The 2026–2027 CACFP reimbursement rates for adult day care centers are now in effect for meals and snacks served from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. For centers in the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia, the federal rates are $2.54 for a free breakfast, $4.76 for a free lunch or supper, and $1.30 for a free snack, with separate reduced-price and paid rates.
Knowing the rate is only one part of the reimbursement workflow. Adult day centers also need to know which geographic schedule applies, how cash-in-lieu affects lunch and supper, how reimbursement is calculated, and how the daily records behind a claim fit together. This guide focuses specifically on current rates and calculation rather than repeating broader meal-pattern and dietary-documentation requirements.
Last verified: October 6, 2026. The figures in this guide are based on current USDA reimbursement information. State agencies and sponsoring organizations may have additional forms, procedures, deadlines, eligibility requirements, and claim instructions.
What Are the 2026–2027 CACFP Reimbursement Rates?
For adult day care centers in the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia, the 2026–2027 CACFP reimbursement rates are:
| Meal | Free | Reduced-Price | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $2.54 | $2.24 | $0.42 |
| Lunch or Supper | $4.76 | $4.36 | $0.45 |
| Snack | $1.30 | $0.65 | $0.12 |
These are the national average payment rates for centers for the current rate period. Some state resources use the word Base instead of Paid for the lowest center reimbursement category. Adult day care providers should follow the terminology and claim instructions used by their state CACFP agency or sponsoring organization.
For the federal source and current annual rate information, see the USDA CACFP reimbursement rates.
When Do the 2026–2027 CACFP Rates Apply?
The 2026–2027 CACFP reimbursement rates apply to the period from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. USDA adjusts CACFP payment rates annually, so the reimbursement year does not match the calendar year.
That distinction matters when a center reviews claims around the June-to-July changeover. A qualifying meal served in June 2026 belongs to the prior rate period, while a qualifying meal served in July 2026 falls under the new 2026–2027 schedule. Keep the service date attached to the correct reimbursement period rather than applying the newest rate table to earlier records.
CACFP Adult Day Care Rates by Location
The contiguous-state reimbursement amounts do not apply everywhere. USDA publishes higher CACFP adult day care rates for Alaska and another schedule for Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands because of higher food-service costs. The District of Columbia uses the contiguous U.S. schedule.
| Location | Category | Breakfast | Lunch/Supper | Snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contiguous U.S. + D.C. | Free | $2.54 | $4.76 | $1.30 |
| Contiguous U.S. + D.C. | Reduced | $2.24 | $4.36 | $0.65 |
| Contiguous U.S. + D.C. | Paid | $0.42 | $0.45 | $0.12 |
| Alaska | Free | $4.09 | $7.72 | $2.12 |
| Alaska | Reduced | $3.79 | $7.32 | $1.06 |
| Alaska | Paid | $0.64 | $0.74 | $0.19 |
| Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands | Free | $3.29 | $6.19 | $1.70 |
| Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands | Reduced | $2.99 | $5.79 | $0.85 |
| Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands | Paid | $0.52 | $0.59 | $0.15 |
Use the schedule that applies to the location of the participating center. Do not use family day care home Tier I or Tier II rates for an adult day care center because those are a different CACFP payment schedule.
What Is the CACFP Cash in Lieu Rate for 2026–2027?
The CACFP cash in lieu rate for 2026–2027 is $0.32 for each qualifying lunch and supper. Cash-in-lieu is additional assistance provided instead of USDA Foods and is separate from the basic lunch or supper reimbursement rate.
| Category | Basic Lunch/Supper Rate | Cash-in-Lieu | Illustrative Combined Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $4.76 | $0.32 | $5.08 |
| Reduced-Price | $4.36 | $0.32 | $4.68 |
| Paid | $0.45 | $0.32 | $0.77 |
Some state resources show the basic federal reimbursement amount and cash-in-lieu separately, while others may present a combined lunch or supper figure. Check how your state agency or sponsoring organization displays the rate so the same amount is not accidentally counted twice.
How Did CACFP Center Rates Change From 2025–2026?
USDA increased the national average payment rates for centers for the 2026–2027 period. For the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia, the year-over-year changes are:
| Meal | Free Change | Reduced-Price Change | Paid Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | +$0.08 | +$0.08 | +$0.02 |
| Lunch/Supper | +$0.16 | +$0.16 | +$0.01 |
| Snack | +$0.04 | +$0.02 | +$0.01 |
Cash-in-lieu also increased from $0.30 to $0.32 per qualifying lunch or supper. Centers should keep the prior and current rate periods clearly separated when reviewing records that cross the July 1 transition.
How to Calculate CACFP Reimbursement for Adult Day Care
At a simplified federal-rate level, adult day care meal reimbursement starts with a straightforward calculation: number of reimbursable meals in each category multiplied by the applicable reimbursement rate. For qualifying lunches and suppers, cash-in-lieu may then be included according to the applicable program procedure.
For example, assume a center in one of the 48 contiguous states has 24 documented qualifying lunches for one service day: 18 Free, 4 Reduced-Price, and 2 Paid.
| Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|
| 18 × $4.76 Free rate | $85.68 |
| 4 × $4.36 Reduced rate | $17.44 |
| 2 × $0.45 Paid rate | $0.90 |
| Basic meal reimbursement | $104.02 |
| 24 × $0.32 cash-in-lieu | $7.68 |
| Illustrative total | $111.70 |
This example demonstrates only the published-rate math. It is not a guarantee of reimbursement. Program participation, participant eligibility, reimbursable meal counts, claim submission, adjustments, state procedures, sponsor requirements, and supporting documentation still apply.
A Rate Table Is Not the Same as a Reimbursement Record
Knowing the current rate tells a center what reimbursement amount may apply. It does not by itself prove that a particular meal qualifies for reimbursement. Several records can relate to the same service day, including participant eligibility information, attendance, meal or menu information, meal counts, supporting documentation, corrections, and state or sponsor claim records.
- Participant eligibility or reimbursement category
- Actual attendance
- Meal or menu information
- Meal counts
- Required supporting documentation
- Corrections or adjustments
- State or sponsor claim records
These records should support one another without being treated as interchangeable. A scheduled participant is not automatically an attendee. An attendee is not automatically proof that a particular meal was served. A planned menu is also not the same record as a meal count.
For the underlying rules around meal patterns, menus, meal counts, attendance, and dietary documentation, see our adult day care meal requirements guide instead of treating this reimbursement-rate article as a replacement for those requirements.
Should Meal Counts Equal Attendance?
Not necessarily. Attendance answers who was present, while a meal count answers which qualifying meals were actually served or recorded according to the applicable program procedure.
For example, a participant could arrive after breakfast or leave before snack. That can create a legitimate difference between the attendance total and the meal count. The operational goal is not to force every number to match. It is to make unexplained differences visible while the service day is still recent.
Centers that still reconcile paper meal records against separate sign-in sheets may also want to review how adult day care meal tracking software can connect meal records with the participants who were actually present.
Keep Federal Rates Separate From State Claim Procedures
The reimbursement amounts in this guide come from the federal CACFP rate schedule, but a center does not operate from a rate table alone. State agencies or sponsoring organizations may provide additional claim procedures, forms, submission deadlines, training requirements, monitoring processes, and recordkeeping instructions.
- Claim forms or online submission systems
- Submission deadlines
- Participant eligibility procedures
- Meal-count methods
- Record-retention requirements
- Corrective-action procedures
- Training requirements
- Monitoring or review procedures
Use the federal rate table as the starting point and your applicable state or sponsor guidance as the operating instruction. A published federal dollar amount does not automatically establish that every related program requirement has been satisfied.
How Adult Day Genie Fits Into the Daily Record
Adult Day Genie is not presented as dedicated CACFP claims-administration software. Its value in this workflow comes earlier: connecting attendance with participant information, dietary flags, activities, meals, meal counts, and operational reports so staff are working from the same service-day context.
A practical operational flow is: Attendance → Participants Present → Dietary Information → Meal Workflow → Daily Record → Reports.
For centers that are still reconstructing daily activity from separate paper logs or disconnected systems, Adult Day Genie's daily operations for adult day care can keep meal information and meal counts closer to the attendance and participant records they relate to.
Software does not determine whether a meal qualifies for CACFP reimbursement, assign a participant's reimbursement category, or replace applicable state and sponsor requirements. Those decisions remain governed by the relevant CACFP rules and procedures.
A Monthly CACFP Reimbursement Review
Before a reimbursement period is finalized, a simple internal review can help identify rate-period errors and unexplained record differences while staff can still investigate them.
- Confirm that the correct rate period was used for each service date.
- Confirm the applicable geographic reimbursement schedule.
- Review Free, Reduced-Price, and Paid classifications against the applicable records.
- Reconcile meal counts with actual attendance and investigate material differences.
- Verify that lunch or supper cash-in-lieu was handled according to the applicable process.
- Check that corrections remain traceable rather than silently replacing earlier records.
- Retain supporting records required by the state agency, sponsor, and applicable CACFP rules.
- Use the state's current claim procedure rather than relying on an outdated worksheet or prior-year rate table.
The objective is not simply to arrive at a reimbursement total. A stronger process allows the center to trace that total back to the service-day records that produced it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 2026–2027 CACFP reimbursement rates for adult day care centers?
For adult day care centers in the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia, the 2026–2027 rates are $2.54/$2.24/$0.42 for breakfast, $4.76/$4.36/$0.45 for lunch or supper, and $1.30/$0.65/$0.12 for snacks for Free/Reduced-Price/Paid categories. Higher geographic schedules apply in Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When did the 2026–2027 CACFP rates take effect?
The current rates apply from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. USDA adjusts CACFP reimbursement rates annually, so centers should use the rate schedule that matches the actual service date.
What is the 2026–2027 CACFP cash-in-lieu rate?
The national cash-in-lieu value for the 2026–2027 period is $0.32 for each qualifying CACFP lunch or supper. It is separate from the basic lunch or supper reimbursement rate.
Are CACFP reimbursement rates the same in every state?
No. The 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia use one reimbursement schedule. Alaska has a higher schedule, while Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands use another higher schedule.
How do you calculate CACFP reimbursement for adult day care?
Multiply the number of reimbursable meals in each participant category by the applicable meal rate. For qualifying lunches and suppers, account for the $0.32 cash-in-lieu amount according to your state or sponsor's process. Actual reimbursement still depends on program eligibility, records, and claim requirements.
Does every adult day care center receive CACFP reimbursement?
No. CACFP reimbursement applies to eligible centers participating in the program and to qualifying meals and snacks. Providers should verify participation, eligibility, recordkeeping, meal-count, and claim requirements with their state CACFP agency or sponsoring organization.
Final Takeaway
The CACFP reimbursement rates for adult day care centers changed for the July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 period. Knowing the current rate is only the first step. A center still needs the correct participant category, actual meal count, applicable geographic schedule, cash-in-lieu treatment, and service-day records that support the reimbursement calculation.
Keep the current rate table accessible, verify your state or sponsor's procedures, and make sure attendance and meal information can be traced without rebuilding an entire month from disconnected records.
Want to see how attendance, meals, participant records, and daily reporting can stay connected? Explore Adult Day Genie Daily Operations and see how one service-day workflow can stay organized from check-in through reporting.