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If you reported in R05 that they were continuing, then in R06 back date the completion to December, yes, that would claw back the December payment, like it would if it were a withdrawal. The difference from a withdrawal is, if the student goes on to sit their EPA, and you enter an Outcome, you will get it back again in a lump sum balancing payment with all the on programme payments due Dec 22-Apr 23.
Thanks Ruth. I've had it queried though by my SMT, would the remaining 80% funding not be paid though regardless of completing early? So although I can see here, why the December earnings have been claimed back (like as you say if they were a withdrawal), what about the remaining delivery funding? Or would this get lumped in with the outcome payment once EPA is undertaken.
I think I've almost answered my own follow up question here - in that the Agency treat the early completion as a potential withdrawal until the outcome is known.
The 80% is "on programme" payments. That's what the balancing payment is. I think the reason they don't release balancing payments for early completers until there is a confirmed outcome, is that (as you pointed out) there's still a chance it could be a withdrawal. If an apprentice gets to gateway, but then never attempts the EPA, you have to switch them from Completed to Withdrawn. That means you lose all the remaining on programme payments! As long as they attempt the EPA (pass or fail), then you get a big lump sum of the completion element (20%) plus all the outstanding on programme funding.
It happened to us once (an early completer then didn't sit the EPA), and I got special permission from ESFA to put in an Actual End Date to match the Planned End Date, even though it wasn't true, to make sure we receive the on programme payments we deserved. You can't do that without permission though.
Darren Hands
Clawback of funding
Created
I'm having one of those moments and hopefully someone can clarify something for me.
We have a learner with a planned end date in April 23 but actually completed their learning ahead of schedule in early December (8th). On PICS (the system we use for data capture), the Programme aim is showing "Continuing Learning Activity" "outcome Not Yet Known" - so EPA ready; The PICS Episode end section shows "In Learning" and "Gateway Ready EPA".
These details were only submitted on our ILR in the R06 return but we had funding equivalent to the full December earnings clawed back.
Am I correct in thinking this is because learning did not take place for the full month of December (or up to a certain point in the month)? If so, would we then get it back as part of the remaining funding when he fully closed down following his EPA?