Nearly every conversation we have with a school coordinator starts at the same place: can we actually afford this? The short answer, for a structured course inside an Erasmus+ KA1 project, is that the grant is designed to cover the whole thing. The longer answer is worth understanding, because how you build the budget determines whether that turns out to be true.
The four budget lines
An Erasmus+ KA1 staff mobility is funded through four separate lines. They are calculated independently and they do not compete with each other.
- Course fees. What you pay the provider. The programme assigns this line up to 80 € per participant per day, with a ceiling of 800 € per participant and activity. Most quality structured courses are priced above that, and the difference is absorbed across the other lines.
- Travel. A fixed amount based on the distance band between the sending town and the destination, calculated with the European Commission's own distance calculator. It is a lump sum, not a reimbursement: you do not have to spend exactly that figure, and you keep the difference if you travel cheaply. There is an additional top-up for green travel.
- Individual support. A daily rate per participant covering accommodation and living costs, set by the destination country group, and payable for the days of the activity plus travel days.
- Organisational support. An additional amount granted to the school per participant.
The exact figures for travel bands and daily rates change with each call, so always check the current Erasmus+ Programme Guide or your National Agency's tables rather than a figure you saw in a blog post — including this one.
Why the net cost to the teacher is usually zero
Because course fees, travel and living costs are all covered by separate lines, a participant on a well-planned five-day mobility normally pays nothing out of pocket. Where schools get caught out is in the timing: the National Agency pays a pre-financing instalment, and the balance arrives after the final report. A school with no cash flow to bridge that gap can find itself paying the provider before the grant lands.
Two practical habits solve it. First, ask your provider whether they accept payment close to the course date rather than at booking. Second, group your mobilities so the pre-financing covers the first wave.
What you have to justify
Erasmus+ unit costs mean you are not filing receipts for meals. What you do have to evidence is that the activity took place and that the participant completed it:
- A certificate of attendance from the provider, stating dates, hours and content.
- The Europass Mobility documentation.
- The participant report submitted through the Erasmus+ platform.
- Travel evidence — boarding passes or tickets — showing the participant actually made the journey.
A provider who cannot give you the first two in a form your National Agency accepts is a provider to avoid. It is worth asking to see a sample certificate before you book.
Three mistakes that cost schools money
Reading the fee ceiling as a spending limit. It is not one. The ceiling governs what the fee line is assigned, not what a school is allowed to spend on a course. The four lines are granted together and most schools balance a higher fee against the travel or individual support lines. Judge a course on what it delivers, then check the total.
Forgetting the travel days. Individual support covers travel days too, but only if you claim them. Two extra days per participant adds up across a group.
Booking before seeing a sample certificate. Ask the provider for one in advance. It should state dates, contact hours and content — a vague certificate can be queried by your National Agency once the course is over and your leverage is gone.
Putting it into practice
Our structured courses in Spain are built around what the week actually delivers. If you want to see how the numbers work for a specific group, tell us the sending town and the number of participants and we will map it against the current rates for your National Agency.