Education Maintenance Allowance

Education Maintenance Allowance

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of £30 for young people who are planning to continue in post-compulsory education from August 2025.

Eligibility

To qualify for EMA, you must be aged between 16 and 19 years.

Household income rules

Dependant children are all those up to the age of 16, and those over the age of 16 and up to the age of 25 if they’re in full time or higher education courses.

You can only apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) online.

You will need a MyGovScot ‘MyAccount’ to apply. If you don’t already have a MyAccount, you’ll need to sign up for one.

When applying for EMA, you’ll be asked to provide:

• your parent or carer’s income
• your bank account details
• your birth certificate or passport

If you live with a foster parent, all we need is proof that you are looked after by a foster parent. You can get this from the Social Work department.

Reporting a change of circumstances

You may be eligible to apply for an in-year reassessment during the current academic year if your circumstances change. We base all awards on the previous financial year of 2024/25 so you need to contact us before you make a claim.

Your household’s income for the current financial year 2025/26 will have fallen from over £24,421 or £26,884 to within the EMA thresholds.

Email us at ema@fife.gov.uk for further information.

All payments are paid directly into the pupils’ bank account, normally on a fortnightly basis and you can see a list of payment dates by clicking the EMA Payment Dates button at the top of the page.

EMA is paid in addition to other support and benefits provided by the government. No one will lose out on any other money if the pupil’s in receipt of an EMA. It won’t affect the parent’s Child Benefit or any money the pupil earns from a part-time job.

The pupil must attend all their course sessions and sign an EMA Learning Agreement with their school. This agreement details what is expected of them in terms of attendance, coursework and progress.

If you don’t have access to a PC or mobile device with an internet connection, please contact your school for advice on how they can help.

What happens after you apply

We aim to get all claims processed before the first payment date in September 2025. If you apply after this, you should hear from us within two weeks of submitting your application. If you do not hear from us by then, email ema@fife.gov.uk.

Once your claim’s been processed, we’ll write to you with next steps. This will include asking you to complete a learning agreement with your school or college. This agreement details what is expected of you in terms of attendance, coursework and progress.

How you’ll get paid

You’ll be paid directly into your bank account every fortnight. We have a list of payment dates.

If you’re eligible from August 2025:

• the application will be backdated to 18 August 2025 if we receive it by 30 September 2025
• after 30 September 2025, the EMA will start from the date we receive your application

If you’re eligible from January 2026:

• the application will be backdated to 6 January 2026 if we receive it by 28 February 2026
• after 28 February 2026, the EMA will start from the date we receive your application

If you do not receive your payment, you should contact your school or college. They need to confirm your attendance on the EMA system. If they confirm you should have been paid, email ema@fife.gov.uk.

Before you contact us, you may find it useful to view our list of frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page. If you still need some more help, you can contact us by emailing ema@fife.gov.uk. Please include your phone number so we can call you back.

PLEASE NOTE: The above information is only applicable to pupils attending school or being home educated in Fife.  This information is not relevant for young people attending school in England, Ireland or Wales. If you require information regarding an EMA for attending college, please contact the college you’ll be attending.