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Money matters

If you are thinking of staying in further education at school or college, joining and e2e programme or becoming a programme led Apprentice you may be eligible for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

For more information about EMA see the website at http://www.ema.dfes.gov.uk/  or phone the helpline on 0800 121 8989.

Q: What is EMA?
A:

EMA is a weekly payment designed to encourage young people aged 16-18 to continue to learn and develop new skills.

The main features of the scheme are:

• Weekly payment bands of £30, £20, £10 per week.
• Bonus payments if you meet certain targets agreed with your tutor, teacher or learning provider.

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Q: Will I be entitled to it?
A:

If you are thinking of staying in further education at school or college, joining an e2e programme or becoming a programme led Apprentice and live in a household with an annual income of £30,810 or less you should apply for EMA. If you start an LSC funded e2e course on or after June 30th 2008 you'll get the maximum weekly payment of £30 regardless of your household income.

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Q: How long can I receive EMA for?
A:

As long as your household’s income doesn’t rise above £30,810 per year you can receive EMA for two years.  If you need additional time in further education to achieve your full potential it will be available for 3 years.

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Q: How do I apply for EMA?
A:

You’ll need to complete an application form and send it with details of your household’s income to the Assessment and Payment Body.  Your entitlement will be based on assessment of your household’s income in the previous financial year.  From 2008-2009 your weekly payment will be the same for the period you receive EMA, although if your household income goes down during the year you can be reassessed for the start of the next academic year.

Your careers teacher, Connexions Personal Adviser, learning provider or local student support services will be able to help you fill in your application form.  You’ll also need to open a bank account for your EMA to be paid into.

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Q: What courses are covered by EMA?
A:

As long as you undertake 12 hours of guided learning per week at school, college or with a learning provider, the course you choose can be either academic or vocational depending on what is appropriate for you. If you are unsure check with your school, college or learning provider.

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Q: What can I spend the money on?
A:

It's up to you how you spend your EMA. EMA allowances have been spent on books, equipment, transport, contributing to family income and other costs incurred in the course of study.

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Q: Will receiving EMA affect other benefits?
A:

EMA is specifically aimed at helping low income families overcome barriers to further studying caused by the costs of supporting young people.  Therefore, it is paid in addition to other benefits such as Child Benefit,  Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. It is not affected by any money you earn from a part-time job.

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