Continuity of Education Allowance

What CEA is

Moving every two or three years can mean a child changes school again and again. Continuity of Education Allowance, or CEA, helps pay for a stable education — most often boarding school — so your child can stay put while you move. It isn’t a perk for private schooling; it’s meant to give Service children the continuity they’d otherwise miss.

CEA is tax-free and paid through your salary each term.

Who can claim

All of these must be true:

• You’re serving on a Regular engagement on full UK rates of pay.
• You’re not due to leave within 12 months and haven’t applied for early termination when you first apply.
• You’re the child’s legal parent or guardian.
• You keep a family home as your Residence at Work Address within 50 miles of your duty station — or you’ve been granted involuntary separated status.
• Your family is with you at your duty station for the whole assignment, or you’re INVOLSEP. If you aren’t accompanied, or granted INVOLSEP, within three months of an assignment, you breach the rules.

CEA (Board) runs from the start of the academic year in which your child turns 8 until the end of the stage of education in which they turn 18.

When you can’t claim

• New claims and school changes aren’t normally approved near the end of your career if you live in your own home, are in your final assignment and have less than two years to serve.
• No new claim can be considered once a redundancy notice has been issued.
• If you change to PStat Cat 3, 4 or 5, CEA usually continues for just one more term.

How much you get

Your parental contribution

You always pay part of the fees yourself. First, any discount, grant or scholarship from the school or another body is taken off the fees. Then a minimum parental contribution is applied: 10% of the fees at independent schools, or 8% at state-maintained boarding schools. CEA pays the rest, up to the maximum. If fees are higher, you pay the difference too.

Worked examples

The different types of CEA

• CEA (Board) — the main allowance, towards boarding and tuition fees.
• CEA (Day) — towards day school fees in certain circumstances, usually after a child has received CEA (Board) at the same school for at least three consecutive terms.
• CEA (Guardians) — £10 a day towards a guardian who looks after your child, paid monthly in arrears.
• CEA (SENA) — higher maximum rates for children with special educational needs, which requires a certificate from the Children’s Education Advisory Service.

CEA covers boarding and tuition fees. Extras such as trips, uniform and music lessons are generally for you to pay.

Near the end of your career

CEA is meant for mobile families. New claims and school changes aren’t normally approved for people who live in their own home, are in their end-of-career assignment and have less than two years left to serve. If you’re already claiming, take advice from EAT (UK) before you make plans around leaving.

Rules to understand before you start

• Talk to the Education Advisory Team first. You must get advice from EAT (UK) before your first application. They issue the serial number you need for your CEA Eligibility Certificate.
• Finish the stage. Your child is expected to complete the stage of education at the school CEA is paying for, and to stay on for the next stage if the school offers it.
• Changing schools mid-stage needs advice from EAT (UK) and unit HR first.
• Breaking the rules is expensive. A breach can mean losing CEA and repaying what you received for that stage.
• If you die or are invalided out, CEA continues to the end of the current stage, or for two full terms afterwards, whichever is longer.

How to apply

1. Contact EAT (UK) for advice and your serial number.
2. Create your CEA Eligibility Certificate application on JPA Self Service.
3. Submit each claim before the start of the term it covers — DBS publishes the deadlines.
4. CEA (Board) is paid through your salary.