Confirm your information and apply
After you’ve made your changes and declarations, first check your application again, then submit it.
If you have made any changes to your information, you need to generate and print a new application summary. You need to do this to see the most up-to-date information in your application.
Important: If a land parcel has been added to your business (SBI), or there’s been a mapping change, there are additional steps that you need to follow to make sure that the latest information shows on your application and your application summary. Please read the ‘Important’ box in ‘Making changes to land use’ section for more information.
From the ‘Manage your application’ screen, click the drop-down arrow ‘View and print your application summary’, then click ‘Generate’ to create an updated version. Then click ‘Download’ to read it.
The date and time the summary was generated will show above the ‘Download’ button.
After you’ve generated your application summary, check for errors. One of the most common errors when applying is missing information at Part C , for example missing or zero values in the Land Use Code (C7) and Area to
Activate (C8) boxes. Check the form carefully before it is submitted, particularly for any incorrect zero values
You need to submit your application by midnight on 16 May 2022. The most recent BPS application is the one that will be accepted. It cannot be deleted online. If you want to withdraw it, you need to write or email us.
We can accept applications until midnight on 10 June 2022 but will apply penalties to applications submitted after midnight on 16 May 2022 (read the ‘Key dates’).
You need to complete the ‘Your declaration and responsibilities’ declaration.
Click ‘Submit’ on the ‘Manage your application’ screen to apply. A ‘screen message’ will confirm that RPA has received your application.
If the ‘screen message’ does not appear, it means that your application has not been received – read about why this may have happened and what you need to do.
We recommend that as soon as you submit your application, you generate a new application summary, download it and either print it or save it to your computer. This will be a direct copy of the application you’ve submitted and will contain the time and date that you submitted it.
The ‘status’ on the ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’ screen will change to ‘Submitted’ and the date and time it was submitted will show, as well as the date it was created (‘Date produced’).
Important: if you need to send us supporting documents, remember that they are part of your application. We can accept these without penalty up to midnight on 10 June 2022. For more information, read the section on ‘Sending supporting documents’.
You do not need to send us a paper application form (BP5) unless you want to withdraw your online application. If you do send a paper form, it will replace your online application and the date we receive the paper application will then become the date you submitted your application.
Generate a copy of your application summary after you’ve submitted your application and save it. This application summary shows the time and date you submitted your application.
However, when you submit a new application, the date and time of your original application will still show in the ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’ screen. See ‘Track your application’ for more information.
If you want to submit your BPS application online but can’t see a ‘Submit’ button in the ‘BPS Applications screens’
If you have the correct permission level the green ‘Submit’ button shows at the bottom of the list of options when your BPS application is open on the ‘Manage your application’ screen (from the Business overview screen, click ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’, then ‘Open’)
If you are unable to submit your BPS application online
Check you have completed ‘Your declaration and responsibilities’ declarations.
If you want to know if your online application has submitted successfully
You need to do any of the following.
- Watch for the ‘screen message’ that appears after you’ve submitted your application
- Click the ‘All messages’ tab on the initial ‘Your businesses and messages’ screen. You’ll see a message telling you that you’ve submitted your application successfully
- Go to the ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’ screen which will show the status of the application as ‘submitted’ and the date and time that it was submitted.
After you’ve submitted your application, you can track its progress from the ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’ screen. Check the status box as this will tell you what stage your application is at.
- Submitted – we’ve received your application and it’s ready for us to make our initial checks.
- Claim validation – we’re making our main checks on the application.
- Final checking – we’re completing final checks to confirm the application value.
- Preparing for payment – our checks are complete and the application will be sent for payment. You should receive your payment soon unless we’re still waiting for something from you before we can make your payment, for example, your bank details. This status may also remain after payment has been made.
If the status is blank, this means we have not received your application.
Generate and print a new copy of your application summary, check the information, make any changes, complete your declarations, confirm your information and then submit your application.
If you need to send supporting documents as part of your application, for example:
- Young farmer or new farmer form and proof of status
- continuation booklets
- Hemp certificate – submit hemp seed labels by 30 June 2022 (for more information, read the ‘Hemp’ section in the ‘Basic Payment Scheme: rules for 2022’)
you need to do this early enough for us to receive it by midnight on 10 June 2022 (except for Hemp). We will not apply a penalty, as long as we received your application before midnight on 16 May 2022.
Your application will be rejected if the supporting documents are received after 10 June 2022 (apart from Hemp and cases accepted as force majeure and exceptional circumstances).
You need to make sure you clearly write the SBI on every sheet, then send them to us by post – we recommend that you use a postal method with tracking and proof of posting.
Important: we cannot accept supporting documents that are sent by email.
The address to send them to is:
Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 352
Worksop
S80 9FG
Read the ‘Basic Payment Scheme: rules for 2022’ for more information on application dates and penalties.
We recommend that you keep a copy of everything you send to us, including supporting documents.
We do not send acknowledgement receipts for any supporting documents we receive.
You can make certain changes to your application - without getting a penalty - until midnight on 10 June 2022 (as long as we received your original application by midnight on 16 May 2022). For more information, read the ’Basic Payment Scheme: rules for 2022’.
To make the changes, you will need to ‘create’ a new application and submit it when you have made them.
To do this, read the onscreen ‘Help’ at the ‘Apply for BPS or view status of your application’ screen.
You also need to email us to explain this is a change to the originally submitted application. This means penalties will not be applied for submitting a late application, as long as the original application was made by midnight on 16 May 2022.
A new application will replace a previously submitted application – you will still be able to see (and print) any previously submitted applications as an application summary.
When you submit a new application, the date and time of your original application will still show in the ‘Apply for BPS’ screen.
The ‘Active’ column for the previously submitted application will show as ‘No’ and the status will now be blank.
However, when you generate an application summary, the actual date and time the summary was generated will show.
Important: If you submit an updated application after 16 May 2022, you need to send an email to us, explaining that this is a change to your original application. Use ‘Amendments to BPS 2022 application’ as the subject of the email and quote your single business identifier (SBI) in the email. Send it to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk
We recommend that as soon as you submit your application, you generate a new application summary, download it and either print it or save it to your computer. This will be a direct copy of the application you’ve submitted and will contain the time and date that you submitted it.