Guidance

19+ funding allocations

Information on how we allocate adult skills funding, facilities and bursaries, apprenticeships carry-in and non-levy extensions to providers.

From:
Education and Skills Funding Agency
Published
12 December 2018
Last updated
2 April 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

About this guidance

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is accountable for funding education and skills for children, young people and adults.

We use this page to explain how we allocate funding for:

  • ESFA adult skills funding (ASF)
  • advanced learner loans facilities and bursaries
  • apprenticeships carry-in and apprenticeship non-levy extensions

We will publish information and updates to this page as they become available. 

We will issue all allocations through the manage your education and skills funding service.

From 1 August 2023, we no longer fund a standalone national traineeships programme.

The last start date for traineeships under the current programme was 31 July 2023. Traineeships started on or before this date will continue to be funded.

Read the written ministerial statement on the skills update from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education.

How we calculate allocations

We confirm the approach used for calculating allocations when we issue the allocations. Each year, we aim to start communicating the allocations by the end of March. We calculate allocations on an annual basis using nationally consistent methodologies, taking into account the current policy position and affordability.

The general principles we typically follow at present when setting allocations are to:

  • reflect historic (lagged) delivery and current allocations to ensure that future allocations are in line with what providers can realistically earn
  • ensure that we treat all providers fairly and equitably
  • protect public funds and meet principles of public law
  • enable providers to respond to government priorities

We are reviewing the approach to allocations for future years as part of our wider funding and accountability reforms.

19+ funding for academic year 2024 to 2025

We explain the allocation methodologies and data sources we use to calculate ESFA funded allocations for the 2024 to 2025 funding year in the 19+ allocations technical guidance. We publish information in this guidance as we issue funding allocations.

We aim to publish calculators in April to help you understand your allocation value.

You can find information on previous years’ allocation methodologies in the technical guide section.

Allocation timeline

We will publish updates to the timeline as we make progress on delivering allocations for 2024 to 2025.

Please read the latest news column on the timeline and our ESFA Update for regular updates.

Month Activity Latest news
February 2024 We will issue apprenticeships non-levy extension contracts (for the 2024 to 2025 financial year) through manage your education and skills funding. We have issued the contracts.
March 2024 Providers must sign their apprenticeships non-levy extension contracts by 28 March 2024, otherwise they will expire. This deadline has now passed.
March 2024 We aim to start issuing ESFA funded ASF and advanced learner loans allocations for the 2024 to 2025 funding year through manage your education and skills funding. Allocations issued on 21 March.
March 2024 We will publish guidance to support allocations including calculators and business case forms. We have published technical guidance, advanced learner loans calculator and business case form guidance. We have emailed adult skills fund calculators to providers.
March 2024 The business case deadline for apprenticeships non-levy extensions is 28 March 2024. This is to address significant R04 data errors that have affected the allocation we have calculated for you. It is not an opportunity to request growth. This deadline has now passed.
April 2024 The business case deadline for ESFA funded ASF and advanced learner loans allocations is 28 April 2024. This is to fix significant data errors. It is not an opportunity to request growth.  
June 2024 6 June 2024 is the R10 data return deadline. It is important that providers with apprenticeship carry-in or traineeship allocations submit accurate data as we will use this data to set 2024 to 2025 allocations.  
June 2024 We will communicate the outcomes of ESFA funded ASF, advanced learner loans and apprenticeship non-levy business cases.  
July 2024 We will issue apprenticeship carry-in through manage your education and skills funding.  
July/August 2024 We will issue funding agreements/contracts to providers. Providers must digitally sign agreements/contracts on manage your education and skills funding.  
December 2024 This is the ILR R04 deadline. We use this to calculate procured non-levy apprenticeship allocations for 2025 to 2026.  

Business cases

When to submit a business case

You should only submit business cases if:

  • you have made significant data errors that have affected your funding allocation
  • you had a contract value for the 2023 to 2024 funding year but did not use it and, therefore, you have not received a 2024 to 2025 allocation

The deadline to submit a business case is 28 March for apprenticeships non-levy (procured) and 28 April 2024 for advanced learner loans and ESFA adult skills fund.

When not to submit a case

We do not accept requests for growth or cases that are not related to data errors.

How to submit a case

Please use our online digital business case form to submit your request.

A link to the form guidance is also available within the form.

Thresholds for business cases

We apply standard minimum thresholds to decide whether we will consider a case.

For cases where you had contract value for the 2023 to 2024 funding year but did not receive a 2024 to 2025 allocation, you will receive a letter to inform you that:

  • the maximum you can request is £25,000 or your current contract value, whichever is lower

For cases where you have made significant data errors that have affected your funding allocation:

  • the minimum overall impact must be more than 5% of allocation

When you will receive a response

We aim to communicate the outcomes in June 2024 via Document exchange.

Contact us

If you have questions after reading our guidance, or if there’s anything else you need help with, you can find more support in our customer help centre.

Technical guidance

Funding rules, rates and formula

Published allocations

Published 12 December 2018
Last updated 2 April 2024 + show all updates

  1. We have updated the latest news column in the allocation timeline. Updates have been published for March 2024.

  2. We have issued the apprenticeships non-levy extension contracts (for the 2024 to 2025 financial year) through manage your education and skills funding. We have updated the allocations timeline for 2024 to 2025.

  3. We have updated the business case section and funding allocations information on this page for apprenticeships non-levy (procured) 2024 to 2025.

  4. We have updated the allocation timeline for April and June 2023.

  5. We have updated the allocation timeline to show latest progress on delivering the 2023 to 2024 allocations.

  6. We have updated the page to include the timeline for delivering the 2023 to 2024 allocations.

  7. Updates to the Allocation timeline.

  8. Amended section on 19+ funding for academic year 2022 to 2023 to reflect publication of technical guidance. Also amended the allocation timeline to reflect updates for March 2022.

  9. We have added the GOV.UK link for the 19+ funding allocations guidance for 2022 to 2023 under the 'supporting documents' section.

  10. We have updated funding allocations information for 2022 to 2023, including the allocations timeline and information on business cases.

  11. We have added the GOV.UK link for the funding allocations to training providers for 2021 to 2022 under the 'published allocations' section.

  12. We have updated our allocations timeline, along with updated business case information. The deadline for business cases is now 14 May 2021.

  13. We have updated details on this page including the allocations timeline and business case deadlines.

  14. We have updated the 19+ funding allocations timeline

  15. We have updated our timeline and updated the business case deadlines.

  16. We have updated the allocations timeline and details of how and when to submit business cases.

  17. We have made some changes to the 19+ funding allocations page for 2020 to 2021

  18. We have added the GOV.UK link for the funding allocations to training proviers: 2019 2020 to the exisiting page.

  19. We have updated information for continuing learners for academic year 2019 to 2020

  20. We have added guidance explaining how we have calculated allocations for the 2019 to 2020 funding year.

  21. We have updated the information on non-levy apprenticeship funding.

  22. First published.

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