Ministry: EC20a Advance Period Attestation

What is an EC20a? 

An EC20a will allow an education and care or hospital-based service to inform the Ministry of their intention to meet the Full Parity Salary scale from 1 November 2023 if they are not already paying their certificated teachers the Extended Parity Salary Scale from 1 June 2023. 

An EC20a is not required for services moving from Extended Parity Salary Scale to Full Parity Salary Scale. 

By completing the EC20a, a service will have their November 2023 to February 2024 advance funding recalculated using the Full Parity Funding rates.

Pathways for using the EC20a 

If your services is paying all certificated teachers at least the amount specified in Step 1 of the Base salary scale and receive the Base funding rate or Step 1 – 6 of the Parity Salary scale and receive Parity funding rates and want to opt-in to Full Parity funding rates, you will need to attest to meeting the salary conditions related to Full Parity Salary Scale (Full Step 1 -11 + Full Management Step) using the EC20a.

The EC20a should be submitted after the RS7 has been submitted.

What do you need to do? 

Your Student Management System (SMS) has been updated to show a new attestation section when you complete your RS7 return. 

Respondents will need to complete the RS7 attestation question based on the salary scale they have met. 

Those services that do not have the direct pathway from Extended Parity salary scale to Full Parity salary scale can chose to opt-in to Full parity salary scale using the EC20a.

Who does it affect? 

Only Education and Care and Hospital Based services will need to complete the EC20a form. 

What is the attestation period? 

The attestation period is the time that a service needs to ensure that they have paid their certificated teachers at least the salary amount(s) related to their attestation response. 

The following table outlines this period for each funding period.

How is the RS7 return opt-in different to the EC20a opt-in for Full Pay Parity? 

When a service completes the Attestation of Certificated Teachers’ Salary section in their RS7 return, they are confirming the salary conditions they have met for the attestation period for that funding round. 

As the Full Parity Salary scale is only effective from 1 November 2023, services who attest with their RS7 return to the Full Parity Salary Scale will need to meet the Extended Parity Salary from 1 June 2023. 

Services who have not paid the Extended Parity Salaries from 1 June 2023, but intend to pay the Full Parity Salary Scale from 1 November 2023, can use the EC20a to access the Full Parity Funding Rates.

The diagram below will help you identify what process your service needs to follow:

The RS7 does not allow services who are not already paying their certificated teacher the Extended Parity salary scale to move to Full Parity. 

The EC20a has been developed to provide a mechanism for services who are not already paying their certificated teachers the Extended Parity Salary Scale to move directly to Full Parity if they choose.

How to complete the EC20a? 

Before completing an EC20a a service must ensure that they have submitted their RS7 return for the November 2023 funding round. An EC20a cannot be processed before an RS7 return has been received. 

Services can access the EC20a on the Ministry of Education website. 

Complete all required fields ensuring these are true and correct. 

Select the pathway to full parity that is appropriate for your service. Ensure the declarations are signed and dated by a staff member with the appropriate delegation.

Completed EC20a forms can be emailed to ECE Operational Funding, ece.funding@education.govt.nz.

How should I complete my RS7 return if I need to submit an EC20a? 

The last submission day of the 1 November 2023 RS7 is Monday 9 October 2023. This should be completed with the appropriate attestation for the pay parity salary scale conditions you have met from 1 June 2023. 

Once your services RS7 has been submitted, if you decide to opt-in to Full Parity from the 1 November 2023, then you will need to submit the EC20a.

Can I opt-in to Full Parity later? 

Services can opt-in to Full Pay Parity in a later funding round using their RS7 return.

 Services will have two funding rounds where they can opt-in to Full Pay Parity and receive the Full Parity Funding rates from 1 November 2023. 

The RS7 return or EC20a completed for the November 2023 funding round allows services to receive their November 2023 to February 2024 advance funding paid using the Full Parity Funding rates. Services will submit this RS7 return from 1 October 2023.

 The RS7 return completed for the March 2024 funding round is when services will confirm a service’s optin to Full Pay Parity. When you opt-in to Full Pay Parity with your March 2024 RS7 return a service washup funding from November 2023 to January 2024 will be paid using the Full parity funding rates. Services will submit this return from 1 February 2024. 

RS7 resubmissions can be used to update a service’s pay parity opt-in. Services must ensure that they meet the salary obligations related to their updated pay parity opt-in before resubmitting. Any service who is found not to have met the salary conditions related to their pay parity opt-in will have any overpaid funding recovered.

What funding rates will I receive based on my EC20a response? 

Services will receive the Full Parity Funding Rates for their November 2023 to February 2024 advances once their EC20a has been processed. 

A service’s wash-up funding rate will be determined using the parity opt-in response provided with their RS7 return. The following table outlines the funding rate that will be used for a service’s wash-up and advance funding.

Funding rates can be found in Appendix 1 of the ECE Funding Handbook.

When will I receive payment after submitting my EC20a? 

When an EC20a is submitted, the form will be processed for our next available payment date. 

The following table details the submission period for each scheduled payment date during the November 2023 funding round. An EC20a will not be processed for payment on 1 November 2023.

Please ensure that all details are true and correct, as payment will be delayed if there are any changes needed or you have not yet provided your RS7 return.