Revenue funding: payments to academies
This guide explains how academies are paid and how to change bank details.
Applies to England
Introduction
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for paying academies in accordance with the terms set out in the academy’s funding agreement. The general annual grant (GAG) is the name for an academy’s main revenue funding. We issue a monthly remittance note for each payment. The remittance is sent electronically to the academy’s nominated email address.
Remittance advice note
We have produced a remittance advice note guide to help academies understand their remittance advice note.
Pre-16 and 16 to 19 revenue funding
We fund academies on an academic year basis. We send the GAG payments via BACS to arrive in the academy’s nominated bank account on the first working day of each month. We distribute GAG funding in broadly equal instalments throughout the year. This ensures consistency across all state-funded schools. The first payment for the academic year is in September.
Our guidance on academies revenue funding allocations provides information on how we calculate an academy’s allocation.
Academy payment schedules can be found in ESFA Document exchange service. You can view your schedule by selecting ‘Documents you’ve received from ESFA’. If you require further support, please refer to the Document exchange user guide.
Other grants in 2024 to 2025
These grants are paid separately to GAG. Most of these are automatically paid to eligible academies and allocations are published on GOV.UK at the links supplied below. Some are claim based and the published information will describe how to access this funding.
The schedule sets out the timings of payments for GAG and these other grants.
Pupil premium
Pupil premium is additional funding given to publicly-funded schools in England and provides funding for 2 policies:
- raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and closing the gap with their peers
- supporting children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces
You can find out more about how to use and account for the premium in our pupil premium guidance and the pupil premium allocations and conditions of grant 2024 to 2025.
Universal infant free school meals (UIFSM)
All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools in England are eligible for free school meals. This includes academies, free schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision, as well as maintained schools.
We have published the final UIFSM allocations for 2023 to 2024 and the conditions of grant and provisional UIFSM allocations for 2024 to 2025.
PE and sport grant allocations
The PE and sport grant is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to improve physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools.
You can find further information in guidance on the PE and sport premium. Allocations and conditions of grant for 2024 to 2025 will be published on GOV.UK in autumn 2024.
Teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG)
The teachers’ pension employer contribution grant covers the cost of the increase in the employer contribution of the Teachers Pension Scheme. You can find out more and view published allocations in the TPECG 2024 guidance for schools, high needs settings and local authorities.
We have also published guidance on TPECG for 16 to 19 maintained schools and academies for 2024 to 2025.
Teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG)
The teachers pay additional grant is to support education providers with the cost of the 2023 teachers’ pay award.
You can find further information and view published allocations in the TPAG guidance for schools, high needs settings and local authorities.
Core schools budget grant
Information regarding this funding to support schools with their overall costs in the 2024 to 2025 financial year will be updated shortly. This will also include the 16 to 19 in schools element. The Core schools budget grant methodology and calculator are already available.
Early career framework (ECF) time off timetable
A claim-based grant. ECF year 2 time off timetable funding is paid after the end of the summer of the second year of the ECT’s induction. This funding covers the cost of giving each ECT in year 2 of induction:
- 5% off timetable for induction activities including ECF based training and mentor sessions
- a dedicated mentor, based on 20 hours of mentoring in year 2 of induction
Early career framework mentor backfill
A claim-based grant. Schools using one of the DfE funded training providers to deliver early career framework (ECF) mentor training will receive backfill payments to cover 36 hours of mentor time off timetable for training per mentor, over 2 years.
Senior mental health leads
A claim-based grant of £1,200 for eligible state-funded schools and colleges in England to train a senior mental health lead. You can find further information in Senior mental health lead training grant funding.
General mentor grant (ITT)
A claim-based grant. Funding for mentors working in schools that offer Initial Teacher Training (ITT) placements. Further information can be found in the Initial teacher training reform funding guidance.
Academy payments schedule for main revenue funding streams 2024 to 2025
| Revenue funding stream | Grant type | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Pre- and post-16 GAG funding | Academic year | Equal monthly instalments |
| Start up funding (SUG) A | Academic year | 3 front loaded instalments (proportioned as 50%/25%/25%) |
| Start up funding (SUG) B | Academic year | Equal monthly instalments |
| Post opening grant per pupil resources (POG PPR) | Academic year | 3 front loaded instalments (proportioned as 50% / 25% / 25%) |
| Post opening grant leadership diseconomies (POG LD) | Academic year | Equal monthly instalments |
| 16 to 19 funding | Academic year | Equal monthly instalments |
| 16 to 19 bursary funding | Academic year | 2 instalments: two-thirds in September and one-third in April |
| 16 to 19 tuition funding | Academic year | Equal monthly instalments |
| Pupil premium | Financial year | 4 instalments: July, October, January, April |
| Universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) | Academic year | 1 instalment: July (made up of prior year final and current year provisional payments) |
| PE and sports premium | Academic year | 2 instalments: November and May |
| Teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG) | Financial year | 2 instalments: June and November |
| Teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG) | Academic year | 2 instalments: November and May |
| Early career framework time off timetable | Academic year | Claims paid once a year in December |
| Early career framework mentor backfill | Academic year | Claims paid once a year in December |
| Senior mental health lead | Financial year | Claims paid: July, October, January and April |
| General mentor grant (ITT ) | Academic year | Claims paid once a year in September |
Changes to bank details
If you wish to change the bank details held by ESFA for payment, please complete the academy bank details form.
Queries about payments
For any other queries about payments, please contact our Customer Help Portal.
Updates to this page
Last updated 9 September 2024 + show all updates
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We have updated the guidance so links direct users to current (2024 to 2025) information. We have also removed the sections on national tutoring programme (NTP) funding, mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) and the COVID-19 recovery premium.
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We have added information about funding for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
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Updated for 2022 to 2023
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16 to 19 tuition funding detail added to payments schedule and links updated to guidance for 2021 to 2022
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We've updated this page to add up-to-date information for 2020 to 2021.
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We've updated this page with information for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
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We've updated this for the 2017 to 2018 academic year
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Updated information and links to further guidance for the 2016 to 2017 academic year.
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Updated with 2015 to 2016 academic year information
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Year 7 catch-up premium link added
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Updates to universal infant free schools meals (UIFSM) and pupil premium sections added.
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The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has published a new form for academies to use to notify EFA of any changes to their bank details.
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Information about PE and sport grant allocations revised
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Conditions of grant for UIFSM and pupil premium 2014 to 2015 payments added
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New email address added for academies changing their bank account details.
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Summer schools conditions of grant for the 2014 to 2015 academic year added.
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Updated payment dates, information added about pupil premium payments, universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), summer schools and PE and sport grant allocations.
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Updated to provide a link to the claim form for national non-domestic rates for 2014 to 2015
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First published.