Annual revenue claims
Claiming
To be paid for the revenue actions in a CS (Countryside Stewardship) Mid Tier, Higher Tier or ES (Environmental Stewardship)/HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreement, including agreements that started in 2025, an annual revenue claim must be submitted during the revenue claim window.
The 2025 revenue claim window for CS and ES/HLS opened on 17 March. A claim needed to have been submitted by 11:59pm on 15 May to be paid without reduction. If a claim was submitted after this date, the later this is submitted, the greater the percentage reduction. The final deadline was 11:59pm on 1 September. No claim payment will be made after this date.
CS revenue claims can be made online using the streamlined process. If there are no changes to the claim from last year, you can generate and submit an automated revenue claim on the Rural Payments Service.
Before submitting a CS claim, please make sure the land use codes recorded for the land parcels are correct and consistent with the claim by signing into the Rural Payments service. Failure to do this may lead to processing delays and hold up payments.
If you are unable to access the Rural Payments service or there are changes to your claim from last year, you will need to contact the RPA. Email: [email protected], phone: 03000 200 301.
For ES, you will receive your claim form by either email or post. You will need to complete it and return it to the RPA before the deadlines to submit a successful claim.
Payments
Payments for revenue claims made in 2025 can begin from 1 December 2025, but can be made anytime between 1 December and 30 June. The NFU is calling for at least 90% of CS and ES payments to be made by the end of December 2025. Where payments are not made, then a partial payment should be issued.
The NFU is monitoring the progress of all 2025 revenue claims as we head to the 1 December payment window opening. With cashflow becoming increasingly critical for members, the timing of these annual payments is key to the management of those cashflows.
Those wanting an individual update should contact the RPA helpline on 03000 200 301.
HLS payment uplift and extensions
At NFU Conference, following NFU lobbying, the Secretary of State announced an uplift to HLS payments, worth £30 million. The individual option payments rates will be published soon. Agreement holders will be written to in April. Defra published the detail on the payment rates changes in May, with the uplift applying to 157 HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) options.
These changes will apply to HLS payments issued from 1 December 2025 until 30 June 2026. How each agreement holders’ payments are affected will depend on the options they have. Later in the year, when the Rural Payment Agency, begins to make payments, it will confirm how much each agreement holder’s payments will increase by. Agreement holders will be able to use the tables published on GOV.UK to calculate how much this will be. More details about the uplift can be found on NFUonline.
For HLS agreements expiring in 2025, Natural England will review each agreement and recommend either a one or two year extension.
Defra previously announced its intention to retire HLS agreements and encourage their transition to SFI and/or CS Higher Tier. The final HLS agreements will expire in 2028.
Find out more about extensions at: GOV.UK | CSHT mirror agreements and HLS extensions: an overview.
Changes to T&Cs
All existing EU agri-environment agreements moved to domestic (UK) T&Cs (Terms and Conditions) on 1 January 2023.
The move allows for a simplification of the schemes which in turn will help to create greater flexibility and opportunities for agreement holders, an ask the NFU has continued to lobby for. These flexibilities are outlined below.
A summary of the main changes to the T&Cs is available on GOV.UK for each scheme:
- Environmental Stewardship agreements: addendum to terms and conditions | GOV.UK
- Countryside Stewardship agreements: modified terms and conditions GOV.UK
Capital grants
Capital grants can form part of your CS mid or Higher Tier agreement, or a standalone grant agreement. There are some capital grants available if you are in agreement. More information can be found at: GOV.UK | Capital items: guidance for applicants and agreement holders.
Capital grant claims can be made at any time of the year if it is:
- within three months of the end of your agreement – a late claim reduction will apply if the claim is received between three and six months.
- after the capital work is finished
- after you have been charged or invoiced.
Multiple partial capital grant claims can be made for most, but not all, options as long as that part of the work is complete and invoiced. This can help manage cash flow for work which is often completed in stages.
- RPA guidance on submitting a CS revenue or capital claim can be found on: GOV.UK | How to make a capital or revenue claim for Countryside Stewardship.
- RPA guidance on how to get a payment for a ES/HLS agreement can be found at: GOV.UK | How to get paid under an Environmental Stewardship agreement.
Flexibilities
Site visits and administrative checks
There is greater flexibility to the RPA's approach to site visits (previously called inspections) and administrative checks.
This includes a longer notice period given to agreement holders before a site visit and in some cases virtual site visits.
The field officers (previously called inspectors) will take a new supportive and farmer focused approach. More information about this approach can be found on this RPA blog: RPA’s new supportive, partnership-based approach to visits | GOV.UK
Breaches, repayments, and penalties
Where there is a difference between what is being delivered in the agreement and what is being claimed the RPA, following checks, will recover any difference.
If the RPA has already paid the agreement holder, they will recover the difference.
Additional penalties however will not be applied but reductions will still apply to late payment claims.
There will be no payment recovery for exiting an agreement early and entering another environmental scheme.
CS Mid Tier extensions
The RPA made contact on 30 October with Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreement holders who are eligible for the one-year extension, asking if they would accept or decline the extension offer.
Those contacted need to respond to by 27 November 2025, either by replying to the RPA's email or in writing via the post with their decision, making sure their SBI and agreement reference are at the top of the response. If no acceptance is received by 27 November 2025, the RPA will withdraw the extension offer and the agreement will end as planned on 31 December 2025.
If you have not heard from the RPA by the 6 November and believe I you are eligible, then you should call the RPA to check on 03000 200 301 (phonelines operate Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm).
Outstanding capital works must be completed and claimed for by the time the extension starts.
Agreement extensions will be offered on a like for like basis, and cannot be changed. The only exception is options or supplements less than five years cannot be extended.
If your agreement includes SSSI (site of special scientific interest) land you must contact Natural England to get consent.
On 24 October Defra provided clarity on arable options which you may not want to continue in 2026. This may be a rotational option which you’ve already destroyed eg, AB15 legume fallow. It allows you to re-establish for 2026, or reduce or remove the area from the 2026 annual claim.
The full guidance can be found at: GOV.UK | Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier: extensions for 2021 agreements.
Transferring between schemes
The ability to move between agreements is another one of the flexibilities created as a result of existing EU agri-environment agreements moving to domestic T&Cs from 1 January 2023.
Currently, there is no formal process to enable transfers between schemes such as HLS and CS to SFI. The NFU is lobbying the new government for arrangements to be put in place and guidance to be issued.
Stacking CS/ES/HLS and SFI
Defra will not allow payment for the same action twice. Some of the scheme actions are however different, this means that some options and agreements can be stacked in the same area.
Interaction between an SFI agreement and CS depends on the standard and type of agreement (revenue or capital). Each SFI action sets out which CS or HLS options are compatible.
More information about how SFI interacts with CS/ES/HLS can be found at GOV.UK | How an SFI standards agreement interacts with other funding schemes.
Defra is aiming for a single integrated online service where farmers can select the combination of actions across SFI and CS that work for them. This will not be available in the short term.
Agreement amends
If you are in an agri-environment scheme that you will struggle to deliver for whatever reason, or you wish to manage differently, you need to contact RPA as soon as possible. For Countryside Stewardship or HLS agreements you need to request a Minor and Temporary Amend. The RPA will deal with requests on a case-by-case basis. Please note that adjustments to agreements could lead to agreement values being amended.
The RPA can be contacted on [email protected] or call 03000 200 301. The RPA will advise on the best way forward eg, a minor or temporary change to an agreement.
