Practical, trustworthy and free funding and ILR resources for FE colleges
For MIS, funding and compliance, curriculum, quality and apprenticeship staff, senior leaders and governors. Every resource here is free to use, and none needs an account.
ILR Lens: see what changed between ILR returns
Import two ILR returns and see which learners appeared, which left and what changed for each of them, so you can explain a movement in your numbers before someone asks.
- Free, with no account, licence key or subscription
- Installer digitally signed by LIMELAI LIMITED
- Processes your ILR on your own computer: nothing is uploaded to FEFunding
- Installs for the current user, with no administrator rights needed
FundingGPT
Ask a funding question in plain English and get an answer that shows the official sources it used. Your question is sent to an AI provider to produce the answer, so do not include learner personal data.
The FEFunding Academy
For when a learner left six weeks ago and still shows as continuing, when a return is a few weeks away, or when nobody has explained where the money comes from.
Learner event. The learner enrols, attends, pauses, leaves or achieves.
Same requirement. Three depths.
Official requirementThe Individualised Learner Record is the data return through which providers record the learners they enrol and the learning they deliver, and it is the basis on which funding is calculated and performance is measured.
Source: the official sources behind this
Learning journeys for your role
Answer three questions about your role and what you need today, and get a path built around the answers.
OpenWorked scenarios
Real situations, such as a learner who left but still shows as continuing, followed through to the audit test.
OpenGlossary
Funding and ILR terms, each defined once in plain English.
OpenILR validation rule lookup
Search a validation rule, an ILR field or a report, or describe what you are seeing.
Open155 glossary terms33 worked scenarios16 checklist templates
Returns, dates and rates
The reference points most college funding work comes back to.
R03 for 2026 to 2027
Closes at 6pm UK time on Thursday 5 November 2026.
11 days to go
R04 for 2026 to 2027
Closes at 6pm UK time on Friday 4 December 2026.
Its 16 to 19 student numbers feed 2027 to 2028 allocations and 2026 to 2027 in-year growth, and the Adult Skills Fund review point uses it.
2025 to 2026 final funding claim
The claim form is available in Submit Learner Data from Tuesday 27 October 2026. Submit by Friday 6 November 2026.
12 days to go
For grant-funded adult provision that is not devolved. 16 to 19 funding is not part of the claim.
R14 for 2025 to 2026 closed at 6pm UK time on Thursday 22 October 2026. The R14 2025 to 2026 readiness page stays available for reference.
ILR return readiness
In-depth pages for the returns that matter most, with checklists and the official sources for each step. A page stays as a reference once its return has closed.
ILR return dates
Each collection from R01 to R14, with its date and closing time, so you can plan the year's data work.
2026/27 funding rates
National funding rates for 2026/27, each checked against and linked to its official publication.
Where to start
If you are an MIS manager or officer
Compare this return with the last one, look up a validation rule, and check the dates for the rest of the year.
If you are a funding or compliance officer
Check the current national rates, see what the next ILR returns drive, and estimate 16 to 19 band funding.
If you are a curriculum or apprenticeship manager
Understand how the ILR records your delivery, and why a learner's record matters for funding.
If you work in quality and performance
Follow worked scenarios to their audit test, and see what moved between returns.
If you are a senior leader or governor
Get a plain-English grounding in how your college is funded and what the year's key returns are for.
Other free tools
Estimates to help you plan. They are not a substitute for your allocation statement or the official DfE calculations.
16 to 19 funding calculator
An estimate of 16 to 19 per-student band funding from the figures you enter.
Allocation statement band calculator
Work through the bands on a 16 to 19 allocation statement.
Allocation versus delivery tracker
An indicative comparison of what you are delivering against your allocation.
Devolution centre
Check whether a postcode falls in a devolved adult skills area, and browse areas by year.
About FEFunding
FEFunding is operated by LIMELAI LIMITED. It is independent and is not part of, or endorsed by, the Department for Education. Guidance here is general information: check it against the official DfE publications before you rely on it.