Similar to last year’s flu season, 2025/26 flu reimbursement claims are expected to be reviewed. This means you might get asked to submit information to support your reimbursement claims.
Throughout the flu season you should keep records of the vaccines you order, receive and administer. These records are important to enable accurate and timely submission of reimbursement claims.
In preparation for the 2025/26 flu vaccine season, we have some hints and tips to help you with your reimbursement claims:
1. You should make sure you have a monthly process in place to claim reimbursement and Item of Service fees for administered vaccines by the 5th of the following month. If the number of claims you’re submitting for reimbursement is different to the number of claims for Item of Service fees, you must be able to, if requested, confirm why.
2. You must keep appropriate records and supporting evidence to support your payment claims. You will only need to provide us with this evidence if we contact you.
Programme dates
As stated in the National Flu Immunisation Programme letter, flu vaccinations:
- Pregnant women and all eligible children will start from 1 September 2025. For school aged cohorts, vaccination in schools should be completed by 12 December 2025 with further catch-up opportunities as appropriate.
- All other adult flu cohorts will start from 1 October 2025 and will run until the 31 March 2026. Although, we anticipate that the majority of vaccinations should be completed by the end of November 2025 to provide the best possible protection going into winter.
- The COVID-19 programme will run from 1 October 2025 to 31 Jan 2026. However, the majority of COVID-19 vaccinations should be completed by 19 December 2025.
The start date for adult flu vaccinations aligns to COVID-19 vaccinations to support co-administration of flu and COVID-19 wherever possible and provide the best possible protection as we head in to winter.
Payment for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations will only be made if they are administered from the service commencement date(s), as announced and authorised by the commissioner.
Record keeping
Throughout the flu season you should keep records for each manufacturer of vaccine you administer. Your records should include the number of:
• vaccines retained from previous flu season
• vaccines ordered
• vaccines received
• Item of Service fees for adults between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026
• vaccine reimbursements claimed between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026
• vaccines returned for refund between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026
• vaccines destroyed or wasted between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026
• vaccines redistributed (others to claim reimbursement)
• vaccines retained for future use
In addition, you should keep records of where and what volume of vaccine has been supplied to each setting if your practice is:
- included within a PCN flu clinic
- taking part in co-administration of COVID-19 and flu
- providing vaccines for use in a clinic setting outside of the practice
Keeping these records is important to enable accurate and timely submission of reimbursement claims.
Contact us at gpsupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk if you need help preparing for the 2025/26 flu season.