Paid Lunch Equity (PLE)
School Year 2025
The Paid Lunch Equity requirements apply to SFAs that charge students for meals.
USDA memo SP 12-2025 provides guidance on the Paid Lunch Equity Requirements for School Year 2025-2026. Only SFAs that charge students for meals and had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2024, shall be required to establish a price for paid student lunches according to the PLE provisions.
- Paid Lunch Equity Guidance Memo SP 12-2025
- Paid Lunch Equity Tool - SY26
- Paid Lunch Equity Tool Calculator Flow Chart
- Paid Lunch Equity Exemption Request Form - to be completed by SFAs that charge students for meals and have a positive or zero balance as of June 30, 2024
Pricing and Charging Resources
- Unallowable Costs
- SP46-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies
- SP47-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments
- Equity in School Lunch Pricing Regulation
USDA Instructions for Adult Pricing
Pricing of Adult Meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.
USDA instruction sets forth the policy on pricing of meals served to adults under the National School Lunch, Commodity School, and School Breakfast Programs in participating schools and institutions which claim reimbursement under Sections 4 and 11 of the National School Lunch Act and Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act.
Adult Visitors: The charge to adult visitors, at the discretion of school officials, may be higher than the charge paid by adult school employees.
School Food Service Employees: Meals served to cafeteria employees directly involved in the operation and administration of the breakfast and lunch programs (e.g., managers, cooks, servers, etc.) may be served at no charge and considered as a fringe benefit attributable to program costs. Therefore, the cost of such meals may be paid from program funds. Charging school food service employees for meals is left to the discretion of school officials.
Other School District Employees: The benefits of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are for children only. The reimbursement and commodities received by schools are based on the number of lunches and breakfasts served to students.
No reimbursement or USDA Food is provided for meals served to adults.