SFI26 payment rates explained, with worked examples
Where to find official SFI26 payment rates, rates for common actions, how a payment is worked out, the £100,000 cap, the 25% rule and when SFI26 pays.
Last checked against gov.uk
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- The AgriSync team
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- 6 minutes
Applies to SFI26 agreements in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own farm schemes.
Short answer
Every SFI26 action has a fixed yearly rate set by Defra. It is paid per hectare, per 100 metres, per plot, per pond, per tonne or per square metre. Your yearly payment is each rate times what you enter, all added up. The most is £100,000 per agreement year. It is paid every 3 months, usually over 3 years.
Where are the official SFI26 payment rates?
The official rates are in two places on GOV.UK. Each action's page in the SFI26 actions (print version) (opens in a new tab) has a "How much you'll be paid" section. Annex A of the SFI26 scheme rules (opens in a new tab) lists all 71 actions with their codes and yearly payment. You can also search for any action in the Find funding for land or farms (opens in a new tab) tool.
We copied the rates below from Annex A. We checked them against each action's own page on 25 October 2026. If a rate here is ever different from GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right.
What do the most common SFI26 actions pay?
These are yearly rates for some of the actions farmers ask about most. Each action has its own rules on who can do it. So first check the action fits your land.
| Group | Code | Action | Rate per year | Roughly, per acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil health | CSAM2 | Multi-species winter cover crop | £129 per hectare | about £52 per acre |
| Soil health | SOH3 | Multi-species summer-sown cover crop | £163 per hectare | about £66 per acre |
| Soil health | SOH1 | No-till farming | £73 per hectare | about £30 per acre |
| Soil health | CSAM3 | Herbal leys | £224 per hectare | about £91 per acre |
| Nutrient management | CNUM3 | Legume fallow | £532 per hectare | about £215 per acre |
| Nutrient management | CNUM2 | Legumes on improved grassland | £102 per hectare | about £41 per acre |
| Precision farming | PRF1 | Variable rate application of nutrients | £27 per hectare | about £11 per acre |
| Integrated pest management | CIPM2 | Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips | £798 per hectare | about £323 per acre |
| Integrated pest management | CIPM4 | No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops | £45 per hectare | about £18 per acre |
| Farmland wildlife (arable) | CAHL1 | Pollen and nectar flower mix | £739 per hectare | about £299 per acre |
| Farmland wildlife (arable) | CAHL2 | Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land | £648 per hectare | about £262 per acre |
| Farmland wildlife (arable) | AHW4 | Skylark plots | £11 per plot (minimum 2 plots) | – |
| Farmland wildlife (grassland) | CLIG3 | Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs | £151 per hectare | about £61 per acre |
| Buffer strips | CAHL4 | 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land | £515 per hectare | about £208 per acre |
| Boundary features | CHRW2 | Manage hedgerows | £13 per 100m for one side | – |
| Boundary features | BND1 | Maintain dry stone walls | £27 per 100m for both sides | – |
| Waterbodies | WBD1 | Manage ponds | £257 per pond (maximum of 3 ponds per hectare) | – |
| Heritage | HEF1 | Maintain weatherproof traditional farm or forestry buildings | £5 per square metre | – |
This is a selection, not the full list. For arable and grassland farms, see SFI26 actions for arable farms and SFI26 actions for grassland and livestock farms. For hedges and margins, see hedgerows and buffer strips in SFI26.
How is an SFI26 payment worked out?
The scheme rules (section 11.2) (opens in a new tab) say your total annual payment "is based on what you've entered into your selected SFI actions (in hectares, metres or the number of features (such as ponds), as relevant)". So for each action, multiply its rate by the amount you enter. Then add the actions together.
| Action | What is entered | Sum | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSAM2 winter cover crop | 12 hectares | 12 × £129 | £1,548 |
| CAHL1 pollen and nectar flower mix | 1.5 hectares | 1.5 × £739 | £1,108.50 |
| CHRW2 manage hedgerows | 2,400 metres, one side | 24 × £13 | £312 |
| AHW4 skylark plots | 10 plots | 10 × £11 | £110 |
| Total | £3,078.50 |
Some actions say exactly how to work out the area. Take buffer strips such as CAHL4. The action page says to measure the length of the strip in metres. Multiply by its width, then divide by 10,000 to get hectares. You are only paid for up to 12 metres of width (SFI26 actions (opens in a new tab)).
What limits apply to SFI26 payments?
- £100,000 per agreement year. Each farm business, known by its SBI (farm business number), can apply for up to £100,000 per agreement year. The application service will not let you send more (sections 2.2 and 8.2 (opens in a new tab)).
- One SFI26 agreement per SBI, across both application windows (section 2.2 (opens in a new tab)).
- The 25% limited-area rule. Some actions, such as CAHL1, CAHL2 and CIPM2, can only go on up to 25% of your farm's agricultural area. This counts all your SFI agreements and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) agreements from 2025 onwards (section 4.5 (opens in a new tab)). Defra publishes a limited area actions calculator (opens in a new tab) to help.
- Rotational actions can't grow after year 1. The area you enter in the first year is the maximum for that action for the rest of the agreement (section 4.3.1 (opens in a new tab)).
- No management payment. Earlier offers paid an SFI management payment. SFI26 does not (section 11.2 (opens in a new tab)).
- Supplements need a base action. Extra (supplemental) actions, such as GRH7 haymaking, need a base action in the same application (section 4.6 (opens in a new tab)).
When are SFI26 payments made?
Your yearly payment comes in 4 parts, every 3 months, straight to your bank (by BACS). You do not have to claim them. The first part usually comes around the middle of the fourth month after your agreement starts. It may be later (section 11.1 (opens in a new tab)).
Each year you must send an annual declaration (a yearly check-in) before the fourth payment. The RPA sets the due date in the last 2 months of the agreement year. Do you have rotational actions? Then also send a rotational actions declaration near the end of years 1 and 2. If you don't, you won't be paid for the next year (sections 4.3.2 and 12.1 (opens in a new tab)).
Can an app estimate my SFI26 payments?
Yes, as a rough guide. An app can multiply the published rates by your field areas. But it can't know the exact areas the RPA will accept. It can't know how your land cover and land use codes line up. And it can't know which actions you can put together on the same land. Use any estimate as a starting point to talk through with your adviser.
Common questions
Are SFI26 rates paid per year or for the whole agreement?
Per year. Annex A of the scheme rules lists each action's yearly payment. Most SFI26 actions last 3 years, so you are paid the rate for each year of the action.
Is the £100,000 cap per farm or per field?
Per SFI26 agreement. Each farm business (SBI) can only have one SFI26 agreement. The cap is £100,000 per agreement year.
Do I get paid for my soil, nutrient or IPM plan in SFI26?
No. The plan actions from SFI 2024 are not in the SFI26 actions list. SFI26 also has no management payment.
Can I still apply for SFI26 to get these rates?
No. SFI26 is closed for applications. Defra plans an SFI offer in 2027 but has not published its actions or rates yet.
Sources
Every source was checked on 25 October 2026. If something has changed, tell us at info@agrisync.co.uk.
- 1.SFI26: scheme rules and guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UKv4.0, August 2026 (page updated 23 September 2026)
- 2.SFI26 actions (print version) (opens in a new tab), GOV.UKv2.0, June 2026 (page updated 23 September 2026)
- 3.Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26) (opens in a new tab), GOV.UKPublished 6 May 2026, last updated 23 September 2026
- 4.Find funding for land or farms (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK
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