Getting your payments


Your award letter

We’ll send you an award letter to confirm that your application has been successful and you’re eligible to get Education Maintenance Allowance.

Your letter will:

  • confirm your award and where you’re studying
  • let you know what you need to do to get your payments
  • remind you to contact us if anything changes.

Your EMA Agreement

This is an agreement between you and your school or college. It outlines the attendance criteria for you to get your EMA payments.

If you have any circumstances that may affect your attendance, you should speak to your school or college. They should be able to explain what type of absences will stop you from getting paid your EMA.

If you’re eligible for EMA before your course starts

You should sign this when you start your course.

If you become eligible for EMA after your course starts

You should sign this as soon as you become eligible.

Getting paid

After signing your EMA Agreement, your school or college will confirm that you’ve been in attendance. As long as you meet the terms agreed with your school or college, you will get your payments every two weeks.

We’ll send you a text message a few days before we make your payment, so make sure you give us an up to date mobile number when you apply!

Your EMA payments will be made directly into a bank account in your name. You should make sure you’ve given us your correct bank details.

If you’ve sent the right evidence, payments can be made to a third party.

Updating your bank details

If you applied online for EMA, you can sign in to your online account (opens in a new tab) to update your bank details.

If you applied using a paper application form, you’ll need to call us to update them.