EMA - Education Maintenance Allowance

What is EMA?

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) gives you up to £30 cash each week to carry on learning.

EMA: how much could I get?

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) comes in weekly payments of £10, £20 or £30 which go directly into your bank account.

However, you will only get your money if you regularly attend and work hard on your course. If you're eligible for EMA, the amount you receive is calculated by looking at your household income. It isn’t affected by any money you earn from part-time work, and won’t make any difference to any benefits your parents get. On top of your weekly amount you can also receive bonuses – but only if you do well and meet the targets set by your teacher, tutor or provider.

So, are you eligible for EMA?

Your course

You need to be enrolled on a course in England which is one of the following:

• a full-time further education course at a college or school
• an LSC-funded Diploma (where available) or a course that leads to an Apprenticeship
• an LSC-funded Entry to Employment (e2e) course (if you're on an e2e course, you’ll get the maximum £30 weekly EMA payment regardless of your household income)

Your household income

To qualify for EMA in the academic year starting September 2009, your annual household income must be below £30,810 (for tax year 2008-09).

And there’s good news if you have a part-time job – any money you earn isn’t included in your overall household income.