A funding year is the E-Rate program's annual cycle, running July 1 through June 30, used to scope every filing window, budget, commitment, and invoicing deadline in the program. A funding year is identified by the calendar year it starts in. For example, FY2027 runs July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028.
How It Works
Every Form 470, Form 471, FRN, FCDL, Form 486, and invoice is tied to a specific funding year. Most program mechanics, discount rate, Category One requests, Form 486 filing, invoicing, are scoped to that single funding year. Category Two budgets are the exception: they span a five-year cycle made up of five consecutive funding years, calculated once at the start of the cycle rather than reset every year.
Filing windows, deadlines, and program rules can all shift from one funding year to the next. Applicants and providers should always confirm they're reading guidance for the correct funding year rather than assuming last year's process still applies; see our full deadlines guide for the specific calendar within a given year.
What This Means for You
Applicants
Match your internal budgeting and planning calendar to the actual July-June funding year, not your school year, since the two overlap but don't align. Confirm every deadline and rule you're relying on is for the current funding year.
Service Providers
Track which funding year each customer's FRNs, contracts, and invoicing deadlines belong to, especially when a contract spans a funding-year boundary partway through a school year.
We regularly see district staff conflate "funding year" with "school year" when they build their own internal E-Rate planning calendar, which throws off their own deadlines even though USAC's actual dates never moved. The funding year runs July through June; plan against that calendar, not the academic one.
Common Questions About Funding Years
How is a funding year identified?
By the calendar year it starts in. FY2027 runs July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028.
Does a funding year match the school year?
No. It runs July through June, which overlaps two school years rather than matching either one exactly.
What's scoped to a single funding year versus a five-year cycle?
Discount rates, Category One requests, and Form 486/invoicing are single-funding-year. Category Two budgets span a five-year cycle of funding years; see our Category Two budget page.
Do the rules change between funding years?
Yes. Forms, deadlines, and program rules can be updated year to year, so always confirm current-year guidance rather than assuming last year's process still applies.
Informational only, not legal advice. E-Rate procedures and forms can change by funding year. Confirm current requirements in the applicable USAC and FCC guidance.