Guidance

Get ready to apply for SFI26

Published 6 May 2026

Applies to England

 
This guidance is for farmers who are eligible to apply for SFI26 in the first application window (‘Window 1’). It explains:

• when you can apply
• who is eligible
• what you need do to get ready to apply before Window 1 opens

We’ll publish the full SFI26 scheme information for all applicants before Window 1 opens in June 2026. It will include:

• the terms and conditions which apply to SFI26 agreements
• the scheme rules (which explain the mandatory requirements set out in the SFI26 terms and conditions)
• the SFI26 actions (which will be published on the ‘Find funding for land or farms’ tool)
• guidance to help you apply

1. About the Sustainable Farming Incentive

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to do sustainable land management activities that:

• protect and benefit the environment
• support food production
• improve productivity

These activities are referred to as ‘SFI actions’.

You can apply for an SFI26 agreement to get paid to do SFI actions if you and your land are eligible.

2. When you can apply for an SFI26 agreement

There will be 2 application windows for SFI26.

2.1 Window 1

‘Window 1’ will open in June 2026 for 2 eligible groups. Read section 3: ‘Check if you’re eligible to apply for Window 1’ for more details.

This initial application window will remain open for around 2 months. It may close sooner if demand is high and the Window 1 budget is fully allocated.

2.2 Window 2

‘Window 2’ will open in September 2026 for all farmers and land managers.

We cannot set a fixed application closure date as that will depend on demand.

2.3 SFI26 agreement limits

Each farm business, as identified by its Single Business Identifier (SBI), can only:

• have one SFI26 agreement - this applies across Windows 1 and 2
• apply for a maximum agreement value of £100,000 per agreement year

These limits only apply to SFI26 agreements. This means you can still apply for an SFI26 agreement if you have an existing SFI24 or SFI23 agreement. 

3. Check if you’re eligible to apply in Window 1

You can apply in Window 1 if your farm business (as identified by its SBI) meets all of the following criteria:

1. It was registered with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), so it had an SBI by 1 January 2026 and the SBI had some agricultural land (defined in section 3.3) linked to it on that date.
2. It qualifies as either a small farm (defined in section 3.1), or a farm without an existing Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement (defined in section 3.2) – your farm business only needs to be in one of these groups.
3. It has at least 3 hectares (ha) of agricultural land (defined in section 3.3) linked to its SBI at the point you want to apply – this does not set a minimum area you need to enter into your SFI26 application.

If you’re eligible for Window 1 but do not apply during that window, you can apply in Window 2 instead.

3.1 Definition of small farms

A small farm is defined as a farm business which had up to 50ha of agricultural land registered with the RPA and linked to its SBI on 1 January 2026.

Agricultural land is defined in section 3.3.

3.2 Definition of farms without an existing ELM revenue agreements

A farm without an existing ELM revenue agreement is defined as a farm business which did not have a live, RPA-administered ELM revenue agreement on 1 January 2026.

Your farm business will qualify under this group if it did not have an agreement for any of the following RPA-administered ELM revenue schemes on 1 January 2026:

• SFI
• Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier
• Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (both old and new schemes) – this includes woodland-only and mixed agreements
• Higher Level Stewardship (part of Environmental Stewardship)

RPA-administered ELM revenue schemes do not include schemes such as:

• standalone Capital Grants
• private sector schemes
• Landscape Recovery

3.3 Definition of agricultural land

Agricultural land is defined as land registered by the RPA with the following land covers shown on your digital maps:

• arable land
• permanent grassland
• permanent crops

This applies to:

• the requirement to have had some agricultural land linked to the farm business’ SBI on 1 January 2026
• the 3ha minimum threshold at the point you want to apply (as set out at the start of section 3)
• the maximum 50ha threshold for small farms (as defined in section 3.1)

4. What to do before you apply in Window 1

You need to complete the following steps as soon as possible, before Window 1 opens for applications in June 2026.

Step 1: Check your digital maps show the correct land details

If your maps are not up to date, it may prevent you from applying for SFI26.

Check that your digital maps show:

• at least 3ha of agricultural land – you will only be able to start an SFI26 application if this is the case
• all the land parcels you want to include in your SFI26 application
• the correct total area (in hectares) for each land parcel
• the correct land covers for each parcel (for example, arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops, or relevant non-agricultural land cover)

Read the guidance on how to check your digital maps.

If you need to update your digital maps, ask the RPA to do this as soon as possible. Read the guidance on:

• how to update your digital maps online
• how to update your digital maps using an RLE1 form (if you’re unable to do this online)

You do not need to check or update the registered hedgerow lengths on your digital maps. These are not used in your SFI application.

Step 2: Check your registered contact details are up to date

Check your registered contact details are up to date in the Rural Payments service. The RPA will use your registered business details, including your business email address, to contact you about your SFI26 application and agreement.

Step 3: Check you have the correct permission to apply for SFI26 

You need to have the correct permission to apply for an SFI26 agreement for your business (SBI). To check this:

• Sign into the Rural Payments service.
• From ‘Business Overview’, select ‘Give people permission to act for this business’.

You need to have one of the following permissions:

• ‘Business Details: Full’
• ‘BPS: Submit’
• ‘CS Applications: Submit’

If you do not have one of these permissions, you need to ask someone with ‘Business Details: Full’ permission to give you the correct permission.

If you want someone else to apply on your behalf, such as an agent, you need to:

• check they’re registered with the RPA in the Rural Payments service
• give them the correct permission to apply for an SFI26 agreement

Read the guidance on how to give or update permissions in the Rural Payments service.