How much can be transferred?

From April 2019, levy-paying employers can transfer a maximum amount of 25% of their annual funds. They can make transfers from their apprenticeship account to as many employers as they choose.

The apprenticeship service calculates this amount by:

• the total amount of levy declared in the previous tax year
• with the English percentage applied
• plus the payment of 10% from the government

What transfers can pay for:

Transferred funds will be used to pay for the training and assessment cost of the apprenticeships agreed with the receiving employer.

Sending and receiving employers need to know that:

• funds are paid monthly for the duration of the apprenticeship
• only levy-paying employers can make a transfer
• any employer can receive and use transferred funds
• sending and receiving employers have to be registered on the apprenticeship service
• a transfer can only be used to pay for training and assessment for apprenticeship standards
• transfers can only be used for new starts, except where the apprentice is changing employer and an agreement to continue their apprenticeship with their new employer is through a transfer of levy funds

Employers who are transferring funds

Before you make a transfer from your apprenticeship account, make sure that you:

• have enough funds to transfer to another employer
• have a clear understanding of the forecasted cost to you, which will cover the duration of the apprenticeship you’ve agreed to fund through a transfer
• understand you will be funding the total cost of their apprenticeship and not just the 5% co-investment
• agree with the employer who is receiving the transfer, details of the apprenticeships you’re funding
• are aware of the funding rules around transferring apprenticeship funds

Employers who want to receive a transfer

If you want to receive a transfer from another employer you must be aware of the following:

• you can only use the transferred funds for apprenticeship training and assessment
• transferred funds can only be used for apprenticeship standards
• you’ll need to create an account on the apprenticeship service to receive the transfer and pay for apprenticeship training
• you’ll need to sign an agreement with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
• transfer payments will be made monthly from the sending employer to your apprenticeship account
• you won’t have to pay any funds back to the sending employer
• if the employer sending you funds runs out of funds, you must make a 5% contribution to the cost of apprenticeship training and the government will pay the remaining 95% (this is called co-investment)
• a transfer can fund up to the funding band maximum of a standard, if the cost of training is more, you’ll have to pay the difference to the training provider
• if a training provider transfers funds to you, they cannot deliver the training for that funded apprenticeship
• funding rules around transferring apprenticeship funds

State aid

Employers need to take account of state aid rules when receiving funds from other organisations.

A percentage of all the funds you receive as a transfer may be considered as state aid. This represents the amount of co-investment you would otherwise have had to contribute towards the apprenticeship, if funds had not been transferred.

For all starts funded through a transfer before 1 April 2019, 10% of all the funds you receive may be considered as state aid. For starts funded through a transfer on or after 1 April 2019, only 5% may count. This is because the co-investment rate is reducing from 10% to 5% for all new starts from 1 April 2019.

Before accepting a transfer, employers should check how much state aid they’ve already received in any 3 year period, so they don’t go over the limit they’re allowed under ‘de minimis’ funding rules – see guidance on ‘de minimis’ support. The limit an organisation is allowed to receive as state aid is €200,000 in any rolling 3-year period.