QR code below.