Choosing How Your Learner Will Be Funded

Introduction

This guide explains how to select the appropriate funding method for your learners within the Bud platform. It covers the steps to indicate whether an employer is a Levy or Non-Levy payer, either within the employer record or during the learner enrolment process. By understanding these options, providers can ensure accurate funding allocations and compliance with relevant regulations.

User Roles

  • Employer Administrator
  • Trainer
  • Operations Manager

How to: Select Funding

1. Within an employer record

It is possible to indicate if they are a Levy or Non-Levy payer.

  1. Navigate to the ‘Employers’ section of Bud.
  2. Search for the relevant employer and select. 
  3. Navigate across to ‘Additional Information’, click edit and select the relevant option. 

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This selection will not inform anything in the ILR, it is just for information purposes.

2. When enrolling a learner

 

Within the employer details section of the additional details aspect of the enrolment users will be asked to select from 4 options for how the learner is going to be funded: 		 additional_details_employer_details.png
  1. Is Levy (ACT-1)
  2. Is Non-Levy (ACT-2)
  3. Is a Non-Levy payer, accessing Reserved Funds (ACT-1)
  4. Is a Non-Levy payer, accessing Levy Transfer (ACT-1)

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Whichever option you choose will impact the ILR, adding/updating the ACT codes accordingly. 

In implementing the funding rule logic, a “levy-paying employer” status will be determined by the selection made in the “How is this apprenticeship going to be funded” dropdown options list within the additional Employment details section of an Apprenticeship enrolment. The determinations are shown below:

We will also take into account the following factors in determining if co-investment is required:

  • The age of the learner on the learning start date

  • The learning start date

    • This revised logic will only apply to learners with a start date on or after 01/04/24.

    • Learning start dates before 01/04/24 will continue to use the previous logic.

  • Where learners are aged 22-24 on the learning start date we will also use the answer to the following enrolment question to determine eligibility for co-investment relaxation:

    • Employer’s average number of employees in the last year

    • Does the learner have an Education Health Care Plan?

    • Has the applicant been looked after by a UK Local Authority/Health and Social Care Trust for at 13 weeks since they were 14

Where the above logic determines a learner is eligible for relaxation of the employer co-investment the funding document will display this as a £0.00 contribution required in the funding outcome section.

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NB: the highlighted logic regarding the additional £1000 payment towards the additional costs associated with training for an Apprenticeship remains unchanged in the 24/25 draft funding rules and is still applicable to 16-18 year old learners (Or 19-24 if the Learner has an EHCP or has previously been in care). Bud will continue to monitor the funding rules for any changes to this logic.