Guidance

Deferred payment agreements (DPAs) return, 2025 to 2026

Guidance for local authorities on how to complete the deferred payment agreements (DPAs) return for the 2025 to 2026 reporting period.

• From: Department of Health and Social Care
• Published: 24 February 2026

Applies to England

Documents

Deferred payment agreements (DPAs) return, 2025 to 2026: guidance for local authorities

HTML

DPAs return 2025 to 2026: data template (for reference only)

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 137 KB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@dhsc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The DPAs return is a mandatory annual data collection from local authorities in England.

Local authorities should use the data return template and guidance to submit data on DPAs during 2025 to 2026 in England.

You can submit data from 20 May 2026 through NHS England’s Strategic Data Collection Service (SDCS).

This page includes:

• guidance for completing the 2025 to 2026 DPAs return
• a reference version of the data template for the 2025 to 2026 reporting period

The reference version of the template is published on this page so that local authorities can see which data they will need to submit.

To submit your data return, use the most up-to-date version of the DPAs return submission data template, which you can download from the SDCS website from 20 May 2026.

Published 24 February 2026