Academy trust IDAMS guidance for financial returns
Updated 14 January 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-register-for-an-idams-account/academy-trust-idams-guidance-for-financial-returns
1. Introduction
This is the online forms guidance page, for the academy trust’s registration process to complete these forms:
- budget forecast return
- land and buildings collection tool
- accounts return
- related party transactions
These forms all use a secure information management service called (IDAMS). Log in to IDAMS.
Each online form has two roles available for academy users:
- preparer role - this is a role for someone who fills in the return
- approver role - this is a role for someone who can fill in the return and has the authority of the accounting officer to submit the return on-behalf of your trust
The above guidance document will provide further details for each role and how roles to external users such as, external auditors and diocesan users, are granted by the trust. For the diocesan user please see the LBCT gudiance for details for account set up.
If you have a role in preparing or approving your trust’s financial returns, you must register to use IDAMS and your academy trust Super User must approve/assign you a role within the system. If you don’t have a role, you will not be able to use the online form.
2. New trust registration and set up
New trusts that have incorporated since 1 September 2018 will need register to use the system for the first time and assign a Super User. We recommend that this is someone who either manages your IT systems or your finance systems. If your academy trust incorporated since 1 September 2018 your first online form will be the in-year budget forecast return.
We will write to new trusts who have not used the online forms portal before with trust-specific information needed when registering to use IDAMS.
A responsible person in each academy trust needs to first register to use the system. The first user in the trust is assigned the role of Super User. The Super User then invites people within their trust to register to use IDAMS and assigns specific roles for completing the online forms. Super Users may also assign additional Super Users.
3. Existing trust registration and set up
Academy trusts that submitted financial returns in the 2018 academy financial year are already registered to the system. The log-in information is the same but the trust’s Super User(s) will need to review roles currently allocated to ensure that the correct users have the right roles.
4. Guidance
You can read the guidance for how to register for an account. If you’re a Super User the instructions for how to grant access and assigns roles.
Please note that you can only be either an approver or a preparer for each return - not both. You can be an approver for one return and a preparer for another return but for each return you can only have one role.
The table below shows the roles you’ll need for each return:
| Financial return | User role |
|---|---|
| Budget forecast return | Academy Budget Forecast Preparer |
| Budget forecast return | Academy Budget Forecast Approver |
| Land and buildings collection tool | Academy Trust Land and Buildings Preparer |
| Land and buildings collection tool | Academy Trust Land and Buildings Approver |
| Accounts return | Accounts Return Internal Preparer |
| Accounts return | Accounts Return Internal Approver |
| Accounts return - automation | Data Transfer Approver |
| Related party transactions | Related Party Transactions User |
5. Video tutorials
You can also view the following video tutorials that demonstrate how to register for and set up the IDAMS system.
5.1 How to register for the IDAMS system using your trust UPIN
How to register for the IDAMS system using your trust UPIN
5.2 How to invite new users to your academy trust IDAMS system
How to invite new users to your academy trust IDAMS system
5.3 How to assign roles in the IDAMS system
How to assign roles in the IDAMS system
5.4 How to create an IDAMS account as an external auditor
How to create an IDAMS accounts as an external auditor
6. Other resources
Academies accounts return guide
Academies land and buildings collection tool guide
7. Enquiries
If you are having difficulties registering or allocating roles please raise a query using the link below and title the query “IDAMs query” - this will help us prioritise your query.
ESFA enquiries
Contact form https://form.education...
For all enquiries for the Education and Skills Funding Agency