GovWire

Guidance: Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details

Rural Payments Agency

January 16
14:33 2023

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We are aware that some of our customers are experiencing slow loading times when trying to access the Rural Payments service. We apologise for the inconvenience that this is causing.

If you are experiencing this problem, you do not need to call us. Please follow these steps:

  1. Click into the URL bar so that all of the text is highlighted as show in the below image
  2. Press enter on your keyboard. This will refresh the page and allow you to access your account
The image shows a screen shot of the Rural Payments service page on GOV.UK

Planned maintenance of the Rural Payments service

There will be times when the Rural Payments service is unavailable because of essential planned maintenance and updates.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will aim to minimise the disruption to users by scheduling these planned times for evenings after 6pm, and at weekends. This may not always be possible, but we will try to give as much notice as possible of daytime unavailability.

From To Notes
5pm Tuesday 17 January 9am Wednesday 18 January The Rural Payments service will not be available.
6pm Wednesday 18 January 9pm Wednesday 18 January The Rural Payments service will not be available.

What is the Rural Payments service?

The Rural Payments service is Defras online registration system for farmers, animal keepers and rural traders and businesses.

If you are a farmer, animal keeper, or a rural trader or business, you can use the service to register your details, view digital maps of your land and make online applications and claims for certain rural grants and payments.

It can be used by any person or firm representing a farmer or farming business such as a firm of agricultural agents.

There is onscreen Help throughout the Rural Payments service which explains how to use it.

You must register in the Rural Payments service if you intend to keep farmed animals (or livestock) on your land or business premises.

What you can use Rural Payments for

You can use the Rural Payments service to:

  • register for rural payments
  • update your personal and business details
  • give someone else (like an agent) permission to act on your behalf
  • see and print digital maps of your land parcels
  • apply for a Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) standards agreement
  • submit a Countryside Stewardship (CS) capital claim
  • apply for CS Capital Grants
  • print your CS Farm Environment Record (FER)/Options map
  • print your CS Environmental Information Map (EIM)
  • use the CS Options Finder
  • view your Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements
  • view your previous years BPS claim
  • view land parcel map and information for a date in the past

You can no longer use the Rural Payments service in 2022 to:

  • apply online for CS Mid Tier
  • apply for the CS Wildlife Offers
  • apply for BPS and view your application summary
  • submit a CS revenue claim
  • request an application pack for CS Higher Tier
  • request an application pack for CS Mid Tier
  • transfer BPS entitlements
  • transfer land
  • add or delete common rights
  • update land use

Who has to register

Anyone can choose to register on the Rural Payments service but you must register if you are a:

  • farmer or business claiming rural grants and payments before you register, check that youre eligible to apply for rural payments by reading the relevant scheme manual(s)
  • cattle keeper recording animal movements
  • business importing or exporting agricultural products
  • a person or business (like an agent or a firm of agents) who intend to act on behalf of another registered business

Getting started

As with many other government services online, you must confirm your identity before you can register for the first time. You can do this by calling the Rural Payments helpline on 03000 200 301 and we will help you register this will only give you access to the Rural Payments service, not other government services

After youve confirmed your identity, you can sign in to the Rural Payments service and start to register. You will need to create a password.

If youre already registered with Government Gateway, you still need to register for the Rural Payments service.

Register your personal and business details

When you sign in for the first time you will need to register your personal and business details. The details you register will be the details used to contact you in future.

If you rang us to confirm your identity, we will create your personal profile for you.

Personal details

You will need to register details about you, including:

  • your name
  • your address
  • your email address

Once youve registered these, you will receive a Customer Reference Number (CRN) which is individual to you.

Business details

You will need to register details about your business, including:

  • business name
  • business address
  • business email address
  • type of business (sole trader, partnership etc)

If you want the business to receive any rural grants and payments in future, you will need to register bank account details. You can only do this over the phone call us on 03000 200 301.

Once youve registered these, you will receive one or more of the following reference numbers for your business (depending on what sort of business it is):

  • Single Business Identifier (SBI)
  • Trader Registration Number (TRN)
  • Vendor Registration Number (VRN)
  • Firm Reference Number (FRN)

Once you have your reference number(s), you can finish creating your account.

Give someone else permission to act on your behalf

You can give other people access to your business and there are different levels of permission you can give them depending on what you want them to be able to do.

You can only do this if you have full permission yourself and the other person is also registered.

When we send an email to you or your agent, we use the email address held in the Rural Payments service for the person with the relevant permission.

We can only accept an email from a business if:

  • it is from an email address that is registered on the Rural Payments service
  • the person sending the email has the relevant permission for the business and subject they are contacting RPA about

My messages in the Rural Payments service

You can use the My messages screen in the Rural Payments service to see online messages about some transactions.

Message Who will see the online message
BPS online application receipt Everyone with BPS Submit or Business details Full permission
Confirmation of entitlements and/or land transfer Transferor business the person who transferred the entitlements or land to another business.

Transferee business everyone with the following permission:

- Business details (Full and Make legal changes)
- Entitlements or

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