Adult education and skills funding allocations
Information on how we allocate adult skills funding, loan facilities and bursaries, apprenticeships carry-in and non-levy extensions to providers.
Applies to England
Adult education and skills funding allocations
We use this page to explain how we allocate funding for:
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adult skills fund (ASF)
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advanced learner loans facilities and bursaries
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apprenticeships carry-in and apprenticeship non-levy extensions
We will provide updates as we move through the funding allocation cycle and issue all allocations through manage your education and skills funding.
How we calculate allocations
We explain how we calculate your funding allocations in our guidance when we start to issue the allocations. We calculate allocations annually using nationally consistent methodologies, taking into account the current policy position and affordability.
The general principles we typically follow when setting allocations are to:
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reflect historic (lagged) delivery and current allocations to ensure that future allocations are in line with what providers can realistically earn
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ensure that we treat all providers fairly and equitably
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protect public funds and meet principles of public law
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enable providers to respond to government priorities
Information for academic year 2025 to 2026
Our funding allocation guidance will help you to understand how we’ve calculated your funding and what data sources we have used.
We will publish calculators to help you understand your allocation value.
Allocation timeline
We will publish updates to the timeline as we deliver funding allocations. The latest news column on the timeline shows updates.
| Month | Activity | Latest news |
|---|---|---|
| July and August 2024 | We will issue 2024 to 2025 funding agreements/contracts to providers. Providers must digitally sign agreements and contracts on Manage your education and skills funding. | We have issued the contracts. |
| October 2024 | This is the individualised learner record (ILR) R14 deadline. We use this to calculate additional funding in line with the extra ASF review published in the ASF funding rules. | The R14 data return is now closed. |
| December 2024 | This is the ILR R04 deadline. We use this to calculate procured non-levy apprenticeship allocations for 2025 to 2026. | The R04 data return is now closed. |
| December 2024 | We aim to issue the final values for ASF (non procured) continuing learners following the completion of the 2023 to 2024 funding year. | Allocations issued 10 December 2024. |
| February 2025 | We will issue apprenticeship non-levy extension contracts for financial year 2025 to 2026. | Allocations issued 6 Feb 2025. |
| March 2025 |
Apprenticeships non-levy extensions Providers must sign their contracts by 28 March 2025 otherwise they will expire. The business case deadline for these allocations is 28 March 2025. Submit a business case to address significant R04 data errors that have affected your funding allocation. Do not submit a case to request growth. |
|
| April 2025 | We aim to complete issuing funding allocations for advanced learner loans, ASF and ASF contract for services and update our funding allocations guidance. We will provide calculators and business case forms. | |
| May 2025 | The business case deadline for advanced learner loans and ASF allocations is the end of May 2025. Submit a business case to correct significant data errors. Do not submit a case to request growth. | |
| June 2025 | 5 June 2025 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 2025 to 2026 allocations. | |
| June 2025 | We will communicate the outcomes of ASF, advanced learner loans and apprenticeship non-levy business cases. | |
| July 2025 | We will issue apprenticeship carry-in allocations on manage your skills and education funding. |
Business cases for significant data errors
When to submit a business case
You should only submit a business case if you:
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have made significant data errors that have affected your funding allocation
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had a contract value for the 2024 to 2025 funding year but did not use it and therefore you have not received a 2025 to 2026 allocation
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
Submit your business case using our digital form after reading our form guidance. The form will be open from 7 February 2025.
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 2024 to 2025 funding year but did not receive a 2025 to 2026 allocation:
- we will email you to confirm 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
Response timelines
We aim to communicate the outcomes in June 2025 through 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.
Published allocations
You can view institutional level funding allocation data for the last 7 years. You can view older, archived funding allocations on the National Archives website.
2024 to 2025 funding allocations to training providers
2023 to 2024 funding allocations to training providers
2022 to 2023 funding allocations to training providers
2021 to 2022 funding allocations to training providers
2020 to 2021 funding allocations to training providers