Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme ( HCRS ) online. If you previously applied for the Overturned Convictions (OC) scheme, your claim has been moved to the HCRS . You do not need to register online. Your caseworker will contact you about next steps. Before you start To register, you’ll need to provide your: address email address phone number solicitor’s details, if you have one unique reference number ( URN ) - you’ll find this on the letter confirming your conviction has been quashed, if you got one You can still register if you’ve had your conviction quashed but you’ve not got a letter. If you’re registering for someone else You’ll need the personal details of the person you’re registering for, as well as your own details. After registering, you’ll be asked to provide documents to show you have the legal right to register for that person . Register online Register Read the HCRS privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used. If you need help Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the HCRS . The Department for Business and Trade hcrsregistration@businessandtrade.gov.uk

After you’ve registered

A caseworker will contact you. You’ll be asked to provide documents to prove your identity . What happens next Once you’ve proven your identity, you’ll get a preliminary payment of £200,000. If you were a postmaster, you’ll also get a set of documents related to your employment with the Post Office and the events leading up to your conviction. If you decide to take the fixed total sum of £600,000, you’ll get a second and final payment of £400,000. If you’ve already received a preliminary payment or a payment for the same loss from a different scheme, there may be deductions made from this fixed total sum. If you decide to get a detailed assessment, you’ll need to provide evidence of your losses. Your application will then be assessed. Once you have received your first detailed assessment offer, you have 3 months in which you can still accept the £600,000 fixed sum payment. After that time, you will not be able to choose the fixed sum payment. You can read guidance on how detailed claims will be assessed using an assessment framework . If you live in the UK, you do not need to pay tax on any payments you get from the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme ( HCRS ). They will not impact any benefits you receive.

Proving your identity

You’ll need to prove your identity before you can get any payment from the scheme. After you’ve registered, a caseworker will contact you by email and tell you what you need to do next. They will tell you how to send any ID documents. If you have a solicitor Your solicitor can complete the ID checks for you. What your solicitor needs to do They’ll verify your identity and current address. You’ll need to provide your solicitor with your acceptable ID documents. They’ll then need to give scanned copies of these documents to your caseworker. Your caseworker will send your solicitor a legal declaration. Your solicitor must sign and return this to confirm that they’ve verified your identity. If they verified your identity by video call, they must include screenshots of the call. If you do not have a solicitor If you do not have a solicitor yet, or do not want one, you can use a countersignatory to confirm your identity and address. Who your countersignatory can be Your countersignatory must: have known you for at least 2 years be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally) be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession Your countersignatory cannot be: related to you by birth or marriage in a relationship with you someone who lives at the same address as you Recognised professions for countersignatories A countersignatory must be in one of the following professions: accountant airline pilot articled clerk of a limited company assurance agent of recognised company bank or building society official barrister chiropodist commissioner for oaths councillor, for example local or county civil servant (permanent) dentist director, manager or personnel officer of a VAT-registered company doctor engineer with professional qualifications financial services intermediary, for example a stockbroker or insurance broker fire service official funeral director insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company journalist Justice of the Peace legal secretary (fellow or associate member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs) licensee of a public house local government officer manager or personnel officer of a limited company member, associate or fellow of a professional body MP Merchant Navy officer minister of a recognised religion (including Christian Science) nurse (RGN or RMN) officer of the armed services optician paralegal (certified paralegal, qualified paralegal or associate member of the Institute of Paralegals) person with honours, for example an OBE or MBE pharmacist photographer (professional) police officer president or secretary of a recognised organisation Salvation Army officer social worker solicitor surveyor teacher or lecturer trade union officer travel agent (qualified) valuer or auctioneer (fellow or associate members of the incorporated society) Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers If your countersignatory does not meet these requirements, your application could be delayed or rejected. What you need to do You’ll need to send your 3 ID documents to your caseworker. They must be scanned copies of the original documents. Your caseworker will give you a document to get further information about your countersignatory. You need to: fill in your countersignatory’s details ask your countersignatory to sign the included verification statement return the document to your caseworker Your caseworker will contact them to confirm that they meet the criteria of a countersignatory. They must be available to respond quickly when contacted, or your application could be delayed or rejected. List of acceptable ID documents You need to provide 3 forms of ID documents, whether your identity is being verified by a solicitor or countersignatory. All documents must be different. Send scanned copies rather than the original documents. You should provide one of the following: current valid passport for any country current biometric residence permit for the UK current full or provisional photo card driving licence from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands birth certificate from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands (issued within 12 months of birth) You’ll also need 2 of the following: current full or provisional photo card driving licence from any country outside the UK, excluding Isle of Man and Channel Islands current full or provisional paper driving licence from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands only (issued before 1998) birth certificate from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands (issued within 12 months of birth) marriage certificate - UK and Channel Islands only civil partnership certificate - UK and Channel Islands only mortgage statement - UK only (issued in the last 3 months) financial statement, for example a pension or endowment - UK only (issued in the last 12 months) a statement from central or local government showing you are entitled to benefits bank or building society account opening confirmation letter - this must be a paper copy original utility bill - this must be a paper copy benefit statement - UK only (issued in the last 3 months) P45 or P60 statement Council Tax bill from UK or Channel Islands only (issued in the last 12 months) - this must be a paper copy Your documents will not be accepted if they’re: blurred illegible out-of-date incomplete This will cause delays to your application. If you need help Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme ( HCRS ). The Department for Business and Trade hcrsregistration@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Registering for someone else

If you’re registering for someone else, you need to prove you have the legal right to make decisions for them or for their estate. You need different documents depending on where you live and whether the person you’re registering for is alive. After you’ve registered, a caseworker will contact you by email. They will tell you how to send any ID documents. If you have power of attorney in England or Wales If you’re a property and financial affairs attorney, you’ll need to provide a registered lasting power of attorney ( LPA ) document. This must: be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian ( OPG ) be stamped with ‘Validated – OPG ’ confirm the attorney’s name, address and date of birth confirm the donor’s name and address If the LPA was registered on or after 1 January 2016, you can give your caseworker access to view the online summary . You can also send the original LPA document or a certified copy to your caseworker. A solicitor will be able to certify a copy. If you have power of attorney in Scotland If you’re a property and financial affairs attorney in Scotland, you’ll need to provide a registered continuing or combined power of attorney document. This must: be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) be stamped with the Public Guardian’s certification indicating registration confirm the attorney’s name, address and date of birth confirm the donor’s name and address You’ll need to send your caseworker either: the original certificate confirming the power of attorney is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) a certified copy of the power of attorney (you can have this certified by a solicitor or notary public) If you have power of attorney in Northern Ireland If you’re a property and affairs attorney, you’ll need to provide a registered enduring power of attorney ( EPA ) document. This must: be registered with the Office of Care and Protection (Patients’ Section) be stamped as being registered and carry the seal of the Court confirm the attorney’s name and address confirm the donor’s name, address and date of birth You’ll need to send your caseworker either: the original EPA document a certified copy of the EPA (you can apply for certified copies from the Office of Care and Protection) Office of Care and Protection (Patients’ Section) Royal Courts of Justice Chichester Street Belfast BT1 3JF If the person you’re representing has died If you’re representing someone who has died, you need to provide legal documents to prove you can manage their estate. If there is a will (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) If you’re an executor of the will, you’ll need to provide a grant of probate which includes: the full name and address of the deceased the date of death what country the deceased lived in (their ‘domicile’) You can apply for probate if you’re named as an executor in either the will or an update to it (known as a ‘codicil’). Up to 4 executors can be named. If the will does not name an executor, or the named executors cannot apply, you’ll need to send ‘a letter of administration with the will annexed’. This proves you have the right to act as an executor of the person’s estate. A solicitor can help you get this. If there is a will (Scotland) You will need to provide evidence of ‘confirmation’ . Your caseworker will tell you what evidence you need. If there is no will If there is no will, the closest living relative can register. You’ll need to show you have the legal right to administer the estate, for example probate. This may be the deceased’s husband, wife or civil partner. It cannot be a partner who was not married to or in a civil partnership with the deceased. You’ll need to provide a grant of letters of administration, including: the full name and address of the deceased the date of death what country the deceased lived in (their ‘domicile’) If you need help Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme ( HCRS ). The Department for Business and Trade hcrsregistration@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS)

Overview

You may be able to register for financial redress if you were wrongly convicted of a crime because of the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office. This means you’ll be paid for your losses.

What you’ll get

You could choose to accept a fixed total sum of £600,000. This will be made up of a preliminary payment of £200,000, then a second and final payment of £400,000.

If you’ve already received a preliminary payment or a payment for the same loss from a different scheme, there may be deductions made from this fixed total sum.

You may get a different amount if you choose to have a detailed assessment of your case.

If you live in the UK, you do not need to pay tax on any payments you get from the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS). They will not impact any benefits you receive.

Eligibility

You’re eligible for the HCRS if you’ve had a conviction quashed (which means it has been overturned) by a court ruling or legislation.

If your conviction was overturned by the courts and you applied for the Overturned Convictions Scheme

Your claim has now been moved and registered with the HCRS. You or your legal representative will have been told. Your case worker will contact you to tell you about the next steps.

If your conviction was overturned by legislation

You’re eligible and can register for compensation if your conviction was overturned by either of the following:

Depending on where you live, you should have been told about this in a letter from:

Ministry of Justice, if you’re in England or Wales
Scottish Government Justice Directorate, if you’re in Scotland
Department for Justice, if you’re in Northern Ireland

You can still register if you’ve had your conviction quashed, but do not have a letter.

If you have a solicitor

You’ll need to provide your solicitor’s details when you register. If you’ve already registered, you’ll need to share their details with your caseworker.

If you’re not eligible for the HCRS

You may be eligible for the:

You’ll be eligible for a scheme if you lost money or were convicted of a crime because of the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office.

Which scheme you’re eligible for depends on your individual circumstances.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS)

Overview

What you’ll get

Eligibility

If your conviction was overturned by the courts and you applied for the Overturned Convictions Scheme

If your conviction was overturned by legislation

If you have a solicitor

If you’re not eligible for the HCRS

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Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS)

Overview

What you’ll get

Eligibility

If your conviction was overturned by the courts and you applied for the Overturned Convictions Scheme

If your conviction was overturned by legislation

If you have a solicitor

If you’re not eligible for the HCRS

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