Free Holiday Clubs (HAF) This Christmas: Who Qualifies Now

HAF, the Holiday Activities and Food programme, is a government-funded scheme in England that gives eligible children free holiday club places with a meal in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. This Christmas the free places are for children on what the Department for Education now calls “targeted” free school meals. That means a household on Universal Credit with earnings of £7,400 (~$9,900) a year or less. If your child only started getting free school meals this September because of the new Universal Credit rule, they do not automatically get a HAF place. Your council runs the scheme, so that is who you ask.

Everything here was checked against the DfE’s HAF guidance for 2026 to 2027 on 11 November 2026. The page was last updated on 8 October 2026. It is written for councils, so this is the parent version.

What HAF is, in plain words

HAF is money the government gives to councils in England to fund free holiday club sessions for eligible children. The guidance describes it as “free nutritious meals, enriching activities and safe environments”.

What the guidance asks for:

A meal every day. Every provider “must provide at least 1 meal per day (breakfast, lunch or an evening meal)”, and the food has to meet the School food standards. Hot meals are the aim “where possible”.
Proper sessions. In a HAF week, councils “should endeavour to offer all eligible children the equivalent of at least 4 hours a day, 4 days a week”.
Christmas, Easter and summer. Those are the core holidays. At Christmas the minimum is “1 week (4 days)” of face-to-face provision.

You do not get money or vouchers from it. The guidance is blunt on this: “Vouchers or cash payments to children and families using HAF funding is not permitted.”

Who qualifies this Christmas

Since September 2026, every child in England with a parent on Universal Credit can get free school meals. But the DfE split free school meals into two groups, and only one of them unlocks HAF.

	Targeted free school meals	Expanded free school meals
Who	On Universal Credit, household earnings of £7,400 a year or less	On Universal Credit, earning more than £7,400
School lunch in term time	Yes	Yes
Funded HAF place	Yes	Not automatically

The guidance says that from September 2026, HAF eligibility “will remain aligned to targeted FSM criteria and will not extend to all children who become eligible for FSM through the wider expanded FSM category”. That covers Christmas 2026 and the February 2027 half term.

Two more things to know:

Protected places have ended. Some children kept free school meals for years under “transitional protections” while Universal Credit rolled out. The guidance says those ended at the end of the 2025 to 2026 school year, so some children who had HAF last Christmas “may no longer be eligible” this year.
Infant free meals don’t count on their own. Children in reception, year 1 and year 2 all get a free lunch, but for HAF they “must also meet the eligibility set out in this guidance”.

If your earnings have dropped below the line since you last applied, the guidance says children who newly meet the targeted threshold “will become eligible for HAF”. Tell your council about the change.

My post on free school meals and Universal Credit explains the two groups and how to apply.

Why GOV.UK seems to say something different

GOV.UK’s short apply for free school meals page still had this line on 11 November 2026: “If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.”

That reads as a yes for everyone. The detailed guidance councils work from is narrower, so ask your council which group your child is in.

If you earn over £7,400: still ask

The guidance gives councils three bits of room.

The 15% rule. Councils can use some funding, “we expect up to 15%”, for “free or subsidised holiday club places” for children who don’t meet the criteria but who the council believes “could benefit from HAF”. Each council sets its own rules for this, so ask.
Paid places alongside free ones. Some HAF clubs sell places too. If the club is Ofsted registered, the guidance notes families may be able to claim back “up to 85% of childcare costs” through Universal Credit. My guide to Universal Credit childcare costs covers that claim.
Other local help. Some councils run holiday schemes from other funding, which don’t have to follow the HAF rules. Ask what else is on.

A good question for the council or the school office: “My child gets free school meals under the new Universal Credit rule. Do you have any discretionary HAF places, or subsidised ones?”

How booking works

It depends on your council, because each one sets up its own system. The guidance lists the usual methods:

an online booking system that checks free school meal status automatically
“a voucher or code system”, where eligible families get “a unique code allowing them to book places”
a school or the council booking a child on directly

It also says there should be “an offline option” for anyone who can’t book online, “for example through a dedicated email or telephone number”.

What to do now, in order:

Search your council’s name plus “HAF” or “holiday activities and food”. Councils are asked to publish who is eligible and how to book for each holiday.
If codes come through school in your area and you haven’t had one a few weeks before the holidays, ask the school office. Don’t wait for it to turn up.
Book as soon as booking opens. Christmas provision can be as little as four days.

Dates differ in every council, so I haven’t given any.

What Christmas HAF can look like

Councils get more freedom at Christmas. The guidance says it can be a normal holiday club, “a Christmas festival or fayre where children and their families attend together”, or “day trips or other experiences” with a healthy meal. Check which yours is before you plan work around it, because one family event doesn’t cover four days of childcare.

If your child has SEND or additional needs

The guidance says every council must make sure there is “sufficient, high-quality provision” for eligible children with SEND or additional needs. Formats can differ, such as “stay and play sessions” with a parent or carer, or shorter sessions. Ask the council’s HAF team which clubs have a specific SEND offer.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

HAF is a Department for Education programme for councils in England. Elsewhere in the UK, ask your own council or school what holiday food and activity support runs where you live.

Where this fits in your budget

A HAF week is a meal a day you don’t buy and hours of childcare you don’t pay for. If you qualify, claim it like any other entitlement. My benefits for single parents checklist has the rest of what to check, and budgeting on one income covers planning the holiday weeks.

FAQ

What does HAF stand for?

Holiday Activities and Food. It’s a government-funded programme in England that pays for free holiday club places with a meal for eligible children, run by local councils.

Does my child get HAF if we get free school meals on Universal Credit?

Only automatically if your household earnings are £7,400 a year or less, which is the “targeted” group. Children who qualified for free school meals from September 2026 under the wider Universal Credit rule are not automatically eligible. Ask your council about discretionary places.

How do I get a HAF code?

It depends on your council. Some councils send eligible families a unique booking code, and others check eligibility in the booking system or book through the school. If you think you qualify and haven’t had one, ask the school office or contact the council’s HAF team.