School lunch payment transaction fees are taking toll on parents, watchdog finds

Massachusetts News

School lunch payment transaction fees are taking toll on parents, watchdog finds
Education
  • 📰 CBSNews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 24 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 16%
  • Publisher: 68%

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finds families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar for each electronic payment transaction.

Single mother Rebecca Wood, 45, was already dealing with high medical bills in 2020 when she noticed she was being charged a $2.49 'program fee' each time she loaded money onto her daughter's school lunch account.As more schools turn to cashless payment systems, more districts have contracted with processing companies that charge as much as $3.25 or 4% to 5% per transaction, according to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Families that qualify for free or reduced lunch pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically, according to the report.In Wood's case, she researched the fees and learned about the USDA requirement to offer fee-free payment by cash or by check. When she pointed this out to the superintendent of her daughter's Massachusetts school district, the administrator said the lack of transparency was an oversight.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

CBSNews /  🏆 87. in US

Education

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Consumer Protection In Gaming: European Initiative Targets Video Game PublishersConsumer Protection In Gaming: European Initiative Targets Video Game PublishersFederico Guerrini is an experienced freelance journalist who covers technology in both English and Italian. Over the past few years, his work has focused on the latest developments in technology policy, governance, AI, and privacy, including topics like Europe's Bid to Become a Semiconductor Superpower and Pegasus Spyware Scandals.
Read more »

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsUS consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsThe U.S. consumer watchdog has found that low-income families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically. As more schools turn to cashless payment systems, more school districts have contracted with payment processing companies that charge fees of as much as $3.25 per transaction.
Read more »

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsUS consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsThe U.S. consumer watchdog has found that low-income families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically.
Read more »

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsUS consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsThe U.S. consumer watchdog has found that low-income families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically
Read more »

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsUS consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsThe U.S. consumer watchdog has found that low-income families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically.
Read more »

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsUS consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parentsThe U.S. consumer watchdog has found that low-income families typically pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically.
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-03-05 01:27:11