BPS 2015 closes in 10 days warns RPA
With just 10 days to go until Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2015 closes for all applications, the Rural Payments Agency has received 87,315 applications – 478 of them in the penalty period.
Even though the application deadline has passed, it’s not too late to apply.
However farmers will lose 1% of the value of their claim for every working day after the 15 June that their form is delayed.
Late forms must be received by the RPA by midnight on 10 July.
The Agency has already emailed online customers who had not claimed by the 15 June deadline to make sure that they were aware there was still time to claim. And from this week, any customers who are not online and have still not made a claim will be sent a final reminder. Farmers who do not apply in the first year of BPS will lose their entitlements.
How to apply
Those planning to post their forms are recommended to use a signed-for service and to ensure they include all the necessary documents in the envelope and use enough postage to cover the weight and size of the package.
The alternative is to search ‘find help to claim rural payments’ at www.gov.uk to find out about RPA drop-in centres, where hand-delivered forms will be accepted until 5pm on Friday 10 July.
The Rural Payments helpline is open for those who need support in making a claim - call 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 08:30am to 5pm).
Find out more
Farmers can download forms and find more information at www.gov.uk/rpa/bps.
More information about entitlements can be found in The Basic Payment Scheme in England 2015 guidance.