Reimbursement Rates for the Child Nutrition Programs
Most of the support the federal government provides to schools in the National School Lunch Program comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program. The annual payments and rate adjustments for the National School Lunch Program reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
Federal Reimbursement Rates
National School Lunch Program
Federal reimbursement rates are effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. The performance-based cash reimbursement is $.07 (7 cents) per lunch meal for the 2021-2022 school year.
Lunch Category | 60% or More (High Lunch) | Less Than 60% (Low Lunch) |
|---|---|---|
Paid | 0.37 | 0.35 |
Reduced-Price | 3.28 | 3.26 |
Free | 3.68 | 3.66 |
School Breakfast Program
Breakfast Category | Severe Need | Non-Severe Need |
|---|---|---|
Paid | 0.33 | 0.33 |
Reduced-Price | 2.05 | 1.67 |
Free | 2.35 | 1.97 |
After School Snack Program
Snack Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Paid | 0.09 |
Reduced-Price | 0.50 |
Free | 1.00 |
Special Milk Program
Federal reimbursement rates are effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Milk Program | All Milk | Paid Milk | Free Milk |
|---|---|---|---|
Pricing Programs Without Free Option | 0.22 | N/A | N/A |
Pricing Programs With Free Option | N/A | 0.22 | Average cost per half pint |
Non-Pricing Programs | 0.22 | N/A | N/A |
Summer Food Service Program
Federal reimbursement rates are effective January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021.
Description | Type | Operating Rate | Administrative Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
Breakfast | Vended | 2.2400 | 0.1750 |
Breakfast | Self Prep/Rural | 2.2400 | 0.2225 |
Lunch and Supper | Vended | 3.9100 | 0.3400 |
Lunch and Supper | Self Prep/Rural | 3.9100 | 0.4075 |
Snack | Vended | 0.9100 | 0.0875 |
Snack | Self Prep/Rural | 0.9100 | 0.1100 |
Seamless Summer
Federal reimbursement rates are effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Seamless Summer meals are reimbursed at the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program free rates.
Per Waiver #86, Seamless Summer Option (SSO) meals will be paid or reimbursed using the Summer Food Service Program higher rates. No severe need or additional .07 cents will be added in SSO.
SSO reimbursement rates began as normal on July 1, 2021, and schools operating SSO will receive the higher Summer Food Service Program rate (self-prep rate) and that severe need and .07 will not be applied.
Description | High Lunch/Supper | Low Lunch/Supper | Severe Need Breakfast | Regular Breakfast | Snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free | 4.3175 | 4.3175 | 2.4625 | 2.4625 | 1.02 |
