Get ready to apply for SFI26

Two application windows

There will be two application windows this year for SFI. This is a departure from the unlimited access that operated in recent versions of SFI.

The first window will open in June 2026 for two groups: 

• small farms
• farms without an existing ELM (Environmental Land Management) revenue agreement. 

You could be eligible to apply under both these criteria but remember, you can only apply once for SFI26. The current definitions and rules for applying can be found at: GOV.UK | SFI26. 

The second application window will open in September 2026 for all farmers and land managers that are eligible.

Which window should I apply for?

Depending on your situation, you may have the option of choosing which window to apply for if you're eligible for both but, you can only make one SFI26 application across both windows.  

Which one you do apply for will ultimately depend on your circumstances. Factors to consider include presence, proportion and remaining time left in existing ELMs revenue schemes such as Countryside Stewardship or SFI23. You can also only make one application per RPA-recognised business for SFI26.

What you can do to prepare

What is clear is that this new approach is going to be a challenge for many given the time demands of the farming year in the coming months.

Here are the key steps to think about now before the application windows open and summer farm work really gets under way:

Check your digital maps show the correct land details

Whether you believe your RPA mapping is up to date or you have not looked at them since the last BPS claim or agreement application, you need to check them carefully.

This is the most important check to do given that SFI is a land based scheme and the way the Rural Payments service uses the land details it holds to determine whether you can access particular SFI actions, as those SFI actions have land eligibility requirements.

Example: If you want to put an arable based SFI action on a field, but the RPA mapping shows the field is showing as permanent pastures, the service is not going to allow you to apply for that SFI action. 

Therefore, both what is on the ground as well as recorded on the RPA service needs to align. This includes both the land cover – the board land types (for example, arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops, or relevant non-agricultural land cover) and the land use (for example, the land cover is arable and the land use are compatible with one another).

You need to ensure that your RPA mapping records show you have:

• At least 3ha of agricultural land. Needed to be able to start an application.
• All the land parcels you want to include in your SFI26 application are associated with the SBI (single business identifier) wishing to apply.
• The correct total area (in hectares) for each land parcel is shown, particularly looking at boundary or ineligible land use activity.
• The correct land covers for each parcel.

You do not need to check or update your RPA map hedge layer as this is not being used for SFI.

This is important to check now because you cannot add land or make certain land changes to land in an SFI application once it has been created and if it is being worked on.

If you have any existing schemes on your land, ensure that any changes made for SFI26 purposes are considered across those other schemes and, where necessary, inform the RPA of changes that affect those other schemes. 

For more information read the RPA guidance on how to check your digital maps. If you find you need to update your digital maps, ask the RPA to do this as soon as possible so you are not waiting for changes to be carried out while the application windows are open. Read: GOV.UK | How to update your digital maps online.

Finally, on land matters, watch out for information in the SFI guidance when it is published around consents and checks you may need to do in order to apply for certain SFI actions on land which may have certain designations.

For historical features, you may need to request an SFI HEFER (Historic Environment Farm Environment Record) or check if there are SSSIs (sites of special scientific interest), trees or wildlife habitats present. 

Are your details up to date?

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

Check your permissions

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
• Navigate to ‘Business Overview’
• Select ‘Give people permission to act for this business’
• To make an application you need to have one of the following permissions:
  • ‘Business Details: Full’ 
  • ‘BPS: Submit’
  • ‘CS Applications: Submit’.

If you have someone helping you with an application and applying on your behalf, you need to check that they’re registered with the RPA in the Rural Payments service, and that you have given them the correct permissions.

Further information and support

At the time of writing, the information that has been published on SFI can be found below:

• GOV.UK | Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026. The full details including scheme rules, SFI actions and T&Cs will be released in the coming weeks and found on this webpage, so watch out for further updates.
• GOV.UK | SFI26: details, definitions and what to expect. This webpage has high level scheme information.
• GOV.UK | Get ready to apply for SFI26.

Look out for further updates on NFUonline as more information on the SFI offer becomes available.