BPS 2020: Get your claim in now, or check what you've already submitted

He writes:

15 June is the (revised) deadline to get your 2020 BPS claim in to the RPA to avoid a late application penalty and it is fast approaching.

I would urge you to get your BPS claim submitted as soon as possible if you have not done so to date. This will benefit both you and other claimants as the simple fact is it gives the RPA more time to process your claim this year ahead of the payment window opening in December. To me it is a no brainer.

If you have not submitted a claim and need help there are three ways the NFU can help you:

NFU CallFirst advisers are available on 0370 845 8458
If you are claiming online, please have a look at our recent BPS 2020 webinar, which can be watched back in full, as well as get a summary of the questions and answers that were covered to help you with an online claim
Finally, there is a host of information available at the BPS pages on NFUonline, including a guide to the application information available, policy changes and the relaxation of the crop diversification rules among other things.

Also, do have a look at the RPA information that is available to help you on the Gov.uk website at:

Already applied for BPS 2020? Do one final check.

If you have submitted your claim, that is good to hear, but have you carried out that one final check? Or have you clarified any information on the application form, or what you need to submit? It is now critical to do this. Sadly each year we come across cases where a little more care when the application was being put together would have avoided adverse financial impact later on, be that a lower or a late payment.

There is still time to get things right and amend the claim without penalty. Here are some points to consider:

Rules. Was there anything you did not understand that you want to double check before it is too late? Did you understand your EFA greening requirements, what to claim on etc.?
Does your copy of the application submitted show correctly what you want to claim on? Double check your BPS claim PDF summary and the areas shown in column C8 of the field data sheet and the summary total. Is this what you expected? Equally, for commons or EFA, check the options you have applied for and the EFA summary. Again, is this what you expected to see?
Has the RPA got your online claim? In terms of receipts, for online claims there are four ways to see a claim has been successfully submitted. Immediately after submission an online notification should have appeared, as well as the status of claim showing as ‘submitted’ with time and date. There will also be a message in the messages tab that shows it is submitted. Finally, after submitting the claim, you should have generated and downloaded a final PDF of your application. This will show the document as being submitted and with the time and date showing. That copy should show the correct entries.
Supporting documents. Did you send to the RPA what was required and in the right way? E.g. RLE1 forms covering mapping changes etc. Have a look at the RPA's guidance information here.
Copies of documents. Have you really got a ‘carbon copy’ of everything sent in case the RPA seeks clarification on an element of the claim made? (For BPS claims that is a hard copy/copy saved on a PC showing time and date of submission.)
Posted information. If you have posted documents, follow the RPA guidance on what receipts should be received. Chase the RPA if they do not arrive.
Keeping the claim under review. BPS is not just about April to June, so keep your claim under review. I will focus on issues under this heading in my next blog!
Amending 2020 applications. If you find you need to make a change to your claim then have a look at our guide on amending your BPS 2020 application.

That’s it for now, watch out for the next instalment soon!

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