Academy trust finance automation: information for software suppliers
Guidance and resources for financial management systems (FMS) software suppliers working with academy trusts to automate their financial returns.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
InformationThe information and resources on this page are for FMS software providers only.
Academy trust finance automation: getting started
This guide provides:
- FMS providers with quick links to register their software, access the developer hub and test environments
- details on the process for updating providers with the most up-to-date academies chart of accounts
(academies - links to the academies CoA versions specific for provider use, which will be uploaded to this page in March or April and July or August for the relevant accounts return and draft trust financial statements collection period
Guide for software integration with automation API v7.0v7.1
Provides detailed technical requirements that FMS providers need to know to successfully automate their truststrust’s academies chartCoA of accounts data into the Department for Education’s financial returns.
Academies chart of accounts 2025 to 2026 v9.0
This spreadsheet provides the most up-to-date academies chartCoA of account and automation information.
Academies chart of accounts 2024 to 2025 v7.5.0v7.6.2
This spreadsheet is the currentfinal version of the academies CoA 2024 to 2025 whichand includes all known updates since the baseline academies CoA 2024 to 2025.be Noincluded further updatesin to the CoA 2024 to 2025 areaccounts expected.return.
FMS software must use an academies CoA version with the correct first digit for a trust’s automated data to be sent successfully to DfE.
The most recent academies CoA available to trusts can be found aton the Academies chart of accounts and automating the accounts return. page.
Further enquiries
Contact us via ourthe FMS provider helpdesk.
The knowledge base within the helpdesk provides information about the academies chartCoA of accounts and automation for FMS software providers.
If you’re unable to find the information you need, you can also raise a query with us via the ‘Send a message’ link at the bottom of the FMS provider helpdesk page.
Updates to this page
-
Updated with latest versions of 'Academy trust finance automation: getting started', the 'Guide for software integration with automation API' and 'Academies chart of accounts'.
Update history
2025-08-15 14:59
Replaced ‘Guide for software integration with automation API v7.0’ with ‘Guide for software integration with automation API v7.1’ and ‘Academies chart of accounts 2024 to 2025 v7.5.0’ with ‘Academies chart of accounts 2024 to 2025 v7.6.2’.
2025-07-01 14:29
Updated with latest versions of ‘Academy trust finance automation: getting started’, the ‘Guide for software integration with automation API’ and ‘Academies chart of accounts’.
2024-10-21 17:29
We have updated the guide for software integration with automation API, to version 6.0. We have listed updates in the ‘Document control’ section. We have published the final version of the academies chart of accounts for 2023 to 2024. We have added a link for further enquiries.
2024-05-01 10:33
Academies chart of accounts version added for financial year 2023 to 2024, which is the first draft of the FMS suppliers can use to test their trusts automation software.
2023-03-28 14:36
The first draft of the Academies CoA for 2022/23 (v5.0.0) has been uploaded onto the FMS developers site.
2022-07-29 10:58
The ‘Guide for software integration with automation API v4.5.0’ has been updated to include references to the draft trust financial statements, and an updated version of the ‘Academies chart of accounts v4.5.0’ has been added for the accounts return and draft trust financial statements 2021-22 accounting year.
2022-03-22 14:00
First published.