Free School Meals and Healthy Start

What is it?

Your children could get free school meals if you get an income-based benefit (for example Income Support), or Child Tax Credit only. You can sometimes qualify if you get Working Tax Credit as well. But it depends on the income your tax credits have been worked out on, and where you live in the UK.

Free school meals - can I get it?

You can apply for free school meals if you or your child receive any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income of £16,190 or less
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.

Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after their employment ceases, or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week, their children are entitled to free school lunches. Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also eligible to receive Free School Meals.

Healthy Start

With Healthy Start you can get:

• Coupons to exchange for free vitamins
• Weekly vouchers to buy milk, fresh or plain frozen fruit and vegetables, or infant formula milk

Healthy Start - can I get it?

If you're on certain benefits, or you get Child Tax Credit and are on a low income, you could qualify. You'll need to be at least 10 weeks pregnant, or have a child under four.

If you are pregnant and under the age of 18, you will automatically qualify whether or not you get other benefits or Child Tax Credit.

You won't qualify if you get Working Tax Credit, unless it's just the four week extension of your payments - often called a 'run-on'. You may get a run-on after you stopped qualifying for Working Tax Credit - for example if you’ve stopped work or reduced your hours.

You don't have to get Child Benefit to qualify for Healthy Start.

Find out more about what you may be entitled to by visiting: www.entitledto.co.uk