Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 Guidance Notes - Dumfries and Galloway Council
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Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes Dumfries and Galloway Council Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 Guidance Notes These notes accompany the 2021/2022 EMA Application form. Please read these notes prior to completing your application (Subject to change).
Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes Advice Introduction A fresh application must be made each The Education Maintenance Allowance academic year, including copies of all (EMA) is a means tested weekly allowance documents required to complete the payable in two week instalments in assessment. arrears. Payments are made during term time only. The programme aims to When completing the application form increase participation and retention in please answer each section, as best you post-compulsory education. can, and submit with the relevant financial documentation as soon as possible after Eligibility making your application. If you have any • You can apply for an EMA if you difficulties please contact ema@dumgal. attend a school in Dumfries and gov.uk Galloway, are Home Educated, live in Dumfries and Galloway and travel DEADLINES apply for the submission of daily to attend a school or college the application form, so do not delay in outwith Scotland or participate in an sending this form. Activity Agreement now known as Young Persons Agreement. You can send the form without the required documents, but you must send • Students 16 years of age or over before them to us once available. We will not 30 September 2021 may be eligible for be able to make a final decision until we an EMA from the beginning of term have all the required documents. If you do starting August 2021. send any documents at a later date, please remember to include the applicant’s name, • Students 16 years of age between learning centre and date of birth so we 1 October 2021 and 28 February 2022, can match them to the application. Late may be eligible for an EMA from return may affect payments made. January 2022. PLEASE KEEP THIS GUIDANCE FOR YOUR • For those eligible for full year award, OWN REFERENCE. if the application is not submitted by 30 September 2021, the award can only be made from the week it is received by this office. • For those who are eligible from January 2022, if the application is not submitted by 28 February 2022, the award can only be made from the week it is received by this office. • The cut-off date for processing application forms for academic year 2021/2022 is 31 March 2022. No applications will be processed after this date. 2
Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes • Household income is assessed on gross should provide evidence depending taxable household income for the on their circumstances. If you have not period 6 April 2020 to end of 5 April been resident in the UK for 3 years 2021. you must provide evidence of your residency status. More information • The income thresholds for the EMA about nationality and residency Programme, Academic Year 2021/2022 can be found in the EMA Guidance are currently as follows (subject to Document on the EMA website change): www.mygov.scot/ema • You can apply for an EMA if you are Income No. of Award Home Educated. You must have a dependent history of being home educated. children in the household £0 - £24,421 1 £30 Provisional Awards £0 - £26,884 2+ £30 Students may be eligible to receive a provisional award if a self-employed • Dependent children are all those up to parent is temporarily unable to supply the age of 16 and those over the age financial details. If a Self-Assessment Tax of 16 and up to age 25 if they are in Calculation (SA302) is not available your full time further or higher education. parent(s) or carer(s) should send a letter (Please provide confirmation of other from their tax advisor or themselves or dependent’s attendance at University) arrange for their accountant to complete Part B of the application giving an • If you are receiving education and estimate of their business profit for the are in the care of the local authority year ended 5 April 2021. You are still you are eligible for a £30 EMA award required to send the SA302 from HMRC without having to provide evidence of once you receive it. household income. For provisional award payments paid to • The course the young person is those whose parents are self-employed , undertaking must be a course of a stop on payments will be made on 31 non-advanced education, as defined December and no further payments should in the EMA (Scotland) Regulations be made until income has been finalised. 2007 and the Education (Access Funds) (Scotland) Determination 2014. If an applicant is paid an EMA provisional award that is not finalised then applies for • There is no deadline for submission EMA again in another year, the amount of applications for young people already paid should be deducted before applying for Young Persons any further payments are paid. Agreement EMA. Provisional awards can also be made • To be eligible for an EMA, students in cases where the household has must meet the nationality and experienced a change in financial residency requirements of the circumstances as a result of redundancy programme. In all cases students 3
Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes Learning Agreement Young Carers/Vulnerable Students A Learning Agreement is an agreement • Flexibility and additional support between the student and the Learning is extended to vulnerable young Centre/School. In order to receive people. Written confirmation a payment a student must have an to support the young person’s acceptable Learning Agreement and it is circumstances is required from each student’s responsibility to ensure he/ Learning Centre and/or Support she has this. Once you have completed Worker. and returned an EMA application and have received an entitlement letter from Please read the declaration. the Education Support Services please take your letter to your school and they If self-employed, a Self-Assessment Tax will help you complete the Learning Calculation (SA302) 2021/2022 should be Agreement. Failure to complete/return an submitted. If this is not available at time of agreement may affect your payments. application other evidence should be sent until it can be obtained for example: The EMA is based on 100% attendance and students must normally be on a full • Part B of application completed by time non advanced course and enrolled your accountant (if you require this as full time i.e. attending 21 hours guided please email us and we will send this learning hours per week. Arriving late at to you or you can print this from the school may also affect your payment. For webpage) Young Persons Agreement students and • FINAL Tax Credit Award for students living in Dumfries and Galloway 2020/2021or but studying across the border the guided • Tax Credit Award for 2021/2022. hours may differ. You will still need to send us the SA302 from HMRC when you receive it. School Holidays & Study Leave Payments are not made for school Part C Certificate of Benefits received holidays. If you are in receipt of a benefit please EMA is paid during study leave. S5 pupils ask your local Job Centre to complete Part will be paid to the end of the school year C unless you are in receipt of Universal if returning to school to enter 6th year Credit only. (If you require this please if not then as with S6 pupils you will be email us and we will send this to you or paid until the date of the final SQA exam you can print this from the web page) unless you find employment. If you are unable to do this please send alternatives to this for example: Sickness & Absences It is your responsibility to contact your • If receiving benefits please request a school if you are absent due to sickness P60U certificate from the DWP or and it may affect your payments. • P60 certificate for Widow parents Allowance 4
Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS If you were in employment at any time (subject to change) during the financial year 2020/2021 we can accept the following documents: Child Benefit Helpline 0300 200 3100 • 2020 P60 or valid week 52 payslip. Carers Allowance Helpline • P45 0800 7310 297 • P60 (or similar certificate) for private pension Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) 0800 1690 310 Tax Credit Helpline Benefits from your employer(s) 0345 300 3900 (e.g. company car and fuel, taxable vouchers and payments in kind from all HM Revenue and Customs Office jobs) 0300 200 3310 (request SA302 for self- employment) You may have received benefits from your Pension Credit Helpline employer which were not paid out in 0800 99 1234 wages but were taxable. These are called benefits in kind. Your employer should Universal Credit helpline: have given you information about these 0800 3289 344 by 6 July 2021, usually on a form P9D or P11D. You do not have to work out the Household Income Details amount of each individual benefit – your employer will tell you the taxable values. Required for Parent/Carer(S) Please note additional supporting financial documentation is required with your If this applies to you, please provide your application form if you do not have a Tax P9D or P11D for this EMA application. Credit Award. By household income we If you have not received a form P9D or mean the income of parent(s) or carer(s) P11D for the year 6 April 2020 to living in the household. This may be: 5 April 2021 and you think you should have, ask your employer or phone HMRC. • Earnings from the work they do • Profits from a business if they are self- employed. If required you should send confirmation • Income from taxable state benefits of Lone Parent Status for example: e.g. Employment Support Allowance, • Copy of your Council Tax Award letter Job Seekers Allowance etc. for 2020/2021 • Other income – such as interest from banks and building societies if over £300, and dividends from shareholdings, income from property rental etc. • Pensions 5
Education Maintenance Allowance 2021/2022 - Guidance Notes Please provide confirmation of all relevant paperwork relating to your household income with your application as soon as possible. You can email confirmation of your household income for the full financial year April 2020 to the end of March 2021 to us at ema@dumgal.gov.uk or ask the school to do this for you remembering to state your reference number if you have been allocated one, your child’s name and school so we can match documents to your application. Copies are accepted. Please note that Dumfries and Galloway Council administer the EMA scheme on behalf of Scottish Government – we are not responsible for Policy decisions. If you have any queries regarding policy, please contact Scottish Government directly. Dumfries and Galloway Council Education Support Services, Education and Learning Directorate c/o The Bridge, Glasgow Road, Dumfries. DG2 9AW. For further information / advice on the EMA programme please contact the Education Support Services team Tel: 030 33 33 3000 or email ema@dumgal.gov.uk 0074-20 6
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