This post first published: 26 August 2021
It’s important you help students know what to do to get their first student finance payment on time.
To make sure they get paid on time, students should follow these steps:
- Make sure they’ve submitted their application and provided any evidence we need. They can sign in to their online account and check their to-do list is complete.
- Check their bank details are correct in their online account. If they need to update them, they should make sure they do this at least 4 days before their payment date.
- Register on their course. We cannot pay them until we receive confirmation of registration from their uni or college.
Visit our page for more information on student finance payments. We also have helpful films on YouTube:
If they’ve applied after the deadline
You should advise these students they’ll, still receive some money near the start of their course, as long as they’ve provided any evidence we need and their application is approved. We’ll pay them the basic amount of funding so that they have some money as soon as possible. When we get income details from their parents or partner, we will re-assess their entitlement and top up their first payment as soon as possible. Their parent or partner should not upload their P60 unless we ask for it, as this could delay their application.
If their payment is showing as ‘blocked’ in their online account, we may still be checking their National Insurance number. It can take up to 2 weeks to do this.
For more information on how applying late may affect students check out our dedicated page.
Consent to share
Some students may find it difficult to deal with their student finance application, so you can encourage them to set up ‘consent to share’ on their account. They can call Student Finance England to give permission for a higher education practitioner to call on their behalf and help them deal with any student finance related issues they’re having.
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