We only accept original documents. Please do not send photocopies.
2.
Question
Will I get my payments during school holidays?
Answer
No, You must be in attendance at school or college to get your EMA payments.
3.
Question
My child is not attending school, will they still get EMA?
Answer
To get EMA payments, your child must have attendance confirmed by their school or college. This applies to pupils not attending school due to expulsion, suspension, illness or other reasons. The school or college are responsible for this decision. You can contact the school or college with any questions about attendance.
4.
Question
I am on a ‘Pathways to Apprenticeship course’, can I get EMA?
Answer
Yes, but you must be on a Pathways to Apprenticeship course, with at least 21 study hours. You can get a ‘Pathways to Apprenticeship’ EMA application form from your school or college.
5.
Question
How old do I need to be for me to get EMA?
Answer
For courses starting from September 2010, you need to be aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August 2010. If you are older that 18 on this date, you may be able to get ALG (FE). You can use our calculator to see which you should apply for.
6.
Question
My household income is too high for me to get EMA, but can I still get bonus payments?
Answer
No, bonus payments are part of the EMA scheme. You must be entitled to EMA in order to get bonus payments.
7.
Question
What benefits are taken into account when adding up my household income?
Answer
Only these Taxable Social Security Benefits should be included:
Retirement Pension
Widowed Parents Allowance
Carer’s Allowance
Industrial Death Benefit
Incapacity Benefit (after 28 weeks)
Contribution Based Employment and Support Allowance
Bereavement Benefit
Job Seekers Allowance
8.
Question
How do I work out my household income?
Answer
If you are a dependant student:
You can work out your household income by adding up the income of your parent(s) and/or guardian(s) from:
Do not include income for parents or step-parents who don’t permanently live with you.
If you are an independent student you do the same as above, except you need to use your income plus your partner’s, if you have one.
For example:
Mother’s income: £8000
Father’s income: £12000
Household income: £20000
Mother has no allowable deductions
Father has £1000 private pension contributions
Allowable deductions: £1000
Household income: £20000
Take away allowable deductions: £1000
Total household income: £19000
9.
Question
Should I include bonuses and overtime in my household income?
Answer
Yes, bonuses and overtime count as earned income
10.
Question
What happens if someone joins my household?
Answer
You should contact EMA Customer Services Team and tell them about this change. If for example, your Mum or Dad got re-married, their new spouse’s income may affect your EMA.
11.
Question
I got EMA last year, and am applying again- do I need to send in evidence again?
Answer
You do not need to send us any evidence of your identity, such as your Birth Certificate. We may need evidence of your household income.
12.
Question
Can you contact Jobcentres, or Tax Offices to confirm my income?
Answer
No, we can’t. They aren’t allowed to give us this information due to Data Protection laws. You will need to contact them if you require any additional evidence of your income.
13.
Question
Should I apply to EMA Wales or EMA England?
Answer
This depends on where you go to school or college. If your school or college is in Wales, you can apply to EMA Wales, even if you live in England. If your school or college is in England, you can apply to EMA England - www.direct.gov.uk/EMA.
If you are studying in Scotland you should apply for EMA Scotland - www.emascotland.com
If you are studying in Northern Ireland you should apply for EMA NI - www.delni.gov.uk .
14.
Question
Where should I send my application form?
Answer
You should send your form to the EMA Customer Services Team. The application is your responsibility, so you must make sure it is sent. Remember- you are sending important original documents, so its worth getting proof of postage from your Post Office. You may also consider sending your application by Recorded Delivery.
15.
Question
When do I start getting payments?
Answer
You can start getting EMA payments as soon as you start your course(s), as long as you:
apply on time;
agree and sign a Learning Agreement with your school or college; and
meet your attendacne requirements
Once we approve your application your school or college need to confirm you have attended. Then payments will be made to your bank or building society account fortnightly.
16.
Question
What should I do if my household income changes during my course?
Answer
If you’ve already applied for EMA and your household income has fallen, you can apply for a reassessment. You will need to contact the EMA Customer Services Team
17.
Question
I have received my award letter but no payments, what’s happened?
Answer
You must sign a learning agreement at your school / college to receive payments.
If you have signed your learning agreement see the other questions on this page about payments for more help. If you have not signed this you should contact your EMA administrator at your school / college
18.
Question
I was expecting a payment but I have not been paid, why?
Answer
In order to pay you we require attendance details from your school / college no later than 5pm on the Wednesday before the payment date. If you have not been paid it is because:
a. Your attendance details from your school / college were not received on time.
b. You attendance details are either ‘not in attendance’ or ‘on holiday’
You should contact your EMA administrator at your school / college.
19.
Question
My friend received a payment and I did not, why?
Answer
In order to pay you we require attendance details from your school / college no later than 5pm on the Wednesday before the payment date. If you have not been paid and your friend has it is because:
a. Your attendance details from your school / college were not received on time.
b. You attendance details are either ‘not in attendance’ or ‘on holiday’
You should contact your EMA administrator at your school / college.
20.
Question
My school / college have said that they are unable to confirm my attendance as my name does not appear on their system. What should I do?
Answer
We may have an incorrect school / college on your file. You should contact customer services on 0845 603 1693 to confirm the name & address of your school / college.
21.
Question
I was off for 1 day last week; does that mean that I will be marked as ‘not in attendance’ for the whole week?
Answer
Your school / college confirm attendance after taking into account the attendance criteria that was set out in your learning agreement.
Please contact your EMA administrator at your school / college.
22.
Question
I was on holiday all of last week, do I get paid?
Answer
If you are on holiday from school / college you will not receive EMA payment.
23.
Question
My friend has been awarded £30 a week but I have only been awarded £10 a week, why?
Answer
EMA is a means tested allowance which means the amount of household income determines how much EMA you will get. Further information can be found “How much can I get” table in the Guidance Notes booklet or via our website.
24.
Question
My EMA has not been backdated to the start of the year, why?
Answer
The reasons for this could be:
a. To receive back dated payments we need to receive your application form within 8 weeks of you starting your course. If your application is received after this you will receive EMA payments from the Monday after we receive your form.
b. Your school / college has not confirmed your attendance from the start of the academic year.
25.
Question
I have changed School/College. What should I do?
Answer
Has the school /college you first attended confirmed your attendance up to the date you left?
A) If so, you should contact this office to confirm the name and address of your new school/college.
B) If not, ask your original school/college to confirm your attendance up to the date you left. Once this has been confirmed you should contact this office to advise the name and address of your new school/college.
C) If your new school/college information has already been updated with EMA Customer Services and you have not received all of your payments from your previous school / college, the EMA administrator at your new school/college should contact your previous school/college to confirm your attendance.
26.
Question
I would like to change the bank account used for my EMA Payments, how do I do this?
Answer
You should contact EMA Customer Services to provide your new bank details including sort code, account number & roll number (if applicable). Important note: to change bank details we need 5 working days notice, details need to be updated on the Wednesday before your payment is due.
27.
Question
One of my parents/guardians was recently been made redundant. Will this affect my EMA?
Answer
If you are currently entitled to EMA of £0, £10 or £20 per week you may be entitled to increased EMA payments. You should contact this office to request a re-assessment form and the customer advisor will be able to help you with the type of evidence you require. If you are already entitled to the maximum £30/week there would be no change to your entitlement.
28.
Question
28. I have applied to EMA England and I have received a letter from them what should I do?
Answer
Complete a Welsh EMA application form and send this with all your letters from EMA England
29.
Question
I haven’t received my Christmas bonus, why not?
Answer
Bonuses are paid in January and July, there is also a bonus for returning students paid in September. Bonuses are paid upon confirmation from your school / college that you have met the objectives under part two of your learning agreement.
We only accept original documents. Please do not send photocopies.
2.
Question
What evidence can I send to prove a separation?
Answer
If you have separated from a spouse or partner, you need to send us evidence.
If you are divorced we need:
your decree absolute;
a dissolution order; or
a letter from your solicitor confirming your status.
If you are separated we need:
a letter from your solicitor confirming your status.
If your Civil Partnership has been dissolved:
your dissolution order; or
a letter from your solicitor confirming your status.
3.
Question
What Home Office status do I need to apply for ALG (FE)?
Answer
There are a number of statuses that would mean you are able to apply for ALG (FE). You can get details from the guidance notes which go with the application form. You may need to send appropriate evidence to confirm your Home Office status. The following document will give you more information.
4.
Question
I haven’t got my payments yet, can you tell me why?
Answer
We cannot make payments to you until we get confirmation of your attendance from your college. You will need to speak to your college about confirmation of your attendance.
5.
Question
I am not from the UK, am I eligible for ALG (FE)?
Answer
You can apply for ALG (FE), if you have lived in the UK for 3 years before the start of your course(s). There are some other cases, where you may be eligible but not lived in the UK for 3 years. You can check the guidance notes that go with the application form.
The following document will also give you more information.
I currently get EMA; does this mean I can’t apply for ALG (FE)?
Answer
You can’t get EMA and ALG (FE) at the same time. But you can still apply for ALG (FE) for next year, if you are currently getting EMA.
7.
Question
I am under 25, but I have supported myself for 3 years- what do I need to do?
Answer
You need to apply as an independent student, and provide evidence that you supported yourself for 3 years. For example, you will need to provide P60s for the full 3 years. If you cannot provide evidence of support for the 3 years before you started your course(s), you will be considered a dependant student. Dependent students need to supply their household income with evidence.
8.
Question
Can you contact Jobcentres, or Tax Offices to confirm my income?
Answer
No, we can’t. They aren’t allowed to give us this information due to Data Protection laws. You will need to contact them if you require any evidence of your income from them.
