Sanita Roarty

EPA cost increase

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Hello All

I am new to apprenticeships and need some help please.  I have been advised that our EPA cost has increased by £400 and this will need to be reflected in the ILR.  At the moment until our MI system goes live I am presently using the ILR Learner Entry Tool - yep great fun!  My question is, how should I update this? does a new TNP need to be created with the new amount and if so, would the date for the financial record date be the date it is being added or just updated TNP 2 with the new amount.  Also, the start dates are in 24/25 - would I need to update 24/25 and 25/26.

Thanks for any support.

Replies

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Steve Hewitt

You DEFINITELY need to add a new TNP2 or you'll get a DLOCK (DLOCK7 to be precise). The date should reflect when you learnt about the change (ie it's fine that it's in 25/26).

Sanita Roarty

Hello Steve, remember me? This is great, thanks for the help.

Steve Hewitt

oh! hello! :)

Sanita Roarty

Hello Steve, further to my original question, would a new TNP1 need adding with the adjusted amount, due to the TNP2 changing?

Steve Hewitt

Ah, well, that's an interesting question...

Has the cost of you delivering the rest of the Apprenticeship suddenly gone down because the cost of the EPA has gone up? I'd presume not, so there's no real justification for reducing TNP1 just so the total doesn't go above band...

Sanita Roarty

The TNP1 does need adjusting, I got a mismatch earlier today on this particular record, I added a new TNP1 with the reduced amount (minus £400) and this cleared the mismatch - the error code was DLOCK07

Steve Hewitt

Aha, I seem what you mean. So, you need to get the employer to agree the new increased price on AS, rather than artificially reducing TNP1 (even though, as you say, doing it the other way does clear the DLOCK).

Ruth Canham-James

It would be common sense to just report the actual price we charge, even when above max. That's what we were supposed to do originally, then we were told that we aren't allowed to report a total price above band max! So, we have to record false TNP1 values, because ESFA are hard over on TNP2 being precisely what we paid the EPAO. PSM says:

Anything over and above the funding band is dealt with off-line between the provider and employer; the DFE does not need to know about this amount or have it recorded in the ILR or apprenticeship service. The provider also does not need to record that this money was collected from the employer

Sanita Roarty

Ok, so now I am a little confused! I have updated TNP1 & 2 with the new values for the date that I was notified the EPA cost had increased.  I have ran the ILR and it didn't throw up any errors nor any mismatches. 

Have I done the right thing with the updating?  Please would someone be good enough to advise, as this is all new to me.

Many thanks

Steve Hewitt

Sorry Ruth Canham-James, does it Actually Stop you from putting in TNPs over band? Apologies if so Sanita Roarty!

Martin Locock

I believe if TNP1 + TNP2 is above the band will trigger a DLOCK because it won't match DAS, so if this did occur then the reported TNP1 or TNP2 would need to exclude any amount above the band (which would have to be paid by the employer directly).

Sanita Roarty

TNP1 was above the band line which created the DLOCK due to me adding the new TNP2 with the increase.  So I guess I have updated the ILR correctly - TNP1 new reduced value, TNP2 new increased value which means this is not above the band.

Many thanks you for your help.

Steve Hewitt

Martin Locock and we can't put a price over band on AS, right?

Martin Locock

yes I think it won't accept higher amounts.

Ruth Canham-James

So we physically can put a price above band in the ILR, but not AS, and the two have to match. There's still a PDSAT report (25A-209) that shows spread of price compared with band max, that can go above 100%, but obviously nobody can be above 100.

Steve Hewitt

Yeah, the PDSAT report is somewhat of an artefact from when we could (and, given the length of some apps, there may still be some on there above 100) and no one has re-specced it...

Apologies again Sanita Roarty!

Sanita Roarty

No worries Steve, I think I've got the gist of it now. Thanks.