Free school meals in Poland 2026: who qualifies, income limits

Poland has a government programme that helps pay for meals for children, and for adults in need, called "Posiłek w szkole i w domu" ("A meal at school and at home"). It runs from 2024 to 2028. For families with a low income, it can mean a hot meal, money for food or food products, arranged through the local social assistance centre. This guide explains who can get help, the income limits in 2026 and the question every foreign family asks: does it apply to us? Information is as of 16 October 2026, based on government and municipal sources. Your local centre makes the decision in each case.

What the programme is

The programme was set up by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of 23 August 2023 for the years 2024 to 2028. It supports municipalities in their duty to feed people in difficult situations and supports schools in improving canteens. Its aim, according to the Podkarpackie Voivodeship Office, is to give meals to people in a difficult life and financial situation and to reduce malnutrition, especially among children, young people and older people. It has three modules:

• Module 1: help for children and young people.
• Module 2: help for adults, especially older, sick or disabled and lonely people.
• Module 3: money for school canteens (equipment, reopening closed canteens or creating new ones).

Module 1: help for children

According to municipal social assistance centres, the programme supports children until they start primary school and pupils until they finish upper-secondary school. The help takes one of three forms:

• a meal,
• a cash benefit to buy a meal or food,
• an in-kind benefit in the form of food products.

* Photos: lunch and a school lunchtime scene (illustrative, not Poland), Wikimedia Commons, CC0 / public domain.

The help is granted by an administrative decision, after an administrative procedure, according to the social assistance centre in Jarosław. You apply to the social assistance centre in your municipality.

Income limits in 2026

To get help under modules 1 and 2, a person must meet the conditions of the social assistance act and have an income not higher than 200% of the social assistance income criterion. The figures used in 2026, as stated by municipal centres and the Podkarpackie Voivode, are:

• 2,020 zł for a person living alone,
• 1,646 zł per person in a family.

Ask the centre how it calculates your income and which documents it needs.

Module 3: canteens

According to the information collected by the Ministry of Education (MEN) for the programme, module 3 supports school canteens with their own kitchen and dining room, up to 80,000 zł per canteen, and up to 25,000 zł for adapting and equipping a dining room alone. The total budget of this module for 2024-2028 is 237.5 million zł, and the number of schools covered rose from 611 in 2023 to 671 in 2024. The rules for assessing applications changed in April 2026: the Council of Ministers added a new municipal wealth criterion, and the deadline for applications was extended to 20 May 2026.

Does it apply to foreigners?

The programme works through social assistance, so the social assistance act decides. Article 5 of the act, in the consolidated text published on 30 April 2026, says that foreigners who live in Poland are entitled to social assistance benefits if they stay:

• on the basis of a permanent residence permit, or a long-term EU resident permit,
• on the basis of certain temporary residence permits linked to circumstances named in the Act on Foreigners (art. 159(1)(1)(c) or (d), or art. 186(1)(3)),
• as refugees or with subsidiary protection.

Foreigners with a humanitarian stay permit or a tolerated stay permit can receive shelter, a meal, necessary clothing and a targeted allowance. Citizens of EU and EEA member states and Switzerland, and their family members, are covered if they have a right of residence or permanent residence in Poland. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy also notes that foreigners can use these benefits only after they finish the legalisation of their stay.

This list does not cover every permit. If you hold a different type of permit, or you are not sure that your permit is on the list, ask the social assistance centre before you apply. We did not find a source that says a particular permit qualifies for this programme, so we do not make that claim.

Frequently asked questions

Who can get a meal under the programme?

Children until primary school and pupils until they finish upper-secondary school, and adults in need, if they meet the social assistance conditions and an income of up to 200% of the social assistance criterion.

What are the income limits in 2026?

2,020 zł for a person living alone and 1,646 zł per person in a family, according to municipal centres.

In what form is the help given?

A meal, a cash benefit to buy a meal or food, or food products.

Where do I apply?

At the social assistance centre of your municipality. Ask there about your residence status and the documents.

Sources

• Podkarpacki Urząd Wojewódzki, Blisko 35 mln zł na program Posiłek w szkole i w domu (18 Mar 2026)
• MOPS Jarosław, Posiłek w szkole i w domu, edycja 2026
• GOPS Przemyśl, Dofinansowanie do programu 2026
• Inforlex, MEN wyjaśnia zmianę zasad programu (18 May 2026)
• Ustawa o pomocy społecznej, tekst jednolity (30 Apr 2026)
• Ministry of Family, Zasady pomocy społecznej