USDA’s Unpaid Meal Charges Website
Policy Guidance
- SP23-2017: Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A (with additional IDOE guidance)
- SP 46-2016: Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies
- SP 47-2016: Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments
USDA Resources
- Excess Balance Letter and Donation Form
- Meal Charge Policy Training Template
- Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools
- Talking Points for SFAs
- Unpaid Meal Charges Fact Sheet
Preventing School Lunch Shaming
Indiana Resources
PLE Tool SY 2026-2027
- PLE Tool Step by Step Instructions (2026-2027)
- PLE Tool SY 2026-2027
- PLE Tool Attestation Statement for PLE Tool Exemption 2026-2027: SFA must have a positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school service account as of June 30, 2025.
- PLE Tool USDA PLE Tool Memo SP 06-2026
- PLE Tool Common Questions and Answers
- PLE Tool Information and training Walk-through 2024-2025 This webinar from a few years ago, gives a brief introduction to the paid lunch equity (PLE) requirement found in 7 CFR 210.14(e) followed by a walk-through of the school year 2024-25 PLE tool. During the walk-through, the recording goes over how to complete calculations in the tool’s tabs that correspond to the method the school food authority chooses to use to meet the PLE requirement. This is a resource for individuals who have not worked with the tool before or would like a refresher of the tool.
PLE Tool SY 2025-2026
- PLE Tool Step by Step Instructions
- PLE Tool SY 2025-2026
- PLE Tool Attestation Statement for PLE Tool Exemption: SFA must have a positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school service account as of June 30, 2024.
- PLE Tool USDA PLE Tool Memo SP
- PLE Guidance from USDA 2025-2026
- PLE Tools Flowchart SY 2025-2026
- PLE Tool Common Questions and Answers
- PLE Tool Information and training Walk-through 2025-2026 This webinar gives a brief introduction to the paid lunch equity (PLE) requirement found in 7 CFR 210.14(e) followed by a walk-through of the school year 2024-25 PLE tool. During the walk-through, the recording goes over how to complete calculations in the tool’s tabs that correspond to the method the school food authority chooses to use to meet the PLE requirement. This is a resource for individuals who have not worked with the tool before or would like a refresher of the tool.
PLE Archive
PLE Tool SY 2024-2025
- PLE Tool Step by Step Instructions
- PLE Tool SY 2024-2025
- PLE Tool Attestation Statement for PLE Tool Exemption: SFA must have a positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school service account as of June 30, 2023.
- PLE Tool Information and training Walk-through 2024-2025 SP 14-2024
- PLE Tool USDA PLE Tool Memo SP 14-2024
- PLE Guidance from USDA 2024-2025
- PLE Tools Flowchart SY 2024-2025
- PLE Tool Common Questions and Answers
