FNS Documents & Resources

A final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 65778), was published on Sept. 26, 2023, with an effective date of Oct. 26, 2023, that established the 25 percent minimum ISP threshold.  As a result, more students, households, and schools have the opportunity to experience CEP’s benefits, such as increasing access to school meals at no cost, eliminating unpaid meal charges, minimizing stigma, and streamlining meal service operations.

Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 are eligible. They must meet income guidelines, a state residency requirement, and be individually determined to be at "nutritional risk" by a health professional.

Households with a child  approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.

The Child Tax Credit, part of the American Rescue Plan, significantly expands the child tax credit for 2021 and will be issued to families in monthly payments, beginning in July. These credits do not count as income for purposes of determining eligibility for WIC. For more detailed information on the Child Tax Credit, please go to childtaxcredit.gov.

This memorandum provides information on the exclusion as income of rebates under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP.

FNS is establishing a targeted waiver, for all states and local educational agencies, to extend statutory and regulatory deadlines relating to Community Eligibility Provision reporting and election during the public health emergency due to COVID–19.

This memo is inform FNS regional offices and state agencies of the release of the 2021-22 WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines. The 2021-22 Income Eligibility Guidelines are used by state agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in WIC. 

This memo is inform FNS regional offices and state agencies of the release of the publication of the 2021-22 Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Income Eligibility Guidelines. The 2021-22 Income Eligibility Guidelines are used by state agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in SFMNP. These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the SFMNP regulations

This memorandum transmits the 2021 Income Guidelines or state agencies and ITOs in determining the eligibility of individuals applying to participate in CSFP. These guidelines should be used in conjunction with CSFP regulations which establish household income limits.

This policy memorandum transmits the 2020-2021 Income Eligibility Guidelines for the Senior Farmers’ Market National Program.