Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

School Year 2026–27 Annual Update Now Open

The California Department of Education (CDE) has opened the School Nutrition Programs (SNP) Annual Update in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) for School Year (SY) 2026–27 (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027). All SNP operators may now complete their required annual participation updates in the CNIPS.

Important Information

The Nutrition Services Division (NSD) must approve your CNIPS SY 2026–27 Application Packet before you are able to submit reimbursement claims. For detailed information on when to submit claims for reimbursement, review the CDE SNP Claim Submission Deadlines web page.

Program operators scheduled for an SNP administrative review (AR) during SY 2026–27 should complete their annual update as soon as possible as this information is required for the on-site portion of the review. The list of program operators receiving an SNP AR in SY 2026–27 is posted on the CDE SNP AR web page.

How to Complete the SY 2026–27 Annual Update

The NSD created detailed step-by-step instructions for completing your annual updates that are available in the CNIPS Download Forms section, Form ID Instructions: 2026–27 CNIPS Annual Update. Please review these instructions to start the annual update process and to help prevent application errors.

  1. Log in to the CNIPS website
  2. Enter your User ID and Password, then select Log On
  3. Select the Applications link in the menu bar
  4. Under the Item column, select the Download Forms link
  5. Select Instructions: 2026–27 CNIPS Annual Update

Do not submit your 2027 Seamless Summer Option (SSO) applications at this time. Program operators should wait to submit their SSO application in the spring after summer meal plans have been finalized. Any SSO site applications submitted now will be returned.

Resources and Contact Information

If you have any questions or need assistance regarding the CNIPS Annual Update, please contact your SNP specialist. A current list of SNP specialists is available on the CDE SNP Specialist Directory web page. You may also email snpinfo@cde.ca.gov.

For additional information on the CNIPS, or to access the SNP Sponsor User Manual, please visit the CDE SNP CNIPS Training web page.

For CNIPS technical questions, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk by email at cnips@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Friday, July 3, 2026
Related Content
Trending in Nutrition
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Opportunity: Ultraprocessed Foods Evaluation (added 07-Oct-2026)
    Opportunity to Participate in the Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs) in CA Schools Evaluation
  • MB FDP-01-2026 Shipment and Receipt of USDA Foods (added 07-Oct-2026)
    The FNS Instruction 709-5, Revision 4 applies to local educational agencies and other entities that receive USDA Foods directly from a USDA-contracted vendor. It does not apply to USDA Foods received from a State distribution center, Co-op, or a cont
  • FNS 709-5, Rev. 4: Shipment & Receipt of USDA Food (added 01-Oct-2026)
    This management bulletin outlines the updates to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Instruction 709-5, Revision 4: Shipment and Receipt of USDA Foods.
  • 2026–27 FFVP Second Allocation Funding Results (added 30-Sep-2026)
    On September 29, 2026, the CDE NSD awarded and posted the FFVP second allocation grant recipients and funding allocations for School Year 2026–27 on the CDE FFVP Funding Results web page. The FFVP second allocation is October 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.
  • USDA Foods Participation Election for SY 2027–28 (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Beginning October 1, 2026, and through December 15, 2026, SNP sponsors participating in the Food Distribution Program may submit a request to change the way they order and receive USDA Foods for School Year (SY) 2027–28.

  • Updates to Child Nutrition Program Standards (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Two MBs SNP-08-2026, SFSP-02-2026 Updates to School Nutrition Program Standards and SNP-09-2026 Preschool Meal Pattern Requirements have been updated to reflect new federal meal pattern and nutrition standard requirement & flexibility options.
  • Fontanini Foods Recalls Pork Sausage Products (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Fontanini Foods LLC Recalls Raw, Frozen Pork Sausage Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination.
  • SUN Bucks Funds (added 29-Sep-2026)
    SUN Bucks Funding allocations provide eligible local educational agencies (LEA) funds to help support the work associated with Universal Benefits Applications (UBA)/SUN Bucks-compliant applications during the applicable SUN Bucks eligibility period.
  • 2026 SUN Bucks Funds (added 29-Sep-2026)
    The 2026 SUN Bucks Funding allocations provide eligible local educational agencies with funds to help support the work associated with Universal Benefits Applications (UBA)/SUN Bucks-compliant applications during the applicable SUN Bucks eligible.
  • Assembly Bill 1264 Public Input Survey Open (added 28-Sep-2026)
    Survey forwarded from California Department of Public Health for public input on AB 1264.