Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Universal Benefits Application Now Available


The California Department of Education (CDE) has created a new Universal Benefits Application (UBA) template for use by local educational agencies (LEAs) that participate in a federal school nutrition program and operate under a federal provision like the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Provision 2 (P2).

The UBA qualifies students for SUN Bucks benefits. Any Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) records resulting from Universal Benefits Applications may also be used to identify which students meet the income eligibility criteria to be included in the Unduplicated Pupil Count under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

Beginning in School Year 2025 – 2026, Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) that are approved to operate a federal provision, such as the CEP or P2, must collect UBAs for SUN Bucks eligibility on an annual basis. The UBA template(DOCX) has been shared with student information systems vendors and is now available on the CDE SUN Bucks web page.

The table below indicates which application LEAs should use based on whether they participate in NSLP/SBP and/or operate a federal provision.

School Meal Program Participation Model SUN Bucks Application Requirement
Standard Counting and Claiming Only NSLP Applications – Collect annually for FRPM/SUN Bucks eligibility; may also be used for LCFF purposes
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Universal Benefits Applications – Collect annually for SUN Bucks eligibility; may also be used for LCFF purposes
Provision 2 (P2)

NSLP Applications – Collect during LEAs P2 base year for FRPM/SUN Bucks eligibility; may also be used for LCFF purposes

Universal Benefits Applications – Collect during non-base years for SUN Bucks eligibility; may also be used for LCFF purposes


Guidance on UBA data submittal to the CDE will be forthcoming from the CDE California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Office.

For questions about the Local Control Funding Formula, contact the LCFF Office at PASE@cde.ca.gov. For questions about SUN Bucks, contact the Nutrition Services Division at SummerEBT@cde.ca.gov. Thank you for your continued efforts to provide essential services and resources to California’s students.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Friday, March 07, 2025
Related Content
  • Summer Meal Programs
    Federal meal programs for children from low-income areas during vacation and off-track periods, including summertime.
  • SUN Bucks (Summer EBT)
    Includes background, eligibility criteria, best practices, frequently asked questions (FAQ), resources, and contact information regarding SUN Bucks (Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer [EBT]).
Recently Posted in Nutrition

  • SNP AR 25-26 Workload (added 23-Jun-2025)
    School Nutrition Program (SNP) sponsors who are scheduled for an Administrative Review in School Year 2025-26.
  • Culinary Training: Date Extended to July 3, 2025 (added 20-Jun-2025)
    Space is available for Culinary Trainings! The Nutrition Services Division, in collaboration with the Institute of Child Nutrition, is hosting free, in-person, half-day, Mediterranean Menus of Flavor culinary arts trainings for school food service.
  • Webinar: Tuesdays @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall (added 20-Jun-2025)
    School Nutrition Town Hall webinar for School Nutrition Program Operators and Food Service Directors.
  • Paid Lunch Equity Guidance for School Year 2025–26 (added 19-Jun-2025)
    This communication provides information to School Food Authorities (SFA) on the updated guidance on Paid Lunch Equity for school year 2025-26.
  • April 22, 2025 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources (added 19-Jun-2025)
    The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall (NSD) webinar April 22, 2025.