Guidance
Compensation scheme for Group Litigation Order case postmasters
Information and outline of the compensation scheme for postmasters in the Group Litigation Order.
Change of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-scheme-for-group-litigation-order-case-postmasters
Change description : 2025-10-09 10:00:00: New information added about DBT’s full and fair statement and about DBT’s best offer principle. [Guidance and regulation]
Showing diff : 2025-09-15 14:25:10.075111813 +00:00..2025-10-09 09:02:56.349204677 +00:00
Information and outline of the compensation scheme for postmasters in the Group Litigation Order.
On 10 February 2023, the Department for Business and Trade opened registration for the GLO Compensation Scheme. Claimants’ legal advisors are invited to fill out the Registration Form available here and return it to glocompensation@businessandtrade.gov.uk as soon as possible.
The GLO Compensation Scheme is now open to applications. Claimants’ legal advisors are invited to upload claims onto the Dentons Direct platform. We have published supporting documentation including guidance, principles and a Q&A with more details on the scheme.
If you are a GLO claimant and are not currently legally represented, you are urged to engage lawyers now.
Three firms of lawyers – Freeths, Howe & Co and Hudgells Solicitors – have agreed not to make any charges to claimants for work on this scheme: they will be paid by government at rates which we have agreed with them, which are set out in the Tariff of reasonable costs available on this page. Other firms can access the same rates.
You should not engage any firm which asks you for money now or later, or which offers a ‘no-win, no-fee’, conditional fee or litigation funding agreement.
If you do choose to represent yourself you will receive a link to the Dentons Direct platform to upload your claim. A postal address is available if you do not have access to the internet.
In 2019 a number of postmasters who had taken the first legal action against the Post Office over Horizon received £43 million plus legal costs in a settlement.
However, much of this money was swallowed up by the associated costs of funding their case, and they were ineligible for the Historical Shortfall Scheme (HSS) that was subsequently set up to compensate other affected postmasters.
As a result the government confirmed in March 2022 that it would create a new scheme to ensure the GLO group has access to similar levels of compensation to their non-GLO peers.
In September 2022, the Minister for Small Business asked the GLO postmasters for their views on the options for delivering additional compensation: we have published a summary of their responses.
In December 2022, the Secretary of State for Business announced the intended process for compensating GLO postmasters.
The independent advisory board oversees the scheme. It has no role in individual cases, but monitors the overall progress of the scheme, ensuring that the process is working well and identifying any blockages.
Full and fair financial redress is the central goal of the scheme. Its key overarching principle and decisions will be taken in light of this and legal principles. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published a statement on what full and fair redress means.
DBT will honour the best offer you receive on the scheme. This means for each head of loss assessed by panel, if any assessment is lower than the value of the offer you previously received from DBT, you can revert back to the higher offer.
There will be an informal process, used only in limited circumstances, where DBT can ask the panel for clarification before making its offer. This will only be used where DBT believes an award has been made for which it does not have funding powers for. For example, where DBT believes there has been a calculation error, an award which constitutes double recovery or is outside the scope of the scheme.
New information added about DBT's full and fair statement and about DBT's best offer principle.
'Terms of reference of the GLO scheme independent panel' HTML document updated to reflect that claimants are able to give oral submissions at panel hearings in line with the recommendation from the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and that provision is made to allow delayed issuance of panel’s initial view on heads of loss, pending receipt of further information requested from parties, where it is deemed that this would result in a fairer outcome. The order of paragraphs also now better reflect the chronology of the panel process. PDF version of the 'Terms of reference of the GLO scheme independent panel' document has been removed.
'GLO compensation scheme guidance and principles' document updated: references to Kevan Jones MP have changed to Lord Beamish; references to the Historic Shortfall Scheme have changed to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme; the eligibility criteria regarding non-Horizon related convictions has been updated.
Tariff of reasonable legal costs updated. This reflects adjustments to the legal fees that are available to law firms representing claimants of the scheme.
In 'Department for Business and Trade: Privacy notice relating to the group litigation order compensation scheme', the section 'How we share your personal data' has been updated to include Ipsos as an organisation that we share data with. The purpose for sharing, previously defined as 'assurance', has been amended to 'assurance and evaluation'.
Clare Bailey added as retail expert to independent panel in questions and answers document.
Information added to privacy notice informing users that 'DBT will also share claim documentation with the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)'.
Deletion of GLO compensation scheme timeline document (PDF and HTML) from the page. The paper reflected the previous legal base for the scheme, which would have prevented the Departments from making any payments after 7 August 2024. The recent passage of the Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Act 2024 means that this arbitrary deadline has been removed and so the paper is no longer valid, although the Department’s aim remains the delivery of compensation by August 2024.
Addition of 'Letter from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to GLO Postmasters, 6 February 2024' to the page.
Information on the 'Fixed Sum Offer' added to the 'questions and answers' document.
Terms of reference for the GLO independent reviewer, and for the independent panel have both been published, along with the GLO compensation scheme timeline. The guidance and principles document has been updated, and the Q&A section has been updated.
Additions to 'How we share your personal data' and 'Retention of personal data' sections of the privacy notice, including that DBT will keep related personal data on file for up to 7 years following application settlement.
Department for Business and Trade: Privacy notice relating to the group litigation order compensation scheme has been updated.
The GLO Compensation Scheme is now open to applications. We have published the application form, guidance and principles, a Q&A and a letter to GLO members.
Added scheme privacy notice, Registration Form and Costs Tariff.
First published.
2025-10-09 10:00
New information added about DBT’s full and fair statement and about DBT’s best offer principle.
2025-09-15 15:25
‘Terms of reference of the GLO scheme independent panel’ HTML document updated to reflect that claimants are able to give oral submissions at panel hearings in line with the recommendation from the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and that provision is made to allow delayed issuance of panel’s initial view on heads of loss, pending receipt of further information requested from parties, where it is deemed that this would result in a fairer outcome. The order of paragraphs also now better reflect the chronology of the panel process. PDF version of the ‘Terms of reference of the GLO scheme independent panel’ document has been removed.
2025-01-10 11:22
‘GLO compensation scheme guidance and principles’ document updated: references to Kevan Jones MP have changed to Lord Beamish; references to the Historic Shortfall Scheme have changed to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme; the eligibility criteria regarding non-Horizon related convictions has been updated.
2024-12-30 14:42
Tariff of reasonable legal costs updated. This reflects adjustments to the legal fees that are available to law firms representing claimants of the scheme.
2024-06-07 09:14
In ‘Department for Business and Trade: Privacy notice relating to the group litigation order compensation scheme’, the section ‘How we share your personal data’ has been updated to include Ipsos as an organisation that we share data with. The purpose for sharing, previously defined as ‘assurance’, has been amended to ‘assurance and evaluation’.
2024-04-05 15:53
Clare Bailey added as retail expert to independent panel in questions and answers document.
2024-03-08 09:36
Information added to privacy notice informing users that ‘DBT will also share claim documentation with the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)’.
2024-02-15 16:24
Deletion of GLO compensation scheme timeline document (PDF and HTML) from the page. The paper reflected the previous legal base for the scheme, which would have prevented the Departments from making any payments after 7 August 2024. The recent passage of the Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Act 2024 means that this arbitrary deadline has been removed and so the paper is no longer valid, although the Department’s aim remains the delivery of compensation by August 2024.
2024-02-07 17:10
Addition of ‘Letter from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to GLO Postmasters, 6 February 2024’ to the page.
2024-01-26 14:57
Information on the ‘Fixed Sum Offer’ added to the ‘questions and answers’ document.
2023-11-29 14:05
Terms of reference for the GLO independent reviewer, and for the independent panel have both been published, along with the GLO compensation scheme timeline. The guidance and principles document has been updated, and the Q&A section has been updated.
2023-10-20 09:35
Additions to ‘How we share your personal data’ and ‘Retention of personal data’ sections of the privacy notice, including that DBT will keep related personal data on file for up to 7 years following application settlement.
2023-08-30 16:05
Department for Business and Trade: Privacy notice relating to the group litigation order compensation scheme has been updated.
2023-03-23 09:15
The GLO Compensation Scheme is now open to applications. We have published the application form, guidance and principles, a Q&A and a letter to GLO members.
2023-02-10 14:41
Added scheme privacy notice, Registration Form and Costs Tariff.
2022-12-07 13:18
First published.