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Guidance

Apprenticeship technical funding guide

Details of the funding system used for apprenticeship frameworks and standards.

Applies to England

Documents

Apprenticeships technical funding guide from August 2020

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Details

Responsibility for this guidance moved to the Department for Work and Pensions on 1 April 2026. You should continue to follow this guidance.

Technical funding guides for apprenticeships that started before August 2020 can be found on the National Archive.

Each apprenticeship funding guide applies to apprenticeships that start within a specific time period. Make sure to read the guide that matches the correct apprenticeship start date. The guide explains how funding works and how we calculate provider payments.

Updates to this page

Published 9 November 2016
Last updated 29 July 2026 Show all updates
  1. Added 'Apprenticeship technical funding guide from August 2026' and removed older guides. A link to archived editions has been added.

  2. We have added the Apprenticeship technical funding guide from August 2025. The guide explains how funding will work for apprenticeship standards starting on or after 1 August 2025, including how we will calculate provider payments.

  3. We have updated the apprenticeships technical funding guide from August 2023. This guidance explains how funding will work for apprenticeship standards starting on or after 1 August 2023, including how we will calculate provider payments.

  4. We have updated the apprenticeships technical funding guide (from August 2020 starts). This is version 3 of the guide. This explains how funding works for apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2020, including how we will calculate provider payments. The updates from the previous version are some further clarifications particularly around apprenticeship starts from 1 April 2021 and updates around the hire an apprentice incentive on the apprenticeship service. Please disregard our previous update (24 May 2021) as this included an error in dates.

  5. We have published version 2 of the apprenticeships technical funding guide from August 2021. This explains how funding will work for apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2021, including how we will calculate provider payments. The updates from the previous guidance are some further clarifications particularly around apprenticeship starts from 1 April 2021, and updates around the hire an apprentice incentive on the apprenticeship service.

  6. We have updated the Apprenticeships Technical Funding Guide for August 2020.

  7. We have updated the apprenticeship technical guidance for 2020 to 2021

  8. We have updated the apprenticeship technical funding guide

  9. We have updated the technical funding guidance for Apprenticeship starts after April 2019

  10. We have published version 1 of the Apprenticeships technical funding guide for April 2019 to March 2020. This explains how funding will work for apprenticeship frameworks and standards starting on or after 1 April 2019, including how we will calculate provider payments.

  11. Updated apprenticeship technical funding guide for starts from May 2017.

  12. Updated apprenticeship technical funding guide.

  13. Updated apprenticeship technical funding guide for starts from May 2017.

  14. First published.

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