News Release

September 12, 2024

Income Eligibility Guidelines and Meal Application Availability Announced for School Lunch, Other Nutrition Programs

The Nebraska Department of Education’s Nutrition Services office has announced the Income Eligibility Guidelines for free and reduced price meals for persons unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch, Breakfast, Special Milk and Child and Adult Care Food Programs.

Application forms must be available to all households of participants attending a participating school, agency, or day care center. The application includes a letter containing instructions and helpful information for parents, guardians, or adult participants.

 

To apply for free or reduced price meals, households should complete the application and return it to the school, agency, or day care center. The information provided on the application will be used to determine eligibility and may be verified at any time during the year by school or other program officials.

 

For the school, agency, or day care officials to determine eligibility, the household must provide the following information on the application: names of all household members; the last four digits of the social security number, if available, for an adult in the household; total monthly household income by source; and the signature of an adult household member certifying that the information provided is correct. Children who are members of households receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) are automatically eligible to receive free meals. Participants at adult care centers receiving Food Stamps, FDPIR, SSI or Medicaid are automatically eligible to receive free meals.

 

Applications may be submitted at any time during the year.

The same meals will be made available to all enrolled participants regardless of race, color, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age, national origin or disability, and there is no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Non-pricing programs provide meals at no separate charge. Pricing programs provide free and reduced price meals to those meeting the approved eligibility criteria. Persons who believe they have been treated unfairly in receiving food services for any of these reasons should write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.

 

The following household size and income criteria will be used for determining eligibility. Participants from families whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or reduced price meals.

 

NOTE TO MEDIA:

 

A list of the participating schools, agencies, and day care centers by county is available on the Nutrition Services web site.

 

A graphic file of the Income Guidelines is available at SY2024-25 Income Guidelines.

 

NUTRITION SERVICES INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

JULY 1, 2024 – JUNE 30, 2025

 

Household Size	Free Meal			Reduced Price Meal
	Annual	Monthly	Weekly	Annual	Monthly	Weekly
1	19,578	1,632	377	27,861	2,322	536
2	26,572	2,215	511	37,814	3,152	728
3	33,566	2,798	646	47,767	3,981	919
4	40,560	3,380	780	57,720	4,810	1,110
5	47,554	3,963	915	67,673	5,640	1,302
6	54,548	4,546	1,049	77,626	6,469	1,493
7	61,542	5,129	1,184	87,579	7,299	1,685
8	68,536	5,712	1,318	97,532	8,182	1,876
For each additional family member add:	6,994	583	135	9,953	830	192

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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