From 1 April 2026, more families in Scotland will qualify for a free school lunch. Ministers have raised the Universal Credit earnings limit to £995 per assessment period and added a new route through State Pension Credit. The change is set out in The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (Modification) Regulations 2026, signed by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth on 21 January and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 23 January, with publication on legislation.gov.uk.

The rules sit under section 53 of the 1980 Act, which requires councils to provide a free school lunch to pupils who meet the criteria. The 2026 regulations replace the £850 figure in section 53(7)(c) with £995 and insert a new paragraph so that a pupil also qualifies where their parents receive State Pension Credit. It is a technical update with very real consequences for household budgets.

For families on Universal Credit, the test looks at earned income in the assessment period immediately before applying. If you are not part of a couple, your earned income must not exceed £995 in that monthly period. If you are part of a couple, your combined earned income must not exceed £995. This is a clear step up from last year’s £850 threshold, designed to keep pace with rising wages so that working families are not priced out of support.

Councils from the Borders to the islands will now plan for April timetables, kitchen staffing and purchasing. The higher threshold should mean more pupils eating in school canteens, which is good for nutrition and for steady meal numbers that keep costs predictable. Rural authorities will keep a close eye on delivery costs and ferry timetables; big-city kitchens will focus on throughput and staffing at peak times.

The addition of State Pension Credit matters for older parents raising school‑age children. It creates a straightforward rule: if the parents of the pupil receive State Pension Credit, the pupil qualifies for a free lunch. Schools and council teams will need clear messaging for families so no one misses out because of paperwork or assumptions about age‑related benefits.

Scotland already offers universal free school lunches for all pupils in P1–P5 and in special schools. Older primary years and secondary pupils generally rely on benefits‑based eligibility. This update strengthens that safety net ahead of the summer term while wider expansion work continues through local authorities.

Families should prepare now. Check your Universal Credit journal for your latest assessment period and earnings, or confirm your State Pension Credit award if that applies. Then contact your council’s education or benefits team to make sure your child is registered from 1 April. Schools cannot backdate meals without an approved claim, so getting the paperwork right matters.

For headteachers and business managers, the immediate task is communication. Letters home, texts and school apps need to spell out the new £995 limit and the pension credit route, with signposting to council forms. Canteen teams will want pupil counts early to avoid waste and to make sure additional dietary needs are catered for from day one.

This is not a headline‑grabbing pledge; it is a practical recalibration that will put money back in the pockets of low‑income households across Scotland. For readers running schools or community kitchens across the North of England, it is a useful comparator too: different systems on either side of the border, but the same goal-no child trying to learn on an empty stomach.