View details on how to report donations for bad debt.
USDA Unpaid Meal Charges Resources
- Best Practices Guide: Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools, for tips on developing an effective meal charge policy.
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service Unpaid Meal Charges Webpage
School Nutrition Association (SNA)
- Comments to the Request for Information: Unpaid Meal Charges (10/16/2014 Federal Register)
USDA Memos
- SP23-2017 Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&As - revised SP 57-2016 (PDF)(3/23/2017)
- SP 29-2017s (replaces SP58-2016) Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge - Memo
- Proven strategies from our nation's schools
- SP 29-2017a1 (replaces SP58-2016) 2017 Edition: Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strategies from Our Nation's Schools - Guidance
- Highlights best practices, policy considerations, sample communication materials, policy checklist
- SP 57-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A
- Overview of policies related to unpaid meal charges and addresses questions from state agencies, school food authorities and local program operators
- SP 47-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments
- Delinquent Debt vs. Bad Debt
- SP 46-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies
- All SFAs are required to have a Meal Charge Policy in place by July 1, 2017
