Growth and Skills Levy policy tracker (2026)

Last updated: 15 July 2026

How to use this tracker

Check the product, learner, employer and start date against the applicable DWP funding rules before agreeing a price or start. Skills England approves occupational products and publishes their key information; DWP owns apprenticeship policy and funding guidance from 1 April 2026. Providers and assessment organisations must use the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR) where the rules require registration.

Latest summary: 15 July 2026

• Live now: approved apprenticeships, foundation apprenticeships and named apprenticeship units can be funded through the apprenticeship service, subject to their product page and funding rules.
• Not a generic training wallet: ordinary short courses, commercial qualifications, higher technical qualifications and Skills Bootcamps are not automatically eligible for levy-account funding. Skills Bootcamps remain separately commissioned.
• Published for 1 August: account expiry, top-up and co-investment rules change for relevant new funds and starts. The final 2026 to 2027 apprenticeship funding rules were published on 15 June.
• Still awaited: on 15 July the official unit-rules collection still says a further version will be published for apprenticeship-unit starts from 1 August 2026.
• Published for 1 October: eligible non-levy employers can receive a £2,000 hiring payment for qualifying 16–24-year-old apprenticeship starts, subject to the detailed rules.

What an employer account can fund

Apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships

Funding applies only to an approved apprenticeship product and version. Foundation apprenticeships are Level 2 paid jobs with structured training, not generic pre-employment courses. The catalogue includes construction, engineering and manufacturing, health and social care, digital, catering and hospitality, and retail service, supply and administration products.

Apprenticeship units

Units are named, approved products for employed learners aged 19 or over whose employer has identified an upskilling need. Current units run for 30 to 140 delivery hours over 1 to 16 weeks. Each Skills England page gives a reference, level, minimum hours, maximum funding, validation and assessment requirements, and version dates.

The present DWP unit rules apply to starts from 28 April through 31 July 2026. Do not promise an August unit start under those rules: check the official collection for the next version first.

Changes applying from 1 August 2026

Levy account funds

• The 10% government top-up stops for new funds entering an employer account from 1 August.
• Those new funds expire after 12 months if unused.
• Funds that entered on or before 31 July retain their 24-month expiry.
• The oldest account funds continue to be used first.

Employer co-investment

• For an eligible non-levy apprentice aged 16–24 at the start, government funds eligible training and assessment up to the funding-band maximum.
• For a non-levy apprentice aged 25 or over, the employer pays 5% and government pays 95% of eligible costs up to the maximum.
• When a levy-paying employer has insufficient account funds, it pays 25% of the eligible shortfall and government pays 75% for starts from 1 August.
• The employer remains responsible for any price above the funding-band maximum.

Duration and off-the-job training

Do not build compliance around the old blanket shorthand of 12 months and 20% off-the-job training. For starts from 1 August 2025, the minimum duration can be eight months where appropriate, and the required off-the-job minimum is published for the relevant standard. The typical duration still matters for programme design. Always check the learner's start-date rules and the exact Skills England product version.

The £2,000 hiring payment from 1 October 2026

This is separate from the existing foundation-apprenticeship incentive. Under the 2026 to 2027 rules, a non-levy employer may qualify for a £2,000 hiring payment for an apprentice aged 16–24 whose practical period starts on or after 1 October and who has not been employed by that employer for more than 90 days before that start. It is paid in instalments and remains subject to the detailed eligibility and data requirements.

The foundation-apprenticeship incentive has different eligibility and payment stages, including a progression instalment in qualifying cases. Do not merge the two payments in employer marketing.

Monthly update log

July 2026

• What changed: the final 2026 to 2027 apprenticeship rules are available; the separate post-1-August unit rules are not yet shown in the official collection.
• Provider impact: August starts need new co-investment logic and levy payers need revised account forecasts. October hiring-payment eligibility requires employment and practical-period dates to be captured accurately.
• Action now: segment starts by product and date, update employer briefings, and prevent unapproved short-course products from being sold as account-funded provision.

April 2026

• What changed: the first apprenticeship units became available for starts from 28 April under a dedicated rule set.
• Provider impact: unit delivery has its own eligibility, evidence, validation, assessment and reporting requirements; it is not a shortened apprenticeship workflow.

Operational checklist for providers

• Verify the exact Skills England product reference, version, earliest start date, minimum hours and maximum funding before onboarding.
• Use the DWP rule set that applies to the product and start date; keep apprenticeship and apprenticeship-unit rules separate.
• Check APAR status and delivery/assessment roles before making a commitment.
• Model levy funds entering before and after 1 August separately because their expiry and top-up treatment differ.
• Apply the correct 100%, 95/5 or 75/25 funding treatment and record costs above the band maximum.
• Replace universal 12-month and 20% OTJ assumptions with the current standard-specific duration and minimum-hours data.
• Do not describe Skills Bootcamps, HTQs, qualifications or an internally designed short course as levy-account eligible without an approved funding route.
• Check the official unit-rules collection again before any start on or after 1 August 2026.