Important dates and information for academic year 2026/27

Age criteria

In academic year 2026/27, students can be eligible for EMA if their 16th, 17th, 18th or 19th birthday falls between 2 July 2025 and 1 July 2026.

Students who turn 16 after 1 July 2026 cannot leave school until 30 June 2027. Academic year 2026/27 is compulsory for them and they are therefore not eligible for EMA support.

Household income thresholds

EMA is a means-tested allowance. The following household income thresholds apply in academic year 2026/27:

£20,500 if the student is the only child in the household
£22,500 if there is at least one other dependent child eligible for Child Benefit in the household

Important dates

Date	Event
April 2026	EMA Learning Agreement template for academic year 2026/27 available on the Learning Centre Portal. The Learning Centre Portal available for removal of students not returning and confirmation of EMA Learning Agreements for returners.
7 September 2026	Start of the EMA Learning Agreement.
30 September 2026	New students must apply by this date to qualify for backdated payments.
November 2026	Dependency sample check begins.
2 December 2026	For students to be eligible for January bonus, we must have received their application and they must have signed Part 2 of their EMA Learning Agreement by this date.
January 2027	Bonus payments made to eligible students. The date may vary according to the individual student's circumstances. The date will depend on us receiving the student's bonus confirmations on the Learning Centre Portal. You should make bonus confirmations on the portal by the last Friday of January.
February 2027	Pre-launch publicity materials and guidance available to download from nidirect.
April 2027	Standard application packs for academic year 2026/27 sent out to Learning Centres and available to download from nidirect. Returners' Information Letters sent to existing EMA students to say they do not need to apply.
June 2027	Returners' Award Letters sent to existing EMA students with confirmation of EMA for academic year 2026/27.
June 2027	Bonus payments made to eligible students. The date may vary according to the individual student's circumstances. The date will depend on us receiving the student's bonus confirmations on the Learning Centre Portal. You should make bonus confirmations on the portal by the last Friday of June.
31 August 2027	Deadline for us to receive new applications and students’ supporting evidence for academic year 2026/27.

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Updating EMA Learning Agreements quick guide