Guide
SFI26 Window 1 and Window 2: dates, eligibility and budgets
Updated
SFI26 is being let out in two goes. Which one you are in is decided by two facts about your business on 1 January 2026, and nothing you do now changes them.
The two windows
| Window 1 | Window 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Opened | 30 June 2026 | September 2026, date to be confirmed |
| Who | Small farms, and farms with no live ELM revenue agreement on 1 Jan 2026 | All farmers and land managers |
| Closes | No later than 11:59pm on 28 August 2026 | No fixed date, depends on demand |
| Budget | £60 million | £180 million, plus anything left from Window 1 |
The Window 1 closing date comes from Defra's own update of 5 August 2026: This means Window 1 will close no later than 11:59pm on 28 August 2026
(Defra Farming Blog). It can close earlier if the budget goes first, so the date is a backstop, not a plan.
Who gets into Window 1
All of the following had to be true, per the Get ready to apply guidance:
- The business was registered with the RPA, so it had an SBI, by 1 January 2026, with some agricultural land linked to it on that date.
- It qualifies as either a small farm (up to 50ha of agricultural land registered and linked to the SBI on 1 January 2026) or a farm that did not have a live, RPA-administered ELM revenue agreement on 1 January 2026. One of the two is enough.
- It has at least 3ha of agricultural land linked to the SBI at the point of applying.
An ELM revenue agreement for this purpose means SFI, Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (old or new, including woodland-only and mixed) or Higher Level Stewardship. Standalone capital grants, private sector schemes and Landscape Recovery are expressly not counted.
The limits that apply to both windows
- One SFI26 agreement per SBI, across Windows 1 and 2 together.
- A maximum agreement value of £100,000 per agreement year.
- You can still apply for SFI26 if you hold an existing SFI24 or SFI23 agreement: those limits are for SFI26 only.
Fix the maps before the window, not during it
Defra's own first instruction is to check your digital maps, and warns that If your maps are not up to date, it may prevent you from applying for SFI26
. Your maps need to show at least 3ha of agricultural land, every parcel you want in the application, the correct total area for each parcel and the correct land cover for each. Registered hedgerow lengths are not used in the SFI application, so you do not need to check those. Also check your registered contact details and that you (or your agent) hold one of the permissions that lets you submit: Business Details Full, BPS Submit, or CS Applications Submit.
If you are in Window 2 and hold an ELM revenue agreement that expires by the end of February 2027, Defra has added a 'starting an application early' feature so you can begin an SFI26 application covering land still in that agreement. It takes effect when Window 2 opens and is being tested with a small number of farmers first. Read section 3.8 of the SFI26 scheme rules and guidance before you rely on it.