ESF claim applications and Self-Declared Adjustments
Guidance and forms for completing European Social Fund (ESF) claim applications and Self-Declared Adjustments (SDA).
Documents
Details
These documents relate to the ESF and must only be used for completing the claim applications and SDA processes.
The ESF programme continues to invest in projects after the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. All funding must finish by the end of 2023.
Read more on the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Updates to this page
Last updated 21 February 2023 + show all updates
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The Claims Guidance for Co-financing Organisations has been updated to version 8 to include a new section entitled Final Claim. The Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients has been updated to version 9.3 to include a new section entitled Final Claim, as well as changes to deadline dates under the Desk-Based Evidence Check (DBEC) section.
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The Claims Guidance for Co-financing Organisations has been updated to version 7.1 to include a new paragraph added to Section 8. The Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients has been updated to version 9.3 to include a new paragraph added to Section 6.
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Claims Process - Guidance for Co-Financing Organisations document has been updated to reflect formatting and grammatical changes.
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ESF Claims Process for Grant Recipients has been updated to add bullet points into the Equal Opportunities, remove bullets from Procurement, minor formatting changes.
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The ECLAIMS Process for Self-Declared Adjustment Applicant guidance has been updated to give CFOs and Grant Recipients additional information with regard to Double Corrections, Extrapolated Errors and Negative Adjustments.
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The Claims Guidance for CFOs v7 has been added. This has amendments to the Claim Process, Transaction List, Participant Data Schema, Expenditure Forecast, Procurement, MA Claims Checks, Progress Report, and Annex 1. The section on Outputs Forecast and Results Forecast, ESF Dual Forecast and Submission Form has been removed and replaced with a section on National level, Dual Forecast Form. There are other minor text changes to the document to ensure consistency.
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The Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients v9 has been added. This has amendments to the Claim Process, Transaction List, Participant Data Schema, Expenditure Forecast, Outputs Forecast and Results Forecast, Procurement, Progress Report, Annex 1, and Annex 6 sections. The section on ESF Dual Forecast and Submission Form has been removed.
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The ESF Dual Forecast and Submission forms relating to 2018,2019 and 2020 have been removed as they are no longer required.
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Added 'ESF monitoring template for project deliverables achievement' spreadsheet.
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Participant data schema updated to v10
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The ESF Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients (v8) and the ESF Claims Guidance for Co-Financing Organisations (v6) – Annex 1 – State Aid has been updated in both documents. Projects which have a state aid exemption the Progress Report should reflect the exemption applicable as per the Funding Agreement or as a result of a Funding Agreement Variation. The only exemptions applicable to the ESF Programme are De Minimis, 45030 Aid for Disadvantaged Workers (GBER) and 45031 Training Aid (GBER). In addition the ESF Dual Forecast and Submission Form 2021 has been added.
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The ESF Participant Data Schema has been updated due to inconsistent validation leading to the PDS to fail in the conversion process.
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The ESF Participant Data Schema has been updated to version 9.3 to correct an error which occurs in some instances when the user generates the export sheet.
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Transaction list (v6) has been updated to include the PA4 option.
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Minor visual changes to the Participant Data Schema (PDS) around participant employment on starting status labels (column N "Labour Market Status That Best Describes Situation" in the PDS. Additionally the Participant Data Schema guidance has been updated around how to delete participant records is being updated. Previously the function to delete a record has been present but the specific action was ill-defined.
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The ESF Dual Forecast and Submission Form has been updated to V1.
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Updated the 'Transaction List'.
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The ESF E-Claims Process for Self-Declared Adjustments (SDAs) - Applicant Guidance has been update to reflect and explain changes to EClaims functionality and to clarify Technical Clerical Adjustments.
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Added the ESF dual forecast and submission form - claims 2020.
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The Participant Data Schema has been updated to apply a fix to the drop down menus. The Claims Guidance for Co-Financing Organisations and the Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients have been updated to include new/amended eligibility and expenditure checks.
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Updated the Participant Data Schema Outputs and Results. The only change is “white – other” has been removed from a list in cell V16.
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The Participant Data Schema (now version 9.1) has been updated. The following changes have been made. The drop down options relating to the ‘Gaining Level 2 Skills or below on Leaving’ and ‘Gaining Level 3 Skills or above on Leaving’ columns have been amended to make sure ‘not applicable’ is available on all rows. The pre-populated data that was showing has now been cleared. The ‘Other Disadvantaged – Homeless (Broad Definition)’ drop down options now have 3 options instead of 4, which reflects the guidance. Further work has been done to speed up the export function.
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Published revised versions of the Participant Data Schema (now version 9) and Participant Data Schema guidance (now version 5). Added 2 new documents, Participant Data Schema Aggregation and Participant Data Schema Output Results. The Participant Data Schema supplementary guidance has been removed from the page – this guidance is no longer required. Find more information about these changes on the page.
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The ESF Dual Forecast and Submission form 2019 has been added.
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The ESF Claims Guidance for Co-Financing Organisations and the Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients has been updated.
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The Participant Data Schema has been updated.
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E-Claims process for Self-Declared Adjustment (SDAs) - Applicant Guidance has bee updated showing a minor change to the 'How to create an SDA' section.
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Revised European Social Fund participant data schema supplementary guidance, now dated October 2018.
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Removed the Participant Data Schema pre quarter 1, 2018. The updated Participant Data Schema is available for use from quarter 1, 2018 onwards.
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The Claims Guidance for Grant Recipients and Co-Financing Organisations has been updated. In addition the ESF E-Claims External User Guidance has been added together with the E-Claims best practice document.
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The ESF Dual Forecast and Submission form 2018 Claims has been updated to version 2.
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The ESF Dual Forecast and Submission Form - Claims 2018 has updated to make it suitable for use with 2018 claims.
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ESF E-Claims Process for Self-Declared Adjustments (SDAs) Applicant Guidance published. This replaces the Interim Guidance and Form.
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There are now 2 versions of the Participant Data Schema (PDS), one should be used for claims covering Qurater 1 2018 onwards and the other for claims predating this period. Additional PDS Supplementary Guidance has been added and the PDS Guidance has been updated.
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The ESF Claims guidance for Grant Recipients and Co-financing Organisations has been added.
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First published.