ILR return dates calendar
Every ILR return (R01 to R14) for the funding year, ready to download into Outlook, Google or Apple Calendar, with funding claim deadlines and guidance on requesting an in-year allocation increase. Opens on the year whose next return deadline is coming up.
!Still open from 2025 to 2026: ASF final funding claim. Submit by 6 Nov 2026 in Submit Learner Data. This is a funding claim, not an ILR return. What the claim covers
ILR returns R01–R14 · 2026–27
| Return | Period | Submission deadline |
|---|---|---|
| R01 | Period 1: August | Fri, 4 Sept 2026, 18:00 · passed |
| R02 | Period 2: September | Tue, 6 Oct 2026, 18:00 · passed |
| R03 | Period 3: October | Thu, 5 Nov 2026, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R04 | Period 4: November | Fri, 4 Dec 2026, 18:00The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns advice gives 5 December 2026 as the latest R04 return date for 16 to 19 in-year monitoring.Why R04 matters in 2026 to 2027Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R05 | Period 5: December | Thu, 7 Jan 2027, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R06 | Period 6: January | Thu, 4 Feb 2027, 18:00Mid-year: common funding-claim reference point. The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns advice gives 6 February 2027 as the latest R06 return date for 16 to 19 in-year monitoring.Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R07 | Period 7: February | Thu, 4 Mar 2027, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R08 | Period 8: March | Tue, 6 Apr 2027, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R09 | Period 9: April | Fri, 7 May 2027, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R10 | Period 10: May | Fri, 4 Jun 2027, 18:00Common growth-request reference point. The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns advice gives 5 June 2027 as the latest R10 return date for 16 to 19 in-year monitoring.Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R11 | Period 11: June | Tue, 6 Jul 2027, 18:00Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R12 | Period 12: July | Thu, 5 Aug 2027, 18:00End of the funding yearAdd: Google · Outlook · |
| R13 | Period 13: closing | Tue, 14 Sept 2027, 18:00The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns advice gives 12 September 2027 as the latest R13 return date for 16 to 19 in-year monitoring.Add: Google · Outlook · |
| R14 | Period 14: final | Thu, 21 Oct 2027, 18:00Final hard close, the last chance to amend the year. The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns guidance gives 23 October 2027 as the final ILR date for 16 to 19 funding.Add: Google · Outlook · |
Funding claim timelines (funding claims, not ILR returns)
Each claim is timed from the ILR return it is based on: mid-year on R06, year-end on R10, final on R14, a set number of days after that return's deadline. The guidance gives each claim deadline as a date, not a time.
!Projected windows. 2026–27 funding claims guidance is not published yet, so these dates apply the 2025–26 offsets to this year's R06/R10/R14 deadlines. Confirm when the guidance is released.
| Claim | Based on | Opens | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASF mid-year funding claimMid-year forecast claim, based on R06 data (reconciles delivery to the mid-year point). | R06 | 8 Feb 2027 | 19 Feb 2027Add: Google · Outlook · |
| ASF year-end funding claimYear-end forecast claim, based on R10 data (forecasts delivery to 31 July). | R10 | 8 Jun 2027 | 18 Jun 2027Add: Google · Outlook · |
| ASF final funding claimFinal reconciliation, based on R14 data (the final hard close). | R14 | 26 Oct 2027 | 5 Nov 2027Add: Google · Outlook · |
In-year allocation changes (growth and reductions)
Some funding streams can change a provider's allocation in year, based on delivery recorded in the ILR by a set review point. The rules, thresholds and dates are set for each funding year, so check the rules for the year you are in. The ASF and Free Courses for Jobs entries below are for 2026 to 2027.
| Stream | When | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Skills Fund (ASF), 2026 to 2027Devolved areas run their own processes, so check with the relevant strategic authority. National ASF delivery in 2026 to 2027 is funded by DWP; DfE implements the fund on its behalf. | December review point: delivery is measured using the R04 ILR data return (4 December 2026). Exception and first-time requests: the form is published on 18 November 2026 and must reach DfE by 2 December 2026. Providers are told the outcome by 22 January 2027. | Increases are calculated by DfE (not bid for) and apply to ASF contracts for services procured from August 2023. To be offered more, a provider must have delivered at least 90% of the standard national profile at the review point, have a good track record, not be in formal intervention or under additional conditions of funding, and have delivered in line with contracted KPIs, subject to affordability. Delivery at 80% or below the cumulative profile to November can lead to a reduction. |
| Free Courses for Jobs (FCFJ), 2026 to 2027Part of the Adult Skills Fund, but reviewed against its own allocation line. | The same December review point and dates as ASF. | FCFJ grant and contract for services allocations are in scope for increases, and FCFJ grant providers can make new or top-up requests. The same criteria apply, including delivery of at least 90% of the standard national profile at the review point. |
| Advanced Learner LoansLoans are demand-led for learners, but the provider facility is capped: request an increase before you exhaust it. | Loans facility (bursary and, where applicable, delivery) increase requests are made to DfE in-year. | Demonstrate take-up/spend against the current facility. |
- Data Collection Timetable 2026 to 2027
- 2025 to 2026 funding claims guidance
- Final funding claims user guide
- Funding claims and reconciliation (collection)
- Adult Skills Fund funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 (annex E)
Return deadlines, funding-claim windows and growth thresholds are set by DfE / the funding body each year and change, so these are indicative for planning. Confirm against the official documents before acting.
Why R04 matters in 2026 to 2027
R04 for 2026 to 2027 closes at 6pm UK time on Friday 4 December 2026. Source: Data Collection Timetable 2026 to 2027
DfE's guidance for 2026 to 2027 uses R04 data for 16 to 19 allocations, 16 to 19 in-year growth and monitoring, and the Adult Skills Fund review point. Its reference date for 16 to 19 student numbers is 1 November 2026.
- 16 to 19 allocations for 2027 to 2028. DfE is changing the 16 to 19 funding methodology from 2027 to 2028. From that year, allocations will be based solely on student numbers from the start of the previous academic year, as returned in ILR R04 or the school census. For 2027 to 2028, the previous academic year is 2026 to 2027.
Official wording
“We are making a change to the funding methodology from academic year 2027 to 2028. From that year forward, we will base funding allocations solely on student numbers from the start of the previous academic year as returned in ILR R04 or school census”
- 16 to 19 in-year growth for 2026 to 2027. DfE calculates 16 to 19 in-year growth for 2026 to 2027 from R04 student figures, using a 1 November reference date. Growth is awarded on the assumption that the data is accurate: if later returns, usually R14, show it was not, DfE recovers the growth funding.
Official wording
“All references to R04 in this guidance mean the R04 student figure with a 1 November reference date applied.”
“If later data returns (usually the R14) show that the in-year data return used for the growth award is inaccurate, even by a single student, we will recover the relevant growth funding.”
Source: 16 to 19 funding: in-year growth for 2026 to 2027 (August 2026)
- 16 to 19 in-year monitoring. DfE expects every funded institution to have reached at least 30% of its total allocated 16 to 19 programme funding at R04, and will review and, if necessary, adjust allocations where it has not. For contract institutions, R04 delivery below 30% leads to in-year recovery.
Official wording
“We expect all funded institutions to have achieved a minimum outturn of 30% of their total allocated programme funding allocation at R04. Where this threshold has not been met, we will review, and if necessary, adjust allocations.”
“We review ILR R04 performance, and where programme delivery is below 30% of allocated programme funding, we will start recovery”
Source: Advice: Individualised learner record (ILR) funding returns 2026 to 2027
- Adult Skills Fund and Free Courses for Jobs review point. For national Adult Skills Fund and Free Courses for Jobs funding in scope, the December review point measures delivery using the latest validated ILR data at 4 December 2026, the R04 data return. The review can lead to increases or reductions, under the criteria in the rules. Devolved areas run their own processes.
Official wording
“December review point (increases, reductions, and new requests)”
“Delivery information using the latest validated ILR data you provide”
“4 December 2026 (R04 data return)”
Source: Adult Skills Fund funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 (annex E)
- Data quality. DfE lists the reports that must be checked before every mandatory ILR return for 16 to 19 funding, and R04 is one of those returns.
Official wording
“The reports that must be checked before every mandatory ILR return for 16 to 19 funding (R04, R06, R10, R13 and R14)”
Source: Advice: Individualised learner record (ILR) funding returns 2026 to 2027
The data collection timetable closes the R04 collection at 6pm on 4 December 2026. The 16 to 19 ILR funding returns guidance gives 5 December 2026 as the R04 latest return date. The dates shown here are the collection close.
What it means in practice
Our practical advice, based on the guidance above. It is not DfE guidance.
- MIS: Submit well before the collection closes, run the 16 to 19 reports DfE lists, and check that starts, leavers and planned hours up to 1 November are recorded.
- Finance: Compare 16 to 19 delivery at R04 with your allocation and the 30% minimum outturn and, for Adult Skills Fund or Free Courses for Jobs contracts in scope, with the December review point.
- Curriculum: Get enrolments, leavers and planned hours to MIS in good time, so R04 shows who is really on programme.
- Senior leaders: R04 data informs 2027 to 2028 16 to 19 allocations and 2026 to 2027 in-year growth, so treat its sign-off as a funding decision as well as a data task.
2025 to 2026 final funding claim
Submit by Friday 6 November 2026. The claim form is available in Submit Learner Data from 27 October 2026. The guidance gives a date for the deadline, not a time.
For providers delivering grant-funded adult provision that is not devolved to a strategic authority: grant-funded Adult Skills Fund, Free Courses for Jobs and Advanced Learner Loans Bursary. 16 to 19 funding is no longer part of the funding claims process.
Complete and submit it in the data collections area of the Submit Learner Data portal.
DfE will publish reconciliation statements by 27 November 2026, and any issue with your reconciliation value must be raised by 31 December 2026. A claim that is not submitted by the deadline is treated as a nil return, and DfE issues a breach notice.
Indicative planning tool. Always confirm exact deadlines against the official DfE data collection timetable on Submit learner data.