GovWire

Guidance: Basic Payment Scheme

Rural Payments Agency

October 6
10:27 2023

BPS 2023 entitlement rates

The BPS 2023 entitlement rates have been announced.

Entitlement values for 2023

Region Non-SDA SDA Other Moorland SDA
Entitlement rate 233.30 231.60 64.00

For 2023, there is no change to the BPS entitlement rates.

To find out how payments are calculated, read thePayments, Reductions and Penalties sectionof the Basic Payment Scheme: rules for 2023.

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is the largest rural payment scheme providing financial support to the farming industry. Farmers can apply once a year between March and May. Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will pay farmers with eligible applications in 2 instalments:

  • an advance payment of approximately 50% of the claim value from 1 August 2023
  • a balance payment from 1 December 2023

Youre eligible to apply for an annual payment if youre a farmer who:

  • produces, rears or grows agricultural products this includes milking, harvesting, and breeding and keeping animals for agriculture
  • keeps some land suitable for grazing or cultivation that means keeping it clear of dense scrub

You must have at least:

  • 5 hectares of eligible land at your disposal on 15 May 2023
  • 5 entitlements

BPS is due to end after the 2023 scheme year.

Apply for BPS 2023

BPS closed for 2023 applications at 11:59pm on 9 June 2023.

Applications received after 9 June 2023 will be rejected (apart from cases of force majeure and exceptional circumstances).

Remember, to be eligible for delinked payments you must claim, and be eligible for, BPS payments in England in the 2023 scheme year (except for some inherited land).

The deadline to add or delete common rights was 11:59pm on 9 June 2023.

You need to follow the BPS 2023 scheme rules to receive a payment.

Check your mapping data

RPA needs to make sure that all land data is up to date. We do this by checking the digital maps and updating them if necessary.

If we tell you about a change, its your responsibility to check your digital maps and tell us if you do not agree with a change that weve made. This includes eligibility checks and changes we may make to land data on common land. The eligible area of a common will alter as physical changes take place on the common. Check the latest commons eligibility data for land area changes.

Request a mapping change or transfer entitlements

You need to keep your mapping up to date or tell us about changes to entitlements. Read the guidance on how to request changes to maps in the Rural Payments service or to transfer entitlements. Use the Rural Land and Entitlements form (RLE1) to tell us about these changes.

How land management agreements affect BPS

You must have declared on yourBPSapplication:

  • all of the agricultural land on your holding

  • any non-agricultural land you use for a land management agreement, such as Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship, or certain nationally funded woodland creation schemes

Follow the guidance to comply with BPS funding rules if youre an agreement holder of other land management schemes.

Woodland and BPS

Find out how the BPS rules affect agroforestry where trees are deliberately combined with agriculture on the same piece of land.

Woodland grants and BPS

Land under a woodland grant may be eligible to be used with entitlements for BPS.Read Guidance on woodland grant schemes and BPS: operations note 42, providing supplementary guidance for woodland grant agreement holders.

Land use codes 2023

See the land use codes you should use to declare land in your BPS application.

Financial ceiling for 2023

Find out the amount of funding available for BPS 2023.

Previous BPS years

Use the National Archives website look back at BPS scheme rules from 2015 to 2022.

Understand progressive reductions

RPA is phasing out Direct Payments in England from 2021 to 2027. Our approach is designed to help everyone manage the transition away from Direct Payments as smoothly as possible.

Well apply reductions to the total payment you would have been due in each year, including the total BPS payment (and any young farmer payment, if applicable).

Well invest money saved by the reduction in Direct Payments into new schemes to support farming and the countryside, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the Farming Investment Fund (FIF).

Use the progressive reductions calculator

Use theonline calculatorto find out how progressive reductions could affect your BPS payment for scheme years 2021 to 2023.

How delinked payments will replace BPS

BPSwill end after the 2023 scheme year. RPA plan to replace the BPS in England with delinked payments in 2024.

You must claim, and be eligible for, BPS payments in the 2023 scheme year to receive delinked payments for 2024 to 2027. You must also meet the other rules for delinked payments.

When payments are delinked, you will not need any land or entitlements to receive the payments. This will simplify the payments as they are phased out by the end of 2027.

How HMRC treats subsidy payments

Your grant and subsidy payments are paid before tax is taken off. You may need to tell HMRC about these if you or your business pay UK tax. For more information, read HMRCs Business Income Manual BIM40451 - Specific receipts: grants and subsidies. If you have an accountant, you should also discuss this with them.

Support for farmers

There are confidential services offering support fo

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