Summer Food Service Program
Income Eligibility Guidance for Camps, Conditional Non-Congregate Sites, and Closed Enrolled Sites

July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Community Food and Nutrition Assistance
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Telephone: 1-888-435-1464
Fax: 573-526-3679

Summer Food Service Program 
SFSP@health.mo.gov

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) requires the use of the Income Eligibility Form (IEF) to determine the income eligibility of enrolled children participating in camps, conditional non-congregate sites, and closed enrolled sites. The information collected on the IEF includes household size and income or the case number for benefits received under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The IEF and the Income Eligibility Guidelines are included in this booklet.

Important points to remember:

• An IEF documenting program eligibility must be on file with the sponsor for each child claimed for SFSP meal reimbursement in residential camps and conditional non-congregate sites.
• For closed enrolled sites, at least 50% of the children enrolled in the program must be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and IEFs must be on file for these children. “Enrolled” for purposes of the SFSP may be defined as any child who attended the site at any time during the claim period (usually one month).
• IEFs are only effective for one year. They must be updated annually.
• The parent letter included in this packet must be given to the parent or guardian with the IEF. This letter provides the required information and instructions to the parent or guardian for completing the IEF.
• The Income Eligibility Guidelines are updated each year. When reviewing the IEFs, be sure to use the current year’s Income Eligibility Guidelines.
• If, during a monitoring review, it is found that children were incorrectly classified or the IEF has expired, the sponsor will have to pay back money to the SFSP. Therefore, it is very important that IEFs are reviewed carefully.
• Income information must be kept confidential.
• All IEFs must be kept for three federal fiscal years plus the current contract year after the date the final claim for the fiscal year was submitted. If audit findings have not been resolved, the IEF must be kept as long as necessary to resolve the issues raised by the audit.
• If a School Food Authority (SFA) is operating as a sponsor of the SFSP, IEFs collected during the previous school year may be used to determine an individual's eligibility in the SFSP. If direct certification was used for some of the IEFs, it is permissible that these applications remain part of the SFSP site eligibility data.

Summer Food Service Program
Parent Letter – Camps, Conditional Non-Congregate Sites, and Closed Enrolled Sites
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026

Dear Parent or Guardian:

(Name of SFSP Sponsor) is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. This program reimburses sponsors for nutritious meals served to children meeting the eligibility requirements for free or reduced-price school meals. Sponsors must document eligibility by obtaining family size and income data. If your yearly income is equal to or less than the amount listed below for your family size, your child is eligible to receive free or reduced meals.

If your child is a member of a household receiving assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP [formerly Food Stamps]) or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, he or she is automatically eligible when your case number is listed on the IEF.

In order to apply for meal benefits, the attached form must be completed according to the directions below:

Parts 1, 2, and 4 of the IEF are required to be completed, except if SNAP or TANF benefits are documented, then only Parts 1 and 4 are required.

Part 1: Children Enrolled in the Program

• List all children (first and last name) enrolled in the camp or site.
• List each enrolled child’s complete date of birth (month/day/year).
• If you are applying for a foster child, the foster child is eligible for free meals, provided third-party documentation is provided to the sponsor. Mark an X in the space provided, if a foster child is listed in Part 1.
• If your child receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) payments, please indicate the appropriate case number in the spaces provided and sign the form. Do not use the number on your card. You do not need to complete Part 2.
• If you have a SNAP or TANF case number for at least one of your children enrolled at the camp or site, the eligibility extends to all of your children enrolled at the camp or site. Skip Part 2.

Part 2: Household and Income Information

• Report income by payment cycle (i.e., weekly, monthly, etc.) for each household member.
• List other household members not included in Part 1. A household is a group of related or unrelated individuals who are living as one economic unit (i.e., sharing living expenses). Note: A foster child may be added to increase household size, if applicable.
• Report gross wages in the space provided. This includes all income before taxes and before other deductions.
• Income exclusions not to be reported or counted include:
  • Payments received for the care of foster children.
  • Student financial assistance provided for the costs of attendance at an educational institution, such as grants and scholarships.
  • Bank or student loans, since these funds are only temporarily available and must be repaid.
• Report welfare, child support, alimony, pensions, retirement, social security, and other income in the space provided, if applicable.

Part 3: Participant’s Ethnic and Racial Information – Optional

Part 4: Signature

• Sign the form.
• For the IEF to be valid, you must provide the last four digits of your social security number, unless your child(ren) is a SNAP or TANF recipient. If you do not have a social security number, write “none” in the space provided.
• Date the form.
• Print your full name.
• Print your complete mailing address.
• Provide your phone number.

Note: The adult household member completing the IEF must attest to the fact that the information provided is correct and true and that all income is reported, that it is being given in connection with the receipt of federal funds, that institution officials may verify information, and that deliberate misrepresentation of information may subject the individual to prosecution under the applicable state and federal laws.

Sincerely,

(Signature of Sponsor Representative)
(Name, Title)
(Phone Number)

Attachment

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 AD3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, 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.

• Earning from employment
  • Wages/salaries/tips
  • Strike benefits
  • Unemployment compensation
  • Worker’s compensation
  • Net income from self-owned business or farm
• Foster child’s income
  • Only funds from welfare agency identified by category for personal use of child (clothing, school fees, etc.)
  • Funds from child’s family for personal use
  • Earnings from other than occasional or part-time employment
  • Do not count funds from welfare agency for shelter, care, etc.
• Pensions/Retirement/Social Security
  • Pensions
  • Supplemental security income
  • Retirement income
  • Veteran’s payments
  • Social Security
• Welfare/Child Support/Alimony
  • Public Assistance Payments
  • Welfare Payments
  • Alimony/Child Support Payments
• Other Income
  • Disability benefits
  • Cash withdrawn from savings
  • Interest/dividends
  • Income from estates/trusts/investments
  • Regular contributions from persons not living in the household
  • Net royalties/annuities/ net rental income

• Each parent or guardian shall be given the parent letter and an IEF on a yearly basis. If the parent does not return the completed form, the child may not be counted toward site eligibility requirements at closed enrolled sites, or if at a camp or conditional non-congregate site, meals served to the child may not be claimed for Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) reimbursement.
• The IEF shall be reviewed by the sponsor representative to determine if all Parts (1-4) of the application have been completed. The application is not valid if not fully completed by the parent or guardian.
• The sponsor representative must ensure that the first and last name and the birth date of the child(ren) enrolled at the camp or site is listed on the IEF.
• A foster child, whose care and placement is the responsibility of the child welfare agency or who is placed by the court with a caretaker household, is eligible for free meal benefits without completing an IEF if the sponsor obtains documentation verifying that the child’s placement in the household is the responsibility of the state or the court. The eligibility of foster children applies only to children formally placed by the child welfare agency or the court. It does not apply to informal arrangements that may exist outside of the state or the court-based systems.
• Households with foster and non-foster children may choose to include the foster child as a household member (as well as any personal income* earned by the foster child) on the same household application that includes their non-foster children. This may help the foster family’s non-foster children qualify for free meals based on household size and income. Community Food and Nutrition Assistance (CFNA) will certify the foster child for free meals (with appropriate supporting documentation as described above) and will then make an eligibility determination for the remainder of the household based on the household’s income. Foster payments received by the family from the child welfare agency are not considered income and do not need to be reported on the IEF.
  • Personal income for foster children is defined as: Funds that are specified by the welfare agency as being for the personal use of the child. If no funds are specified, the funds received from the welfare agency are not to be considered as income.
    
    Money received in hand from any source. This includes, but is not limited to, funds received from trust accounts, monies provided by the child’s family for personal use, and earnings from the child’s employment other than occasional or part-time jobs.
• A child who is not legally designated as a foster child by virtue of not being an official ward of the court and/or the welfare agency does not qualify as a "foster child" for the purposes of the SFSP (i.e., adopted foster child). Such children are considered part of the entire family economic unit for the purpose of determining eligibility in the SFSP.
• If the parent or guardian checks that the child(ren) is receiving SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (formerly AFDC, now funded by TANF) and enters the SNAP or Temporary Assistance case number, the child(ren) are automatically eligible for free meals. The parent does not need to complete Part 2.
  • SNAP numbers have the following characteristics: FS-xxx-xxxxxxxx*. The three-digit portion is a county code.
  • Temporary Assistance numbers have the following characteristics: C-xxxxxxxxxxx*. The three-digit portion is a county code.
  • At a minimum, the eight-digit portion of the case number must be provided on the IEF for the child to be automatically eligible for free meals.
    
    *If a child has a ten-digit case number, the parent or guardian does not need to enter the first two zeros on the form.
• If the parent or guardian did not report a SNAP or TANF case number, they must complete all entries in Part 2 and Part 4 to determine eligibility.
• Check that the parent or guardian listed all household members other than those children listed in Part 1. A household is defined as a group of related or nonrelated individuals who are not residents of an institution or a boarding house, but who are living together as one economic group.
• Check that the parent or guardian listed each household member and indicated gross monthly income by source before any deductions are made. Current income is defined as income received during the month prior to the application. If the prior month's income is not representative of the household's annual rate of income, the household should report projected annual income.
• Completion of the Participant’s Ethnic and Racial Information (Part 3) is not mandatory, and the failure to complete this information shall not affect the eligibility of the child.
• The adult household member completing the IEF must sign Part 4 to certify that the information provided is correct and true and that all income is reported, that it is being given in connection with the receipt of federal funds, that institution officials may verify information, and that deliberate misrepresentation may subject the individual to prosecution under applicable state and federal laws. If the adult does not have a social security number, "none" should be written in the space provided. The IEF cannot be approved for free meals unless it is fully completed, signed, and dated by the parent or guardian.
• The parent or guardian must fully complete the IEF. The sponsor representative shall complete only the section labeled "For Sponsor Use Only."
• The sponsor representative shall determine if the child is eligible or ineligible by completing the bottom section of the IEF marked “For Sponsor Use Only.” The IEF is effective from the first day of the month that the form was signed and dated.

The sponsor representative shall determine the child’s eligibility by completing the bottom section of the IEF marked “For Sponsor Use Only.” The IEF is effective from the first day of the month the form is signed and dated.

• Enter the total household size and total income.
• Indicate if the eligibility status is based on household income by marking the payment cycle as reported in Part 2 (year, month, 2 x a month, every 2 weeks, or weekly).
• Indicate if the eligibility status is based on SNAP or TANF participation. Check to make sure an eight-digit case number is provided if the child is a SNAP or TANF recipient. If the child is receiving SNAP or TANF, the child is automatically eligible for free meals.
• Determine the claiming status based on the income eligibility guidelines chart and indicate the child’s eligibility status as eligible or ineligible.
• Sign the form.
• Date the form

Income Guidelines

July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

*“Income” means income before any deductions such as income taxes, Social Security taxes, insurance premiums, charitable contributions, and bonds. It includes the following: (1) Monetary compensation for services, including wages, salary, commissions, or fees; (2) net income from nonfarm self-employment; (3) net income from farm self-employment; (4) Social Security; (5) dividends or interest on savings or bonds or income from estates or trusts; (6) net rental income; (7) public assistance or welfare payments; (8) unemployment compensation; (9) government civilian employee or military retirement, or pensions, or veterans payments; (10) private pensions or annuities; (11) alimony or child support payments; (12) regular contributions from persons not living in the household; (13) net royalties; and (14) other cash income. Other cash income would include cash amounts received or withdrawn from any source, including savings, investments, trust accounts, and other resources that would be available to pay the price of a child’s meal.

“Income” does not include any income or benefits received under any Federal programs that are excluded from consideration as income by any statutory prohibition. Source: USDA, FNS-Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines