ILR & funding
Build the ILR with required-field and funding-consistency checks as you go, and compute funding-sensitive figures against the DfE rule pack in force at each start date — with an evidence pack behind every number.
R14 Period · Closes in 4 days
Forecast Cashflow (Period)
£248,500
+12% vs last period
On-programme payments
£210,000
945 active learners
Completion payments
£38,500
22 expected achievers
No Error 1 / Error 2 violations
Required fields and funding-rule consistency checks passed.
3 Warnings (Rule: OTJ_Hours_01)
Learners recorded with planned hours below minimum for standard.
Illustrative funding and ILR view with sample data.
Definition
The Individualised Learner Record (ILR) is the data return UK training providers submit to the funding agency to draw down and account for apprenticeship funding. ILR software builds and validates that return from live learner data, applying the correct year's funding rules so figures are accurate and audit-ready.
Journey builds the ILR, checks required fields and funding-rule consistency, and computes funding-sensitive figures server-side against versioned DfE funding rule packs. External XSD/FIS conformance and PMR submission remain downstream controls. Figures are never supplied by the client. Journey is independent software and is not DfE or Ofsted approved. It does not guarantee funding or inspection outcomes.
Each apprentice's figures are computed against the funding rules in force at their start date, not a single hard-coded year.
The ILR is built with continuous required-field and funding-consistency checks, so the monthly return starts from reviewed live data; external XSD/FIS conformance remains a submission-stage control.
Funding forecasts and exports are derived from the same audited data your delivery team works in.
Funding-sensitive figures retain an evidence trail to support provider funding-audit preparation.
Last reviewed: August 2026
For many providers the ILR return is a fortnightly event: pull data from the MIS, reconcile it against the portfolio and the funding spreadsheet, fix the mismatches, and submit. Each of those steps is a place where figures can drift. Journey builds the ILR continuously from the live learner record and checks required fields and funding-rule consistency, so the monthly return starts from reviewed data rather than a reconstruction from several systems. External XSD/FIS conformance remains a submission-stage control.
Because the ILR is assembled from the same record your delivery team works in, the submitted data can be reviewed alongside delivery. A submission history records what was returned in each period and supports review of what changed and when.
Funding-sensitive figures are computed on the server against versioned DfE funding rule packs, and the pack in force at each apprentice's start date is selected through a single source of truth. This helps providers apply the relevant year's rules as new years are added. The client can request a transition but never supplies the resulting number, so figures cannot be hand-edited into something the rules would not produce. Journey does not determine DfE or ILR acceptance.
Generated figures retain an evidence pack — the hours, dates and decisions that produced them — to support the provider's own review and evidence preparation.
The funding engine is versioned by academic year. Journey centrally carries 2024/25, 2025/26 and the published 2026/27 version 3 DfE apprenticeship funding rule pack. The 2026/27 pack covers apprenticeship starts from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 and is retained alongside historic years. Journey is independent software: its checks help providers review records and organise evidence, but do not certify every funding-rule clause, make funding decisions or guarantee funding outcomes.
This page reflects current public guidance. For the definitive rules, always check the official sources below.
Evidence-linked and accountable by design
Tenant-scoped access controls are designed to keep each provider's records separate on reads and writes.
Significant application state changes are recorded against the person who made them, supporting a traceable history.
Journey applies supported, versioned DfE funding-rule packs selected from the apprentice's start date, including 2026/27 version 3, to support provider review.
After provider, DPIA and release approval, Journey Advanced offers authorised drafts, K/S suggestions and fixed Director Insight views for human review. It does not make regulated decisions or change the source record.
Tenant isolation, access controls, audit records and governed operations are designed into the platform.
Export options are available under the applicable terms, and employer relationships remain with the provider.
Journey is independent software and is not DfE or Ofsted approved. It does not guarantee funding or inspection outcomes.
Book a walkthrough and confirm the right operating scope.