Guide for care providers
The sponsor management system, explained
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026
Written for UK care providers. This isn't official guidance, so check the gov.uk sponsor management system page before you act.
What the sponsor management system is
The sponsor management system, or SMS, is the Home Office's online system that licensed sponsors use to run their sponsorship. Once you hold a sponsor licence, this is where the work happens.
In the system you:
- manage your licence
- create and assign a certificate of sponsorship for each worker
- report changes affecting a sponsored worker, including withdrawing sponsorship
- report changes to your own organisation, such as a change of owner or a new location
Who can access it
Every licence has Key Personnel: one Authorising Officer, one Key Contact, and one or more Level 1 Users. Only Level 1 and Level 2 Users can get into the system, and together they're called SMS Users.
The Authorising Officer and Key Contact have no access to the system unless they're also appointed as an SMS User. Plenty of providers assume the registered manager or owner can log in because they're named on the licence. They can't, unless they hold a user role too.
You must have an eligible Authorising Officer and at least one Level 1 User at all times. If you don't, the Home Office will revoke your licence.
The Level 2 User deadline
From 9 September 2026, no new Level 2 Users can be appointed. Existing Level 2 Users must be converted to Level 1 Users by 8 March 2027 where they're eligible, or their account must be deactivated.
Start by listing everyone who holds Level 2 access. Check each person is eligible to be a Level 1 User, then convert or deactivate each account before 8 March 2027. Don't leave it to the last week, because anyone left without access can't do their part of the reporting.
Multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is becoming mandatory for all SMS Users. It's rolling out in phases from 3 September 2026 and is expected to cover every sponsor by November 2026.
Users will enter a one-time passcode as well as their username and password. The passcode is sent to the mobile number or email address registered against their account.
If a user's contact details are out of date, they'll lose access. Check and correct the details on every SMS User account now.
The deadlines you report against
Changes affecting a sponsored worker must be reported within 10 working days. Changes to your organisation must be reported within 20 working days.
Both are counted from the date the event happened, not from when someone noticed it. A worker who stopped turning up three weeks ago is already late to report.
Where it goes wrong
The most common problem is one person holding all the access. When they leave, nobody else can log in, and the provider may no longer have the Level 1 User the licence needs.
Contact details that were never updated cause the next set of problems, and with MFA they'll lock people out completely. Reporting deadlines get missed when nobody owns them, because each change sits with HR, payroll or the manager and nobody logs it.
Certificate details also drift out of line with payroll over time. Hours, pay or job title change in practice but not on the certificate, and that mismatch is the kind of thing a compliance visit picks up.
How Lifted helps
Lifted manages sponsorship compliance for care providers. We keep track of who holds access, what needs reporting and when, and whether each certificate still matches what the worker is paid and does.
Our team includes ex-Home Office inspectors, so we check your records the way a compliance visit would. If you'd like us to look at where you stand, book a call.
Frequently asked questions
For the official position, see the sponsor management system page on gov.uk.