Guidance

Funding claims user guide

Updated 16 December 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

The aim of this guide is to:

• provide an overview of the funding claims process
• provide detailed key user functionality
• demonstrate key areas of the system
• identify where and who to go to for further help and support

It covers the following:

• how to make a funding claim
• filling in the form
• how to submit your claim
• reports
• help and support

How do I make a funding claim?

To get started:

1. Go to Submit learner data.

2. Sign into the service using your usual DfE Sign-in log in details.

3. Choose ‘Funding claims: submit funding claims’ from the options on screen as highlighted in figure 1.

4. You will be taken to a summary page. If a funding claim is due, you will see a green button labelled ‘Review and edit’ as shown in figure 2. Select that button to get started.

Figure 1: a screenshot showing how to access funding claims

Figure 2: a screenshot showing submissions and claim dates

Filling in the form

Providers delivering 16 to 19 education now only need to sign off their final funding claims. Therefore, the final funding claim form on Submit Learner Data is only for adult delivery.

In your final funding claim, you only need to agree the figures as we will use your individualised learner record (ILR) and, if applicable your earnings adjustment statement (EAS) data to pre-populate your actual delivery figures.

For the deliverable lines that are non-formula funded, such as ‘community learning – programme funding’, you will need to enter your actual delivery from your own records as these are not pre-populated from your ILR/EAS data submissions.

Contract for services funded providers do not have to submit a claim for learner support delivery as this can now be claimed through EAS.

You must only use the ‘exceptional adjustments’ column for final claim to make changes if you’ve agreed an exceptional adjustment with us beforehand.

Providers must not enter any adjustments relating to the earnings boost in their funding claim.

We have added ESFA AEB Innovative provision to the ESFA funded Adult Education Budget (grant funded) form. 

You can save the form to complete later at any time.

Figure 3a: a funding claims form example for adult education budget (AEB)

(See figure 3b for an Adult Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB) example of the claim form)

Figure 3b: funding claims form – advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB) example

You can save the form using the buttons at the bottom of the form.

Errors

You won’t be able to submit a form until it’s clear of any errors. Errors will appear in red on the form where the problem is, as shown in figure 4. The wording in red will explain what the error is. As soon as you correct the errors, you will be able to continue.

Figure 4: an example of an error that stops you from submitting your form

How to submit your claim

When you are satisfied with the figures on the form, select ‘Save and continue’.

We will check your form. If anything does not seem right, we will display a warning message. When you see this message, you can choose to go back and edit your form or continue. An example of a warning message is shown in figure 5. A validation message will be displayed if we were expecting a figure but you did not supply a figure.

Figure 5: a validation message example

If you continue with your form, you will see a declaration which you need to read and agree to. Tick the check box to agree and then select ‘Confirm and submit’ as highlighted in figure 6.

Figure 6: a declaration example

You will receive a confirmation message and an explanation of what happens next (see figure 7).

Once you have submitted your funding claims on Submit learner data, you will be able to view it on manage your education and skills funding within 15 minutes.

Figure 7: the confirmation example

Submission reports

We will store all your submissions going forward. You can access them any time from the ‘Funding claim submissions’ page.

Select ‘View submission’ next to the submission report you want to view. You will then see a page that shows you the data you have previously submitted, such as in figure 8.

Figure 8: how to view your submissions on the ‘Your submissions’ page

Help and support

We have published further guidance on how to submit a funding claim.

If you need to raise a query, please use our customer help portal.