ILR return calendar, 2026 to 2027.
Every collection close date for the funding year, R01 to R14, with the funding-claim and QAR returns marked and the days remaining to each. Taken from the Department for Education data collection timetable; all collections close at 6pm.
| Return | Closes (6pm) | Days remaining | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | Friday 4 September 2026 | – | |
| R02 | Tuesday 6 October 2026 | – | |
| R03 | Thursday 5 November 2026 | – | |
| R04 | Friday 4 December 2026 | – | |
| R05 | Thursday 7 January 2027 | – | |
| R06 | Thursday 4 February 2027 | – | |
| R07 | Thursday 4 March 2027 | – | Mid-year funding claims |
| R08 | Tuesday 6 April 2027 | – | |
| R09 | Friday 7 May 2027 | – | |
| R10 | Friday 4 June 2027 | – | Year-end funding claim; QAR data collection |
| R11 | Tuesday 6 July 2027 | – | |
| R12 | Thursday 5 August 2027 | – | QAR data collection |
| R13 | Tuesday 14 September 2027 | – | |
| R14 | Thursday 21 October 2027 | – | Final funding claims; QAR data collection |
Overlap warning: 2025/26 R13 and R14 close in September and October 2026, alongside 2026/27 R01 and R02. Two years' data is submitted in those months.
Add the dates to your calendar
Copy the list below into a calendar import, or ask Journey: the return calendar is built into the funding workspace with an internal deadline two working days before each close.
R01 Friday 4 September 2026 18:00 R02 Tuesday 6 October 2026 18:00 R03 Thursday 5 November 2026 18:00 R04 Friday 4 December 2026 18:00 R05 Thursday 7 January 2027 18:00 R06 Thursday 4 February 2027 18:00 R07 Thursday 4 March 2027 18:00 (Mid-year funding claims) R08 Tuesday 6 April 2027 18:00 R09 Friday 7 May 2027 18:00 R10 Friday 4 June 2027 18:00 (Year-end funding claim; QAR data collection) R11 Tuesday 6 July 2027 18:00 R12 Thursday 5 August 2027 18:00 (QAR data collection) R13 Tuesday 14 September 2027 18:00 R14 Thursday 21 October 2027 18:00 (Final funding claims; QAR data collection)
About ILR return dates.
What time does an ILR return close?
Each collection closes at 6pm on the published date. Submissions after 6pm are not accepted into that return, so most providers set an internal deadline two working days earlier to leave time for validation errors.
What is the difference between R12, R13 and R14?
R12 in August is the last in-year return. R13 and R14 are the two post-year returns for the previous funding year, used to correct data and make final funding claims. R14 is the final return; after it closes the year's data is fixed for funding and for qualification achievement rate (QAR) purposes.
Why do returns from two funding years overlap in the autumn?
The 2026/27 year starts on 1 August 2026, so R01 and R02 of 2026/27 fall in September and October 2026, while R13 and R14 of 2025/26 close in September and October 2026 too. Providers submit both years' data in those months.
What happens if a return is missed?
Data can be submitted in the next return, but funding for the missed period may be delayed until the next reconciliation, and repeated misses draw attention in funding assurance. The calendar exists so that never happens.
Does Journey build the return?
Yes. Journey builds ILR returns R01 to R14 from the learner record with required-field and data-quality checks, so the file and the record cannot disagree. Journey Core is free forever for verified UK providers with up to 50 counted apprentices subject to application review.
Related pages.
Never build a return from an export again.
Journey builds R01 to R14 from the learner record, with the errors shown before the deadline.