Free tool
CACFP reimbursement calculator
How much the Child and Adult Care Food Program pays your center in a month, at this year's rates. Enter your children by eligibility and what you serve.
Estimated reimbursement a month
$0.00
| Eligibility | Per child a day | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Free (0) | $8.60 | $0.00 |
| Reduced price (0) | $7.25 | $0.00 |
| Paid (0) | $0.99 | $0.00 |
Rates for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 from USDA's notice in the Federal Register, FR Doc. 2026-15071. Your claim counts the meals actually served to children who attended, so it will differ.
CACFP rates for centers, July 2026 to June 2027
Contiguous states and D.C.
| Meal | Free | Reduced price | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $2.54 | $2.24 | $0.42 |
| Lunch or supper | $4.76 | $4.36 | $0.45 |
| Snack | $1.30 | $0.65 | $0.12 |
Alaska
| Meal | Free | Reduced price | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $4.09 | $3.79 | $0.64 |
| Lunch or supper | $7.72 | $7.32 | $0.74 |
| Snack | $2.12 | $1.06 | $0.19 |
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
| Meal | Free | Reduced price | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $3.29 | $2.99 | $0.52 |
| Lunch or supper | $6.19 | $5.79 | $0.59 |
| Snack | $1.70 | $0.85 | $0.15 |
From FR Doc. 2026-15071 (91 FR 46895, published July 27, 2026), the national average payment rates for centers. They do not include USDA Foods or cash in lieu of them, which is 32 cents a lunch or supper this year (FR Doc. 2026-14123).
Questions centers ask
- How much does CACFP pay a child care center per meal?
- From July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, in the contiguous states: $4.76 for a free lunch or supper, $2.54 for a free breakfast and $1.30 for a free snack, less for reduced price and paid. The full table is on this page.
- How many meals can a center claim per child each day?
- At most two meals and one snack, or one meal and two snacks, for each child each day (7 CFR 226.17(b)(3)). A center serving more can still serve them; the extra ones are not paid for.
- What decides whether a child is free, reduced price or paid?
- The household's income, measured against USDA's Income Eligibility Guidelines on the form the center hands out. A child in a SNAP, FDPIR or TANF household, a foster child and a Head Start child are eligible for free meals automatically (7 CFR 226.23).
- Can a for-profit center take part?
- Yes, with a condition: it may not claim any month in which less than 25 percent of the children in care (enrolled or licensed capacity, whichever is less) were eligible for free or reduced price meals or were title XX beneficiaries (7 CFR 226.17(b)(4)).
What each meal has to contain, by age, is on the CACFP meal pattern chart. Counting at the table by hand? Print the daily meal count sheet.
Or let the claim count itself
In Farlow, teachers log meals for the whole room at the table, and the count by meal and by free, reduced and paid builds itself for any claim window.
See CACFP meal tracking