When does an E-Rate funding year start and end?

July 1 through June 30. Funding year 2025 (FY25) covers July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.

When is the next filing window?

USAC opens the Form 471 filing window each year — typically mid-January to late March. Exact dates are published on usac.org/sl.

Can services delivered in one funding year be paid from another?

No. Eligible services are tied to the funding year of the underlying commitment. A separate funding year requires a separate Form 471 and FRN.

What's the difference between calendar year and funding year?

A calendar year runs January 1 to December 31. An E-Rate funding year runs July 1 through June 30 and is named for its starting calendar year.

E-Rate Funding Year

What is Funding Year?

Published May 8, 2026

Quick answer

An E-Rate funding year runs July 1 through June 30 and is referenced by its starting calendar year — funding year 2025 (FY25) covers services delivered July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Form 471 applications for a funding year are filed during USAC's filing window the preceding spring.

How is the funding year defined?

The E-Rate funding year aligns with the U.S. school year rather than the calendar year. It begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following calendar year. The funding year is named for the calendar year in which it starts: FY25 = July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

Service-delivery deadlines, invoice deadlines, and Category 2 five-year budget cycles all key off the funding-year start date.

How does the funding year align with the filing window?

USAC opens an annual filing window for Form 471 applications, typically running from mid-January to late March of the calendar year that precedes funding-year start. The exact open and close dates change each cycle and are published on usac.org.

Service providers must hold a current SPIN and have certified Form 473 (SPAC) for the relevant funding year before invoicing.

How is the funding year encoded in public USAC data?

Every USAC open-data row carries a funding_year column. ERateSignal indexes that field directly so all dashboards, alerts, and exports can be filtered by funding year without ambiguity.

FAQ

Common questions

When does an E-Rate funding year start and end?: July 1 through June 30. Funding year 2025 (FY25) covers July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
When is the next filing window?: USAC opens the Form 471 filing window each year — typically mid-January to late March. Exact dates are published on usac.org/sl.
Can services delivered in one funding year be paid from another?: No. Eligible services are tied to the funding year of the underlying commitment. A separate funding year requires a separate Form 471 and FRN.
What's the difference between calendar year and funding year?: A calendar year runs January 1 to December 31. An E-Rate funding year runs July 1 through June 30 and is named for its starting calendar year.

Track this in real product data.

ERateSignal turns the public USAC datasets behind Funding Year into a working tool for E-Rate sellers — Form 470 alerts, SPIN market share, and territory analytics on the apex domain.

Form 470 alerts →SPIN market share →Join the waitlist →

This entry summarizes publicly available FCC and USAC guidance for educational purposes and is not legal or procurement advice. Verify all information directly with USAC or qualified counsel before making business decisions. ERateSignal is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by USAC, the FCC, or the U.S. Government.