Ahead of the 2023 BPS year, make sure you take the time to check what BPS entitlements you currently hold and what you might need for 2023.
How do I check my BPS entitlements?
This can be done by logging onto Rural Payments Online, and clicking ‘view entitlements’ on the business overview page.
You can look back every year until 2015, viewing the amount of entitlements that have been used/unused each year and whether any have been leased or lost to the National Reserve.
How will the RPA contact me?
While doing this, it is the ideal time to double check that all your personal details are up to date. This helps ensure that the RPA can make prompt contact with you, in the event of any queries.
What happens to my previous lease entitlements?
It is important to note that any leased entitlements will automatically return to the lessor at the end of the lease period.
You will not receive any contact from the RPA informing you that the lease has ended and the entitlements have been returned.
The lessor can notify the RPA if they wish to end the lease early or extend the lease. This can be done by letter or email.
The lessee is only able to end the lease early, which can be done by notifying RPA by letter or email.
We have seen cases in the past where farmers have not picked up that leased in entitlements have been automatically returned to the lessor at the end of the lease.
This has led to a situation where the following years BPS payment is less than planned, due to the fact that the number of entitlements held are less than expected, as the returned leased entitlements are not held by the claiming farmer.
Are the rules the same?
The rules on entitlement usage changed from 2021. You no longer need to use all of your entitlements once every two years, to prevent them from being taken away.
How do delinked payments affect BPS entitlements?
With the start of delinked payments from 2024, 2023 will be the last year that BPS entitlements can be activated for payment. If you decide that you do need more entitlements in 2023, the online transfer of entitlements is expected to open around the end of January 2023.
Please be aware that in order to access delinked payments from 2024 onwards, in addition to a BPS reference amount value, you need to claim and be eligible for BPS in 2023, which includes having entitlements to claim against.
