Department for Education
Free school meals
Your child may get free school meals if you get certain benefits, such as Universal Credit. You apply through your local council. All infant-school pupils at state schools in England get free school meals.
Help if you cannot afford food
Where to get help quickly, and what to claim so it does not happen again.
What to check first
- If you need food today, contact your council's welfare assistance scheme or a local food bank. Most food banks need a referral, and Citizens Advice can make one.
- Check whether your children qualify for free school meals, and whether you qualify for Healthy Start if you are pregnant or have young children.
- A crisis is usually a sign that an entitlement is being missed. Once the immediate problem is handled, check what you should be claiming.
What you may be able to claim
Each of these has its own rules. Open a page to see what it is, who runs it, and where the official guidance lives.
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NHS Business Services Authority
Healthy Start
Healthy Start helps if you are pregnant or have a young child and get certain benefits. You get a prepaid card to spend on milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses and infant formula, and you can get free vitamins.
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Department for Work and Pensions
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs if you are on a low income, out of work or cannot work. It is replacing older benefits such as Housing Benefit and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Where to get help in person
We are an information site. If a decision has gone against you, or you are not sure what applies to your situation, free independent advice is available and it is worth using.
- Citizens Advice can look at your actual circumstances and help with forms and appeals.
- Your council's welfare or housing team runs local schemes that are not advertised nationally.
- Many charities run advice lines for specific conditions and situations.
None of them charge, and none of them will ask you to pay to make a claim.