Guidance

How to complete your Higher Tier Capital Grant application by email or post

Published 3 January 2024

Applies to England

To submit your application by email or post, you need to complete an: 

• application form 
• application map 
• provide supporting documents 

Complete your application form 

Download the Higher Tier Capital Grants application form from GOV.UK. 

If you cannot access GOV.UK, request a copy of the application form by email at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or telephone on 03000 200 301. 

If you’ve received the pack by email, save it to your computer and fill in the form on your screen. 

If you’ve received the pack by post: 

• use black ink and write in capital letters (do not use pencil or felt-tip pen) 
• do not cross through whole pages or remove pages 
• correct mistakes and initial and date them (do not use correction fluid) 
• completely fill any checkbox containing a mistake and put an ’X’ or a tick in the correct box 

How to complete your application form

You must sign your application at section 5 if you are submitting a paper application by post. 

Put a tick in the box next to the Higher Tier Capital Grant you are applying for. Tick one box only. 

Section 1: applicant details 

Complete the following details:

• enter your name

• enter your Single Business Identifier (SBI) number

• enter the agreement title, for example the name of the land or farm. This must match the agreement title entered on the application form

• tick the box if you have sent us a Land Ownership and Control (LOC) form. You need to send us a LOC form if you do not have land ownership and control over all the land included in this application for the duration of the proposed agreement

• tick the relevant box to show whether or not you are VAT registered

Download the Land Ownership and Control form. Telephone 03000 200 301 to ask for a paper copy if you cannot get online. 

Section 2: Higher Tier Capital Grants actual cost items 

Enter details of land parcels registered to your SBI where the actual cost capital works will be carried out. See Section 5.1 of the applicant’s guide to find out the actual cost capital items. 

The table in the application form is laid out as follows. 

Field Name (if any)	OS map sheet reference	National Grid field number	Capital item option code
Example: Top Field	LP1234	5678	FM1

For each actual cost item that you are applying for, you need to provide details of the 3 quotes obtained. 

Quote	Supplier details (name and address)	Total amount (£) excluding VAT	VAT amount (£)	Total amount (£) including VAT	Supplier VAT registration number (if applicable)	Date of quotation
1
2
3

Please note the layout of the application form is repeated – providing space to apply for multiple actual cost items. If you require an additional table, please create and submit a continuation sheet.

Section 3: Higher Tier Capital Grants fixed cost items 

Enter details of the land parcels registered to your SBI where the fixed cost capital works will be carried out. If you require an additional table, please create and submit a continuation sheet. See Section 5.3 of the applicant’s guide to find out the fixed cost capital items. 

Field name (if any)	OS map sheet reference	National Grid field number	Capital item option code	Capital item area or number of units	Payment rate	Amount claiming (area/units x payment rate)
Example: Top Field	LP1234	5678	FG9	30 metres	£10.27 metre	£308

Section 4: declaration and undertakings 

Complete this section to confirm that you have read and understood the requirements of the Higher Tier Capital Grants scheme and the undertakings that you are making when submitting your application. 

If you’re submitting your application by email, you do not need to sign the application. 

Provide supporting documents and evidence 

You must send supporting documents at the same time as your application form. 

With your application, send: 

• quotes from 3 different contractors if applying for actual cost items 
• a map of your holding 

If you do not have management control over the land for the duration of the proposed agreement, send either: 

• a Land Ownership and Control  form 
• an agreement from your landlord, if you have a public body landlord 

You should keep the following documents for when you need to claim for payment: 

• receipted invoices, or bank statements (where a receipted invoice is not available) 
• photographs of the completed work 
• consent from Natural England to carry out works on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), if required 

You must also provide the following documents if you’re asked to do so: 

• any consents or permissions connected with the work in addition to the ones stated above 
• photograph of site before works starts 

Prepare a map to accompany your application 

You must complete your map to the required minimum mapping standards. You must: 

• use an appropriate scale map for the size of your application area (from 1:2500 scale to 1:10000 scale) 
• show the whole land parcel on which each of the capital items to be included are located 
• show the location of the proposed capital works (mark the capital items with a coloured pen and list the capital item code(s) next to them) – this includes proposed planting areas 
• show any proposed areas of open space within the proposed planting areas 
• show fence lines, stating which type of fence (code) you are applying for 
• number and show the total number of maps, for example ‘map 1 of 3’ 

You must also: 

• write your SBI, the application year, and agreement title (as detailed on the application form) on the top right of the map 
• write the name of business or applicant – this is the name (beneficiary) that is registered with us for the SBI, on the right-hand side of the map 
• write a 6-figure OS grid reference for the centre of the map on the bottom left of the map, if there are no numbered OS grid lines 
• strike through any mistakes – do not use correction fluid on your map 

If your map does not meet these standards, we will send you a base map to mark up and return. 

Submit your application, map and supporting documents 

You should scan and email all documents to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), making sure you put your SBI on all documents. 

You can submit digital photos by email but do not scan printed photos as the quality is not good enough. 

The maximum size of emails we can accept is 32MB. If the email exceeds this limit, please send a further email and use the same subject heading. Add the number of emails at the end of the subject heading, for example, 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3. 

For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media. 

Or, you can post the documents to us.