Form

How to make a claim (Tree Protection Capital Grant)

Published 4 August 2025

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

When can you claim

You can claim any time during your funding period, up to once per month. We cannot extend the deadline or offer extensions to your funding agreement.

All claims must be submitted by 11:55pm on Friday 27 March 2026.

Before you claim

You must have:

• received all items you are claiming for
• completed all work you are claiming for
• paid the total amount (not just deposits) of each cost

Try to claim for multiple items together and include everything purchased to date where possible.

How to make a claim 

Step 1: Gather your documents

Collect all invoices, receipts and records of staff time for items or activities you want to claim.

Step 2: Complete your paperwork

Use the claim form and spending tracker on the how to make a claim page.

• add all costs to your spending tracker
• complete and sign your claim form
• take photos of items and or activities that exceed £1,000

Before you start your paperwork, read the guidance on completing your claim form.

Step 3: Submit your claim

Email the following documents to TPCG@forestrycommission.gov.uk

• claim form
• spending tracker (in Excel format)
• all invoices and receipts
• bank statements (for purchases not in pounds sterling)
• photographs (for items and activities over £1,000)
• supplier creation form or supplier amendment form (if needed)

We will email to confirm we’ve received your claim and contact you if we have questions.

Do not invoice the Forestry Commission to request payment for your claim. A claim can only be paid through a claim form and evidence received.

Evidence you need to provide

You must provide evidence for every item you claim, regardless of cost.

All costs should be detailed in your spending tracker and linked to the relevant item reference in your finance spreadsheet. You can find the item reference in column B of your finance spreadsheet.

You can only claim 50% of each cost.

Required evidence

• copies of all invoices or receipts
• timesheet (in spending tracker) detailing any internal staff costs
• bank statements (for purchases not in pounds sterling)
• photographs for any item or activity over £1,000

We may reject all or part of your claim if you cannot provide valid evidence.

All invoices, receipts and timesheets must be dated within your funding period.

Invoice and receipt requirements

What invoices must show:

• invoice date
• grant recipient organisation name (as shown in your agreement)
• supplier’s name and address
• cost and clear description of each item
• date(s) when the work was carried out (if invoice is for a service)
• VAT amounts (where applicable)
• total amount owed

For more information on what should be included on invoices, read Invoicing and taking payment from customers.

What receipts must show:

• payment date
• supplier’s name and address
• cost and clear description of each item
• confirmation of payment
• VAT amounts (where applicable)

Pro forma invoices, quotes, purchase orders or purchases made in cash will not be accepted.

If your claim includes invoices in foreign currency, provide evidence of amount paid in pounds sterling (such as a bank statement with confidential details  removed).

Name the documents containing your invoices and receipts clearly. For example, ‘001-InvoicingCompany -05July25’.

What to include in your spending tracker  

All invoices and receipts you are claiming for must be included in the invoices and receipts tab of your spending tracker.

For each cost, provide:

• item reference for the relevant item in your finance spreadsheet
• name of the document containing the invoice or receipt (include page number if multiple invoices in one document)
• a brief description of item purchased (for example, ‘components for irrigation system’)
• total cost
• amount you’re claiming for
• details of VAT claimed
• invoice date

If an invoice relates to more than one item reference on your finance spreadsheet, list each item separately on your spending tracker.

If an invoice includes items that are not part of your TPCG project, explain in your spending tracker which items you’re claiming for.

VAT information

• if you can recover VAT on a cost: claim the amount excluding VAT
• if you cannot recover VAT on a cost: claim the amount including VAT
• if you can partly recover VAT on a cost: claim the amount including only the irrecoverable VAT and explain the rate applied in ‘additional details’ on your spending tracker

Evidencing staff time

Use the timesheet tab in your spending tracker to claim for internal staff time. Timesheets are for internal staff only. Invoices must be submitted for external contractors’ time.

For each person, provide:

• item reference for the relevant item in your finance spreadsheet
• dates when work was carried out
• the team member’s name and job role
• a brief description of work carried out (for example, ‘constructed polytunnel’)
• rate of pay (daily or hourly)
• number of days or hours worked
• total cost
• amount you’re claiming for

If a staff member has carried out activities relating to more than one item reference on your finance spreadsheet, list each activity separately on your spending tracker.

Photographs

You must provide photographs for any item or activity costing more than £1,000 in total.

Photographs must:

• show the item on site without packaging
• be clear, in focus and in colour
• have no other objects blocking the view
• show each part if the item has multiple components (for example, all parts of a transplanting system)

Acceptable photograph examples

Example 1: Irrigation pipes

Example 2: Double-span polytunnel

Example 3: Water tanks and concrete base

Example 4: Ride-on mower

Completing your claim form

Section 1: Claimant details

The claimant must:

• be the lead applicant or project representative
• sign section 3 of the claim form

Contact us if you would like to add an additional project representative to your project to sign future claims.

The grant recipient organisation must match the:  

• grant recipient on your agreement
• business or individual name on your supplier creation form or supplier record

Only the grant recipient organisation can receive claim payments.

Section 2: Claim details

Check that your claim amount does not exceed the maximum grant amount in your agreement. If you’ve made previous claims, ensure the total of all claims stays within your limit.

Only claim up to 50% of each cost.

Section 3: Declaration

Provide either an electric or handwritten signature. We cannot accept typed names in the signature box.

Setting up payment details 

New suppliers

Complete a supplier creation form if this is your first payment from the Forestry Commission.

The business or individual name on the form must match:

• the grant recipient name in your agreement
• your registered company address (check Companies House or The Charity Commission).

Existing suppliers

If your bank details or organisation information has changed since your last Forestry Commission payment, email TPCG@forestrycommission.gov.uk  for a supplier amendment form.

Payment to different organisation

If payment needs to go to a different organisation than named in your agreement, contact the TPCG team.

After your claim

When you’ll receive payment

We aim to make payment within 22 working days of receiving a completed claim

It may take longer at the end of the financial year and delays may occur if your claim is incomplete or has errors.

Reporting requirements

Within 3 to 6 months of your final claim, you must complete  and return a post-implementation report.  A post-implementation report template will be provided by the Forestry Commission.

Obligation period requirements

For 2 years following the date you submit your final claim, you must:

• keep grant-funded items in your ownership
• maintain items in good working order
• use items for their intended purpose (as in your application)
• submit your post-implementation report
  We may recover some or all of your grant if you don’t comply.

Contact the TPCG team immediately if you cannot meet these obligations.

Record keeping

Keep all paperwork (invoices, receipts, accounting records) for 7 years from the end of your funding period.

Changes to your project

You must inform us as soon as possible if:

• you would like to make significant changes to your project
• you would like to reallocate budget because item costs have changed
• you no longer plan to proceed with your project

All significant changes need Forestry Commission approval in advance.

If a cost increases slightly:

• it does not need approval in advance
• you may claim 50% of the actual cost if you have budget available
• payment of the higher value will be at the Forestry Commission’s discretion

Contact us

Contact the TPCG team if you need help with:

• submitting your claim or supporting evidence
• correcting a mistake after you’ve submitted a claim
• making a change to your project

Get in touch with us at TPCG@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Read more about TPCG.