Funding rules monitored: 31 official sources · awaiting first verified checkFunding Intelligence →
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Scenario

An employer agrees a price above the band maximum

A negotiated price sits above the funding band maximum for the standard. Who pays the difference, and what is recorded?

Funding year2026–27Awaiting verificationSee the sourcesReport an issue

The situation

Stream
Apprenticeships
Agreed price
Above the funding band maximum for the standard
Employer
Aware of the position and willing to pay the difference

Constructed for teaching. No scenario in the Academy contains real learner data, and none ever will.

What is recorded, and what is funded?

The rules behind this

Official requirement

An apprenticeship is funded against a price negotiated between the employer and the provider, capped by the funding band maximum for the apprenticeship standard. Any amount above the band maximum is paid by the employer and is not funded.

Official requirement

An apprenticeship must be consistent between the ILR and the apprenticeship service. Where the two do not agree, funding does not flow correctly and the mismatch must be resolved.

Sources

These are the official documents this page rests on. Where a figure, a deadline or an exact rule matters, the document is the authority and this page is the explanation.

Apprenticeship funding rules and assessment plan guidance 2026 to 2027 (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UKOfficial funding document2026–27Awaiting first verification

Content reused from GOV.UK is Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence. FEFunding is not endorsed by the Department for Education.