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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.

2022-2023 School Year Important Information

Income Verification Method: SFAs that did not conduct income verification during the 2021-2022 school year due to COVID-19 USDA waiver flexibilities, should determine the method of verification to conduct based on the response rate from the most recent school year that the SFA conducted verification. This could be the 2019-2020 school year.  Please see page 5 for details on income verification methods.

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, 2022.  For the 2022-2023 School Year, October 1 falls on a Saturday 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, 2022.

Additional Resources

USDA Eligibility Manual for School Meals

USDA Verification Tool Kit

Income Verification & Verification Collection Report Snip-It

2022-2023 SY Webinar: Income Applications, Direct Certification Matching Process, and Income Verification (Part 1)

If you have any questions regarding Income Verification, please contact your Child Nutrition Program representative at 418-473-8781.

Last updated
September 23, 2022

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

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.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

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

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Click here for Nondiscrimination Statement translations.

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