Revenue funding: payments to academies
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-22)

This guide explains how academies are paid and how to change bank details.

Introduction

The Department for Education (DfE) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-payments-information-remittance-advice-notes) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academies-funding-allocations) provides information on how we calculate an academy’s allocation.

Academy payment schedules can be found in the Document exchange (https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/document-exchange/start) service. You can view your schedule by selecting ‘Documents you’ve received from DfE’.

If you require further support, please refer to the external Document exchange user guide (https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/document-exchange/user-guide) to help you access Document exchange. If you have any questions relating to your payment schedule please use the CRM Help Portal (https://customerhelpportal.education.gov.uk/) to submit your question

Other grants in 2025 to 2026

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 (#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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium) and the pupil premium allocations and conditions of grant 2025 to 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2025-to-2026).

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 2024 to 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-2024-to-2025) and the conditions of grant and UIFSM allocations for 2025 to 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-2025-to-2026).

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. We will publish the the PE and sports premium allocations and conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 once confirmed.

Core schools budget grant (CSBG) for special and AP schools

The core schools budget grant (CSBG) for special schools, special post-16 institutions and alternative provision (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-schools-budget-grant-csbg-2025-to-2026-for-special-schools-and-alternative-provision) supports special institutions with increased costs related to National Insurance contributions, and the teachers’ pay award 2025. It is also intended to simplify administration of the continued teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG), teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG) and (CSBG) for 2024 to 2025.

Note – this funding is not paid directly to academies but passed onto eligible academies by local authorities.

Early career teacher entitlement (ECTE)

The Early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-teacher-entitlement) is a 2-year programme that supports early career teachers (ECTs) when they start their teaching career.

Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM)

Early career training programme for mentors (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/backfill-payments-for-time-off-timetable-for-early-career-framework-ecf-mentor-training-national-roll-out/early-career-training-programme-for-mentors-ectpm-conditions-of-grant-for-2025-to-2026-academic-year) is grant funding for mentor training available to settings who use DfE funded training providers to deliver training as part of the ECTE. Schools will be funded to support each new mentor to undertake up to 20 hours of training over 1 year.

This funding will be paid in arrears at the end of each academic year and settings will get 1 payment. Payments will be based on evidence that the mentor took part in the training and has met the minimum requirements of engagement with the programme, as confirmed by the training provider.

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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-reform-funding-guidance#:~:text=Details.%20Providers).

National insurance contributions (NICs) grant

The NICs grant (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-contributions-nics-grant-for-2025-to-2026) is to support mainstream schools (in respect of their 5 to 16 provision) with the increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions from April 2025.

Schools budget support grant

The schools budget support grant (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-budget-support-grant-sbsg) is funding for mainstream schools (for the 5 to 16-year-old age range) to support them with increased costs related to the 2025 teachers pay award.

Breakfast clubs early adopters grant

The breakfast clubs early adopters grant (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-club-early-adopters-grant-2025-to-2026-academic-year) is for the purpose of funding primary schools to offer breakfast clubs. Funding is provided to schools selected to become early adopters through an expression of interest process.

Academy payments schedule for main revenue funding streams 2025 to 2026

Changes to bank details

If you wish to change the bank details held by DfE for payment, please complete the academy bank details form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-bank-details-form).

Queries about payments

For any other queries about payments, please contact our Customer Help Portal (https://customerhelpportal.education.gov.uk/).