Frequently Asked Questions: Free School Meals/Uniform Grants

A Free School Meals/School Uniform/Physical Education Clothing applications for the current 2024/25 school year can be made online on EA Connect. Visit our Apply for Free School Meals/Uniform Grant page for more information. 

You will need to upload proof of your qualifying benefit with your online application.

If applying under Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit all pages of your Tax Credits Award Notice (TC602) for the year 6/4/24 to 5/4/25 must be submitted with your completed application. Tax Credits Award Notices (TC602) before these dates cannot be accepted.

If you have not received your 6/4/24 to 5/4/25 Tax Credits Award Notice (TC602) but have received a Tax Credits Annual Review Notice (TC603R) for the year ended April 2024 which states “Check now no later than 31/7/2024” then you can upload this with your application. Tax Credits Annual Review Notices (TC603R) which state “Reply now no later than 31/7/2024” cannot be accepted.

If you misplaced/lost your TC602/TC603R you must contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on their helpline 0345 300 3900 to request a replacement.

If you have not received a (TC602/TC603R) or replacement from HM Revenue and Customs by the end of July 2024 you can submit an application for consideration with a letter, including your DOB, stating why a TC602/TC603R is not attached. This may delay your claim.

If you are applying under Universal Credit, you must attach all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Claimant Statement which includes your name and address, dates and amounts of UC payments, all entitlements and all deductions.  This can be found by logging into your Universal Credit account and clicking on your most recent payment details where you see the breakdown of all payments and deductions of how your Universal Credit has been calculated. This will ensure you provide us with all of the necessary information.

If you are applying under Income Support, Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit you must submit your Proof of Benefit letter with your application. This letter must be dated no earlier than the beginning of the month before you submit your application.

If you have difficulty in obtaining Universal Credit information or a Proof of Benefit letter, contact your local Jobs and Benefits office (JBo) Digital Hub staff for assistance.

You must:   

• Check your e-mail inbox plus your spam/junk mail folders for replies from the Meals and Uniform Section as this is how we will inform you if your application has been approved/rejected or if you need to do anything further;
   
• Submit to the Meals and Uniform Section a fully completed application including proof of your qualifying benefit. The child(ren) applied for must be in your actual custody, included in the payments for Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit and the name(s) must be entered as they appear on the Birth Certificate unless they have been legally changed; and
   
• Notify the Meals and Uniform Section immediately of any changes in family circumstances or benefit entitlement.

If your application is not successful/approved because you do not meet the criteria you will be sent an email and you can log into your EA Connect account to view details of what you need to send us. In this case you must submit your application again and attach the correct information to the application. Check your spam/junk mail regularly in case the email was delivered there. It is your responsibility to resubmit your application promptly with the correct information or your child/children may not have support in place for the start of the school year.

If your application is successful you will be sent an e-mail confirming this. The Education Authority will inform schools each week of children eligible for Free School Meals.

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit/Working Tax Credit you need to have the correct proof of all pages of your most recent Claimant Statement or benefit document saved onto your phone or computer before you begin the application process.  If you are in receipt of Income Support, Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit you must have your Proof of Benefit letter saved onto your phone or computer.

Please see our accessibility information to find out more about the Recite Me tool and how to use it. 

Please telephone our Helpdesk and one of our trained staff will be able to help you. 

If you have not been able to obtain the Proof of Benefit letter or do not understand how to download evidence of your Universal Credit Claimant Statement you can go to your local Jobs and Benefits office (JBo) Digital Hub and ask for help.

Staff there will enable you to obtain the correct evidence needed to support your application and assist you to make your application for Free School Meals and Uniform Allowance.

Check if you are eligible for Free School Meals.  

We aim to process applications within 2 weeks however in the busy period of June to October it can take up to 3 weeks for your application to be processed.

Yes. When you Register on EA Connect, choose the Student option and complete your details.  If you are a student and also have children who are attending school you must select Parent and Student when you register.

Yes. Apply through EA Connect for the 2024/25 school year and follow the link to the form.

Yes, if your child is in full-time nursery school/nursery unit/reception class.

Children attending part-time nursery school/nursery unit/reception class are not eligible for free school meals.

No. If you or the foster carer are in receipt of funding you are not eligible to make application for free school meals.

Yes.  If your child is in EOTAS all year and not attending school enter the EOTAS centre on the application.  If your child will spend part year at EOTAS and the rest at school enter your child’s main registered school on the application and e-mail [email protected] or telephone 028 9047 0233 to inform us of the EOTAS/Educational Guidance Centre where your child is attending.

Yes. If eligible your child can be entitled only if he/she has not reached the age of 18 on or before 31 July and is not attending a paid training course.

Yes, your application should include all children for whom you want to apply for funding. Enter the name of the school your child waiting for results is most likely to attend on the application and inform the Meals and Uniform Section by phone or in writing if this information changes.

Yes. Free school meals will be processed. The Meals and Uniform Section will write to the school/college at the beginning of the new school year to confirm that your child is attending.

Yes, you can apply for free school meals if your child attends full-time at an Independent School.  However, your child will not be eligible for a uniform allowance. 

Yes. You must attach evidence to show that you are supported by the Home Office Asylum Support Assessment Team (ASAT) or that you have applied for support.

Yes. If you receive Universal Credit with net household earnings not exceeding £15,000 per year (£1250 per month or less) you are eligible to apply. You must attach all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Claimant Statement statement, which can be found by logging into your Universal Credit account and clicking on your most recent payment details where you will be shown the breakdown of all payments and deductions of how your Universal Credit has been calculated. The relevant pages need to include your full name and address; the dates and amounts of payment and all entitlements and deductions.  This will ensure you provide us with all of the necessary information with your application.

Free School Meals and Uniform staff will use the household take home pay on a claimant’s most recent, monthly Universal Credit Claimant Statement x 12. This is because claimants do not receive a yearly Universal Credit Claimant Statement (showing 12 months income).

If your income varies each month and the take home pay shown on your most recent monthly Universal Credit Claimant Statement does not show your typical monthly income, you can apply again after receiving future Statements which show a lower take-home pay.  After you are entitled it will be your responsibility to inform us if future statements show a monthly income which is higher than £1250 per month (£1250 x 12 = £15,000) as this means you would no longer be eligible for Free School Meals.  We advise that you only inform us of any changes if two monthly statements in a row show a take home pay of above this amount.

No. The Meals and Uniform Section requires parents to submit an application for free school meals in each school year. A free school meal (not money) is available directly to the child on each school day when that child is physically present at school within the relevant school year once the child has been awarded free school meals entitlement by the EA.  There is no financial assistance to parents either before entitlement is awarded or in lieu of free school meals. Therefore no back payments can be made.

Parents/guardians will receive an email advising them of entitlement. The school will also be informed.

You should log back into your account on EA Connect and scroll to ‘My Applications’ where you can see the application status. You can also avail of the ‘View More’ button if you need further details. If your application has been approved, you will be able to see the start date for free school meals. If your application states ‘Returned’, this means that information or evidence was missing and we need you to submit the application again with this information/evidence.

We aim to process applications within 2 weeks however in busy periods of June to October applications can take up to 3 weeks to be processed. If you do not receive a decision about your application after 3 weeks you should e-mail the Free School Meals and Uniform Helpdesk on [email protected] giving as much information as you can i.e. the name under which you applied, your National Insurance Number and the submission number you received when your application was acknowledged. Please state clearly in your email that you applied more than 3 weeks ago.

No, this ceased from 1 April 2023.

A Free School Meals/School Uniform/Physical Education Clothing applications for the current 2024/25 school year can be made online on EA Connect. Visit our Apply for Free School Meals/Uniform Grant page for more information. 

You will need to upload proof of your qualifying benefit with your online application.

If applying under Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit all pages of your Tax Credits Award Notice (TC602) for the year 6/4/24 to 5/4/25 must be submitted with your completed application. Tax Credits Award Notices (TC602) before these dates cannot be accepted.

If you have not received your 6/4/24 to 5/4/25 Tax Credits Award Notice (TC602) but have received a Tax Credits Annual Review Notice (TC603R) for the year ended April 2024 which states “Check now no later than 31/7/2024” then you can upload this with your application. Tax Credits Annual Review Notices (TC603R) which state “Reply now no later than 31/7/2024” cannot be accepted.

If you misplaced/lost your TC602/TC603R you must contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on their helpline 0345 300 3900 to request a replacement.

If you have not received a (TC602/TC603R) or replacement from HM Revenue and Customs by the end of July 2024 you can submit an application for consideration with a letter stating why a TC602/TC603R is not attached. This may delay your claim.

If you are applying under Universal Credit, you must attach all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Claimant Statement which includes your name and address, dates and amounts of UC payments, all entitlements and all deductions.  This can be found by logging into your Universal Credit account and clicking on your most recent payment details where you see the breakdown of all payments and deductions of how your Universal Credit has been calculated. This will ensure you provide us with all of the necessary information.

If you are applying under Income Support, Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit you must submit your Proof of Benefit letter with your application. This letter must be dated no earlier than the beginning of the month before you submit your application.

You must:   

• Check your email inbox plus your spam/junk mail folders for replies from the Meals and Uniform Section as this is how we will inform you if your application has been approved/rejected or if you need to do anything further.
   
• Submit to the Meals and Uniform Section a fully completed application including proof of your qualifying benefit. The child(ren) applied for must be in your actual custody, included in the payments for Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit and the name(s) must be entered as they appear on the Birth Certificate unless they have been legally changed;
   
• Notify the Meals and Uniform Section immediately of any changes in family circumstances or benefit entitlement;
   
• Provide the correct Bank/Building Society Details of the person claiming benefit and ensure that this account can accept payment by BACS.  Uniform allowances can only be paid into a bank account stating the claimant’s name.  If you do not have a bank/building society account then your uniform allowance will be paid by a cheque;
   
• Provide the correct ID to cash your cheque (if paid by cheque) at Danske Bank (NI), i.e. current full driving licence, valid passport, electoral card, Translink Smart Pass, student ID/registration card or EU/UK National Identity Card.

If your application is not successful/approved because you do not meet the criteria you will be sent an email and you can log into your EA Connect account to view details of what you need to send us. In this case you must submit your application again and attach the correct information to the application. Check your spam/junk mail regularly in case the email was delivered there. It is your responsibility to resubmit your application promptly with the correct information or your child/children may not have support in place for the start of the school year.

If you have not been able to obtain the Proof of Benefit letter or do not understand how to download evidence of your Universal Credit Claimant Statement you can go to your local Jobs and Benefits office (JBo) Digital Hub and ask for help.

Staff there will enable you to obtain the correct evidence needed to support your application and assist you to make your application for Free School Meals and Uniform Allowance.

If your application is successful you will be sent an e-mail confirming this. 

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit/Working Tax Credit you need to have the correct proof of all pages of your most recent Claimant Statement or benefit document saved onto your phone or computer before you begin the application process.  If you are in receipt of Income Support, Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit you must have your Proof of Benefits letter saved onto your phone or computer.

Please see our accessibility information to find out more about the Recite Me tool and how to use it. 

Please telephone our Helpdesk and one of our trained staff will be able to help you. 

We aim to process applications within 2 weeks however in the busy period of June to October it can take up to 3 weeks for your application to be processed.

Yes. When you Register on EA Connect, choose the Student option and complete your details.  If you are a student and also have children who are attending school you must select Parent and Student when you register.

If your child is in full-time or part-time nursery school/nursery unit/reception class, he/she will not be eligible for a uniform allowance.

No. If you or the foster carer are in receipt of funding you are not eligible to make application for a uniform allowance.

Yes.  If your child is in EOTAS all year and not attending school enter the EOTAS centre on the application.  If your child will spend part year at EOTAS and the rest at school enter your child’s main registered school on the application and e-mail [email protected] or telephone 02890 470233 to inform us of the EOTAS/Educational Guidance Centre where your child is attending.

A uniform allowance is not paid for students at Regional/FE Colleges. If the full-time course includes Physical Education an allowance can be paid for PE.

Yes, your application should include all children for whom you want to apply for funding. Enter the name of the school your child waiting for results is most likely to attend on the application and inform the Meals and Uniform Section by phone or in writing if this information changes.

Yes. The Meals and Uniform Section will write to the school/college at the beginning of the new school year and when confirmation of your child's return is received the uniform allowance will be paid as soon as possible. Payments for students over 16 years of age will not be paid until September/October.

Your child will not be eligible for a uniform allowance.  However, you can apply for free school meals if your child attends full-time at an Independent School.

Yes. You must attach evidence to show that you are supported by the Home Office Asylum Support Assessment Team (ASAT) or that you have applied for support.

Yes. If you receive Universal Credit with net household earnings not exceeding £15,000 per year (£1250 per month or less) you are eligible to apply. You must attach all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Claimant Statement, which can be found by logging into your Universal Credit account and clicking on your most recent payment details where you will be shown the breakdown of all payments and deductions of how your Universal Credit has been calculated. The relevant pages need to include your full name and address; the dates and amounts of payment and all entitlements and deductions.  This will ensure you provide us with all of the necessary information with your application.

Free School Meals and Uniform staff will use the household take home pay on a claimant’s most recent, monthly Universal Credit Claimant Statement  x 12.  This is because claimants do not receive a yearly Universal Credit Claimant Statement(showing 12 months income).

If your income varies each month and the take home pay shown on your most recent monthly Universal Credit Claimant Statement does not show your typical monthly income, you can apply again after receiving future Statements which show a lower take-home pay.  After you are entitled it will be your responsibility to inform us if future statements show a monthly income which is higher than £1250 per month (£1250 x 12 = £15,000) as this means you would no longer be eligible for Free School Meals.  We advise that you only inform us of any changes if two monthly statements in a row show a take home pay of above this amount.

No. The Meals and Uniform Section requires parents to submit an application for uniform in each school year and a uniform allowance will only be awarded after the claim for the relevant school year has been assessed. The Meals and Uniform Section does not accept or process back-dated claims for uniform allowances.

Payment of uniform allowances are made from the end of July. If you enter bank/building society details on the application you should check your account for payment. If no bank/building society details are entered or if you gave given incorrect account details you will receive a cheque by post.

EA have now changed their banking provider from Bank of Ireland to Danske Bank. For those who receive cheques and are not able to lodge to a bank account, cheques can be cashed in Danske Bank branches when presented at the counter with official photographic proof of identification.

You should log back into your account on EA Connect and scroll to ‘My Applications’ where you can see the application status. You can also avail of the ‘View More’ button if you need further details. If your application states ‘Returned’, this means that information or evidence was missing and we need you to submit the application again with this information/evidence.

We aim to process applications within 2 weeks however in busy periods of June to October applications can take up to 3 weeks to be processed.

If you do not receive a decision about your application after 3 weeks you should e-mail the Free School Meals and Uniform Helpdesk on [email protected] giving as much information as you can i.e. the name under which you applied, your National Insurance Number and the submission number you received when your application was acknowledged.  Please state clearly in your email that you applied more than 3 weeks ago.