• Parents/guardians may deposit any amount into their student’s school meals account. Meals and à-la-carte items are deducted from the account at the time of purchase only.

• The school meals account is not a credit system.

• Checks are the best way to make a deposit. Write the student’s name and ID number on the front of the check and make it payable to the school cafeteria.

• You may give checks to the cafeteria manager or cashier. Prepayments help serving lines run smoothly.

• If parents/guardians have more than one child in the same school, you can write a check for all your children there. Be sure to write each student’s name and ID number on the check so that it can be credited properly.

• Please indicate the deposit amount for each student next to the name.

• Checks used to pay for school meals must contain an address, phone number, and student ID number.

• We cannot accept post-dated checks.

• Returned checks are subject to recovery for the face value and a fee of $25, through an electronic debit or paper draft to the same account.

• Your payment by check constitutes your acceptance of these terms. If you have questions concerning our check acceptance policy, please call CHECKredi at 1-800-239-1222.

• Account balances from the previous year follow the student to the public school in Montgomery County where the student is enrolled. Any money left on the account from the previous year will be available to that student for the new school year. 

• If you have another child currently enrolled in an MCPS school, you may request a balance transfer to that child's school.

• Balances can also be donated to support unpaid meal debt accrued by MCPS students. 

• If your student will NOT return to an MCPS school next year, you may request a refund.  Email refund and balance transfer requests to DFNSHelpDesk@mcpsmd.org.

MySchoolBucks instructions:

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• MySchoolBucks is an optional service for parents to view recent purchases and make prepayments to a student's school meals account for breakfast, lunch, and à-la-carte meals online, using a credit or debit card.

• Parents can manage their child's school meal payments by creating a secure online account.

• Payments to student accounts through MySchoolBucks is an option and not a requirement. 

• Please note that there is $2.49 transaction fee charged for each credit/debit card payment made with MySchoolBucks. Funds can continue to be added to student meal accounts at no charge by bringing cash or checks directly to school cafeteria managers. 

How to enroll in MySchoolBucks

• Go to www.myschoolbucks.com and click on "Sign up today!"

• Create an account for yourself, and add your children. You will need the student’s name (exactly as it appears on their report card), school, grade, birth date, and six-digit student ID number.

• (OPTIONAL) Provide credit or debit card information, if you would like to make prepayments to your child's cafeteria account.

• Select a Meal Payment Option to make a prepayment, or select your child's name to view recent cafeteria purchases.

Explanation of Fees

• There is a $2.49 convenience fee for each payment transaction. All fees are displayed at the time of payment.

• There is no cost to set up an account and check your child’s spending history or receive low-balance notifications.

• Neither the school nor the Division of Food and Nutrition Services receive any income from providing this service. Fees are associated with processing online credit and debit card payments.

• This service is optional—schools will continue to accept checks and cash for meals in the cafeteria.

Support

Call the MySchoolBucks toll-free customer support center at 1-855-832-5226 for assistance with enrollment or questions about your account. MySchoolBucks support staff are available Monday to Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. eastern standard time.

Students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on household size and income. They may also qualify if they are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Medicaid benefits. Families may apply for meal benefits by completing an Application for Free and Reduced-price Meals for the current school year.

Students who qualify for reduced-price meals will eat for free! Click here for income guidelines.

Apply online at MySchoolApps.com (translations available) Click here for an English video tutorial.

Vea aquí un vídeo paso a paso en español sobre cómo completar la solicitud de FARMS.

• Federal eligibility guidelines change each school year; therefore, a new application must be submitted each school year.

• List all students in the family on one household application.

• Each student will be notified of meal benefit status (including both those approved, and those who do not qualify) by mail.  Please keep this important document for your records and use throughout the school year.

• Families may apply for meal benefits at any time during the school year. 

• Households that are unable to apply online should contact their school or the Division of Food and Nutrition Services at 240-740-7400.

Household Application for Free and Reduced-price Meals 2024-2025

Online applications are available now for Free and Reduced-price Meals for the 2024-2025 school year. Questions? Please call 240-740-7400.

Meal benefit eligibility from last school year will remain current only through the first 30 scheduled school days OR until a 2024-2025 application is processed.

• APPLY ONLINE for faster processing. Households who apply online should not submit a paper application.

• Please complete paper applications in black ink (not pencil).

• Your first name, last name, and middle initial are required on the application.

• Please provide birth date, grade, and school name to expedite processing.

• Use ONE application for ALL students in the household—including Pre-K, kindergarten, and foster—even if they attend different schools.

• If you are applying for a child who is homeless, a migrant, or a runaway, please call your child's school or contact the MCPS Homeless liaison at 240-740-4511.

Montgomery County public schools serve breakfast and lunch every school day. If your total household income is the same or less than the amounts on the Income Chart below, your child may qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Students in households participating in Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) may be eligible for free or reduced-priced meals

The following students qualify for free meals:

• Foster children

• Students certified as homeless or runaway

• Students enrolled in the Migrant Education program

• Students enrolled in the Head Start program

• Students enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Medicaid.

Dine With Dignity

The Dine with Dignity Fund helps students who cannot afford a lunch, but do not qualify for free meals, have access to traditional lunch options. Donations to this fund will go to schools to address unpaid lunch balances accrued during the school year, and allow students to receive a traditional lunch option even if they are in debt.

Currently, when a student’s lunch account has a negative balance of $10 or more, they are given an alternative meal. Unfortunately, this alternative meal identifies them to their peers as not having lunch money, increasing their potential to be embarrassed.  34,000 alternative meals were given to students last year.

The Foundation is raising awareness and funds to enable every student to dine with dignity. See our full announcement.

Click here to make a donation