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School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and/or National School Lunch Program (NSLP) that conduct standard counting and claiming procedures are required to select and verify a sample of their approved free and reduced-price meal applications on file as of October 1st by November 15th of each year. This process is called Income Verification.

This guidance manual contains important information on how to conduct Income Verification and includes template letters that should be used to correspond with families.

List of SFAs Required to Conduct Income Verification

SFAs that are required to conduct income verification will appear on the attached list which also includes an indicator of the allowable sampling methods for each SFA.

2023-2024 School Year Important Information

Income Verification Sample Size: The sample size used to conduct income verification activities must be based on the number of approved applications on file as of October 1, 2023.  For the 2023-2024 School Year, October 1 falls on a Sunday and therefore, SFAs should use the next operating day to establish their income verification sample pool. 

Verification Collection Report

All SFAs that conduct income verification must complete and submit the Verification Collection Report on the Child Nutrition Management System (CNMS) by December 15, 2023. SFAs operating the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or operating Provision 2 SFA-wide are not required to complete the Verification Collection Report.

Additional Resources

USDA Eligibility Manual for School Meals

USDA Verification Tool Kit

Income Verification & Verification Collection Report Snip-It

If you have any questions regarding Income Verification, please contact your Child Nutrition Program representative at 418-473-8781 or email addresses can be found on our Contact Us page.

Last updated
September 22, 2023

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

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To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    Program.Intake@usda.gov

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