Closed petition: Ensure itemised contracted meals in childcare cost eligible for UC reimbursement

Closed on 30 December 2025

To ensure itemised meals in childcare costs that are contracted automatically are eligible for reimbursement for parents in receipt of universal credit.

These itemised meals are contracted and are not an optional extra. Yet the guidance from DWP is unclear about whether working parents receiving universal credit can be reimbursed for the cost of these contracted itemised meals. Furthermore, in the DWP document it states there’s no Barriers, however we think that there are barriers because universal credits will not reimburse contracted meals that are itemised on the invoice. We think this can present a challenge to working parents due to financial pressures, it is not inclusive.