When should I apply for EMA?

When you enter your final school year, you should be thinking about what you want to do when you leave school. A basic guidance of when to apply for EMA follows:

• Autumn term- Gather general information on EMA and consider EMA while making decisions about what to do when you leave school.
• Spring term- Find the information that is required when applying for EMA (i.e. household income). Application forms are available from April.
• Summer term- Apply for EMA (it is advisable to apply early as there could be delays on payments if you wait until you receive your GCSE results before you apply).
• August/September- enrol on your new course. If you apply for EMA after the end of September you can get backdated money, but only from the date you applied.