Guidance

Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details

How to register and update your personal, business and land details on the Rural Payments service.

From:
Rural Payments Agency
Published
10 February 2020
Last updated
16 May 2022 — See all updates

Applies to England

Latest news

We are aware that some of our customers are experiencing slow loading times when trying to access the Rural Payments service. We apologise for the inconvenience that this is causing.

If you are experiencing this problem, you do not need to call us. Please follow these steps:

  1. Click into the URL bar so that all of the text is highlighted as show in the below image
  2. Press ‘enter’ on your keyboard. This will refresh the page and allow you to access your account
The image shows a screen shot of the Rural Payments service page on GOV.UK

You can transfer land parcels and BPS entitlements for 2022 until 16 May 2022 using the Rural Payments service. You can also add land by email.

You can update land use, and add or delete common rights until midnight on 10 June 2022.

Planned maintenance of the Rural Payments service

There will be times when the Rural Payments service is unavailable because of essential planned maintenance and updates.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will aim to minimise the disruption to users by scheduling these planned times for evenings after 6pm, and at weekends. This may not always be possible, but we will try to give as much notice as possible of daytime unavailability.

From To Notes
7am Tuesday 17 May8am Tuesday 17 MayThe Rural Payments service will not be available.
6pm Wednesday 18 May 9pm Wednesday 18 May The Rural Payments service will not be available.

What is the Rural Payments service?

The Rural Payments service is Defra’s online registration system for farmers, animal keepers and rural traders and businesses.

If you are a farmer, animal keeper, or a rural trader or business, you can use the service to register your details, view digital maps of your land and make online applications and claims for certain rural grants and payments.

It can be used by any person or firm representing a farmer or farming business – such as a firm of agricultural agents.

There is onscreen Help throughout the Rural Payments service which explains how to use it.

You must register in the Rural Payments service if you intend to keep farmed animals (or livestock) on your land or business premises.

Sign in to the Rural Payments service

What you can use Rural Payments for

You can use the Rural Payments service to:

  • register for rural payments
  • update your personal and business details
  • give someone else (like an agent) permission to act on your behalf
  • see and print digital maps of your land parcels
  • submit a Countryside Stewardship (CS) capital claim
  • print your CS Farm Environment Record (FER)/Options map
  • print your CS Environmental Information Map (EIM)
  • use the CS Options Finder
  • view your Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements
  • view your previous year’s BPS claim
  • view land parcel map and information for a date in the past
  • transfer BPS entitlements
  • transfer land
  • update land use
  • add or delete common rights
  • apply for BPS and view your application summary
  • apply online for Mid Tier
  • request an application pack for CS Mid Tier
  • request an application pack for CS Higher Tier
  • apply for the CS Wildlife Offers
  • apply for CS Capital Grants
  • submit a CS revenue claim

You can no longer use the Rural Payments service in 2022 to:

  • request an application pack for CS Higher Tier
  • transfer BPS entitlements
  • transfer land

Who has to register

Anyone can choose to register on the Rural Payments service but you must register if you are a:

  • farmer or business claiming rural grants and payments – before you register, check that you’re eligible to apply for rural payments by reading the relevant scheme manual(s)
  • cattle keeper recording animal movements
  • business importing or exporting agricultural products
  • a person or business (like an ‘agent’ or a firm of agents) who intend to act on behalf of another registered business

Getting started – verifying your identity

As with many other government services online, you must verify your identity before you can register for the first time. You can do this in one of 2 ways.

  • online with GOV.UK Verify – this gives you secure access to an increasing number of public services on GOV.UK. If you have difficulties verifying your identity with GOV.UK Verify or you have problems with the Verify service, contact your identify provider

  • call the Rural Payments helpline on 03000 200 301 and we will help you register – this will only give you access to the Rural Payments service, not other government services

After you’ve verified your identity, you can sign in to the Rural Payments service and start to register. You will need to create a password.

If you’re already registered with Government Gateway, you still need to register for the Rural Payments service in one of the ways listed.

Register your personal and business details

When you sign in for the first time you will need to register your personal and business details. The details you register will be the details used to contact you in future.

You only need to do this if you used GOV.UK ‘Verify’. If you rang us to verify your identity, we will create your personal profile for you.

Personal details

You will need to register details about you, including:

  • your name
  • your address
  • your email address

Once you’ve registered these, you will receive a Customer Reference Number (CRN) which is individual to you.

Business details

You will need to register details about your business, including:

  • business name
  • business address
  • business email address
  • type of business (sole trader, partnership etc)

If you want the business to receive any rural grants and payments in future, you will need to register bank account details. You can only do this over the phone – call us on 03000 200 301.

Once you’ve registered these, you will receive one or more of the following reference numbers for your business (depending on what sort of business it is):

  • Single Business Identifier (SBI)
  • Trader Registration Number (TRN)
  • Vendor Registration Number (VRN)
  • Firm Reference Number (FRN)

Once you have your reference number(s), you can finish creating your account.

Give someone else permission to act on your behalf

You can give other people access to your business and there are different levels of permission you can give them depending on what you want them to be able to do.

You can only do this if you have full permission yourself and the other person is also registered.

When we send an email to you or your agent, we use the email address held in the Rural Payments service for the person with the relevant permission.

We can only accept an email from a business if:

  • it is from an email address that is registered on the Rural Payments service
  • the person sending the email has the relevant permission for the business and subject they are contacting RPA about

‘My messages’ in the Rural Payments service

You can use the ‘My messages’ screen in the Rural Payments service to see online messages about some transactions.

Message Who will see the online message
BPS online application receipt Everyone with ‘BPS – Submit’ or ‘Business details – Full’ permission
Confirmation of entitlements and/or land transfer Transferor business – the person who transferred the entitlements or land to another business.

Transferee business – everyone with the following permission:

- Business details (Full and Make legal changes)
- Entitlements or Land details (Amend)
- Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) (Amend and Submit)
Permission change The person whose permission has been changed
Land change confirmation (excluding changes notified by customers and changes made following an inspection) Everyone with the following permission:

- Business details (Full and Make legal changes)
- Land details (Amend)
- Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) (Amend and Submit)
- Countryside Stewardship (CS) Application (Amend and Submit)
- Countryside Stewardship (CS) Agreement (Amend and Submit)

Change your business details after you’ve registered

You can change or update the following details online:

  • your contact details
  • simple business details (like your business name)
  • change the people who act on your behalf

Only you can amend your personal details. However, anyone with the correct permission can amend business details.

If the structure of your business is changing, you will need to call us on 03000 200 301 and we will explain what you need to do.

If a registered customer dies, their personal representative should call us on 03000 200 301 and we will explain what they need to do.

Contact RPA

Email ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

Helpline 03000 200 301

Published 10 February 2020
Last updated 16 May 2022 + show all updates

  1. Rural Payments unavailable 7am to 8am Tuesday 17 May

  2. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 18 May from 6pm to 9pm.

  3. IMPORTANT: The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 11 May from 6pm to 9pm.

  4. Downtime scheduled for Rural Payments

  5. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 27 April between 6pm and 8pm

  6. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 13 April between 6pm and 9pm

  7. Downtime for Rural Payments added From 5pm Thursday 7 April until 9am Friday 8 April

  8. The Rural Payments service will not be available from 6pm Wednesday 30 March to 9am on Thursday 31 March.

  9. The Rural Payments service is available to apply for the Basic Payment Scheme 2022, submit a Countryside Stewardship revenue claim, and add or delete common rights.

  10. The Rural Payments service will not be available from 6pm to 9pm on Wednesday 16 March.

  11. Downtime added for 6pm to 6:30 PM 9 March

  12. Downtime for Rural Payments added from 5pm Thursday 10 March until 9am Friday 11 March

  13. The Rural Payments service will not be available from 6pm to 7pm on Thursday 3 March.

  14. Added guidance for the RPA slow loading times

  15. Added Rural Payments downtime message for 2 March

  16. Downtime for Rural Payments added From 5pm Monday 28 February until 8am Tuesday 1 March

  17. Downtime for Rural Payments added on Tuesday 22 February between 6pm and 9pm

  18. Downtime for Rural Payments added From 5pm Wednesday 16 February Until 9am Thursday 17 February

  19. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 9 February between 6pm and 9pm

  20. Updated list of what you can do in Rural Payments service for CS scheme opening on 8 Feb 2022

  21. Rural Payments downtime added for Wednesday 9 February between 6pm and 9pm

  22. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Monday 7 February from 5pm to 8am Tuesday 8 February

  23. Added extra downtime 11pm Wednesday 2 February from 11pm to 4am Thursday 3 February

  24. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 2 February between 6pm and 9pm

  25. Update to What you can use Rural Payments section to include transfer land and transfer BPS entitlements. You can also add land by email.

  26. The Rural Payments service will not be available from 6pm to 9pm on Wednesday 19 January.

  27. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Friday 14 January between 6pm and 7pm

  28. The Rural Payments service will not be available from 6pm Wednesday 12 January to 9pm Wednesday 12 January and from 5pm Thursday 13 January to 8am Friday 14 January.

  29. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 22 December between 6pm and 9pm

  30. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 15 December between 6pm and 9pm

  31. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 8 December between 6pm and 10pm

  32. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 5pm Thursday 2 December to 7am Friday 3 December.

  33. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 17 November between 6pm and 10pm

  34. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 10 November between 6pm and 10pm

  35. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 3 November from 6pm to 10pm.

  36. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 20 October from 6pm to 10pm.

  37. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 13 October from 6pm to 10pm.

  38. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 5pm Tuesday 5 October to 8am Wednesday 6 October.

  39. Added upcoming Rural Payments downtime

  40. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance System availability from 6pm Wednesday 8 September to 6:30pm Wednesday 8 September.

  41. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 25 August between 6pm and 10pm

  42. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 6pm Friday 13 August to 5pm Saturday 14 August and on Wednesday 18 August from 6pm to 10pm.

  43. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 6pm until 10pm on Wednesday 11 August and from 6pm Friday 13 August until 5pm Saturday 14 August.

  44. 7 August - The Rural Payments Service is now available.

  45. 7 August - Planned maintenance of Rural Payments Service is still ongoing so it remains unavailable. We will confirm when it’s available again.

  46. Added Rural Payments downtime for Friday 6 August from 5pm to 11:59pm

  47. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 4 August between 6pm and 7pm

  48. What you can use Rural Payments for section updated to reflect that applications for Wildlife Offer are closed.

  49. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 6:30am Saturday 31 July to 5pm Sunday 1 August.

  50. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 5pm Tuesday 20 July to 7am Wednesday 21 July.

  51. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 7 July from 6:30pm to 8pm.

  52. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 30 June between 6pm and 10pm

  53. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 23 June between 6pm and 7pm

  54. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Friday 18 June from 6pm to 7pm.

  55. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable from 6pm Wednesday 16 June to 6:30pm Wednesday 16 June

  56. Updated latest news to confirm deadline has passed for applications for BPS/CS revenue. Removed out of date content.

  57. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 9 June between 6pm and 10pm

  58. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 5pm Wednesday 2 June to 7am Thursday 3 June.

  59. The downtime for this evening has changed: The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 26 May 2021 between 9pm and 10:30pm.

  60. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable on Wednesday 26 May 2021 between 6pm and 10pm.

  61. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 19 May from 6pm to 8pm.

  62. Edited "latest news" to include 18 May - changes to what customers can use the Rural Payments service for following the 17 May deadline passing. Also removed the transfer options further down under "what you can use the RP service for".

  63. Amendment to Downtime 5th May

  64. Updated downtime

  65. Updated down time

  66. Remove request Higher Tier application pack and apply for Capital Grants from the list 'What you can use the Rural Payments service for' as applications have now closed.

  67. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 6pm Wednesday 28 April to 7am Thursday 29 April

  68. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 21 April between 6pm and 10pm

  69. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 14 April from 6pm to 10pm.

  70. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 5pm Tuesday 30 March to 7am Wednesday 31 March.

  71. Adding Rural Payments downtime on Wednesday 24 March between 6pm and 11:59pm

  72. Updated to remove downtime and to announce opening of the Rural Payments service for BPS applications and CS revenue claims.

  73. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 17 March between 6pm and 8pm

  74. Downtime for Rural Payments added for Wednesday 10 March between 6pm and 10pm and Friday 12 March between 6pm and 8pm

  75. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 10 March from 6pm to 10pm.

  76. Downtime for Rural Payments added for 6pm Tuesday 2 March to 10pm Tuesday 2 March and also 6pm Wednesday 3 March to 11:59pm Wednesday 3 March.

  77. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance from 4pm Tuesday 23 February to 7am Wednesday 24 February.

  78. The downtime on Friday 12 February has changed to 6pm to midnight.

  79. 9 February: update land use is now available online using the Rural Payment service. Use the service to request a CS Mid Tier and CS Higher Tier application pack; apply for CS Wildlife Offers online; and apply for CS Capital Grants online.

  80. System downtime for 6pm-9pm on Friday 12 February added

  81. The Rural Payments service will not be available on Wednesday 10 February between 6pm and 9pm.

  82. System availability - The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 3 February from 6pm to 9pm

  83. Update to show that the Rural Payments service can be used to transfer or remove land, and transfer BPS entitlements.

  84. Downtime notice added for Rural Payments service from 4pm Tuesday 26 January to 7am Wednesday 27 January

  85. System availability. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 13 January between 6pm and 9pm.

  86. The Rural Payments service will not be available between 6pm Wednesday 6 January and 8pm Wednesday 6 January.

  87. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 2 December between 6pm and 10pm

  88. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 25 November between 5pm and 10pm

  89. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 25 November between 4pm and 10pm

  90. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 18 November between 6pm and 8pm

  91. Rural Payments downtime for Wednesday 11 November (6pm to 8pm) added.

  92. Rural Payments downtime added for Wednesday 4 November (6 to 8pm)

  93. Countryside Stewardship functions in the Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance between 4pm Thursday 8 Oct and 7pm Wednesday 14 Oct.

  94. Rural Payments downtime for 7, 8 and 9 October added.

  95. Rural Payments service downtime for Wednesday 30 September added.

  96. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 23 September from 6pm to 9pm.

  97. Rural Payments downtime update

  98. Rural Payments downtime update

  99. Rural Payments service downtime added for Wednesday 26 August (6pm to 9pm.)

  100. Downtime for Rural Payments service added for Wednesday 19 August (6 pm to 9pm)

  101. Downtime for Rural Payments service on Wednesday 12 August extended to 11.59pm.

  102. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 12 August from 6pm and 9pm

  103. Apply for CS Wildlife Offers removed from the list 'What you can use Rural Payments for'.

  104. Rural Payments service downtime added for Tuesday 4 August, Wednesday 5 August and Friday 7 to Sunday 9 August.

  105. Rural Payments downtime updated

  106. Downtime for Rural Payments service added for Wednesday 22 July (6-7pm)

  107. Rural Payments service downtime added for Wednesday 15 July (6pm to 8pm), and downtime for Saturday 18 July updated (now up to 6pm instead of 5pm.)

  108. Removed functions not available at the moment in Rural Payments due to application and claim window closures. Downtime added from 6pm on 17 July to 5pm on 18 July.

  109. Latest news added that links to the new Rural Payments: updates to the service page

  110. Rural Payments service downtime updated for 7 and 8 July 2020.

  111. Downtime update: The Rural Payments service will not be available between 6pm Wednesday 24 June and 8pm Wednesday 24 June |

  112. 'What you can use Rural Payments for' updated to show that you can no longer transfer or remove land.

  113. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 20 May between 8pm and 9pm

  114. Transfer BPS entitlements, request a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application pack online, apply for Countryside Stewardship Hedgerows and Boundaries grant removed from What you can use Rural Payments for.

  115. Rural Payments downtime notice added for Wednesday 13 May 8pm to 10pm

  116. Downtime update - The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 6 May between 8pm and midnight

  117. Rural Payments service downtime extended by 2 hours on 29 April

  118. Updated the Rural Payments service downtime

  119. Rural Payments downtime for Monday 20 April amended to 8pm to 10pm

  120. Rural Payments service downtime updated

  121. The Rural Payments service will be unavailable due to maintenance on Wednesday 15 April Between 6pm and 9pm.

  122. System downtime added for this week

  123. Rural Payments service can now be used to view land parcel map and information for a date in the past

  124. Downtime for the Rural Payments service amended.

  125. Rural Payments service downtime updated.

  126. Rural Payments service downtime updated

  127. Downtime removed as it has now passed

  128. Rural Payments service downtime updated

  129. Update to the Rural Payments service downtime

  130. First published.

Contents