SFI26 payment calculator
Add up what a Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 agreement would pay a year. Enter the hectares, metres or items for each action and see the total, the £100,000 cap, the 25% limit on area actions, and what the same choices paid under SFI24.
SFI26 payment calculator
SFI26 payment a year
£0
Enter an amount beside the actions you would put in to see what the agreement would pay.
- One SFI26 agreement per business, capped at £100,000 a year, with no management payment.
- Window 2 closed on its opening day, 22 September 2026. Defra plans the next round for 2027, and rates can change before then.
- On let land, the tenant usually holds the agreement: check the tenancy allows the actions, and that both sides agree.
Keep agreements against the land.
TenantTool maps every field from the RPA, so each SFI agreement, tenancy and licence sits on the land it covers, with its start and end dates tracked.
See how it worksAn estimate from the SFI26 rates Defra published on 24 February 2026, for England. Eligibility, land types and each action’s rules decide what you can actually enter, so check Defra’s action guidance and the Rural Payments service before you apply. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
- Window 2 budget
£0m
gone on 22 September 2026
- Cap per agreement
£0k
a year, one per business
- Actions
0
down from 102 in SFI24
- Next round
Not yet
Defra plans one for 2027
Sources: Defra, SFI26 details, definitions and what to expect and SFI26 Window 2.
How it works
01
SFI26 in brief
SFI26 is the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive. It pays farmers each year for actions that benefit the environment, from hedgerow management and cover crops to buffer strips and moorland grazing. It has 71 actions, down from 102 in SFI24, and drops the management payment for new agreements.
Window 1 opened in June 2026 for small farms and those without an existing agreement. Window 2 opened to everyone on 22 September 2026 with a budget of £233 million, and closed the same day once the money was allocated. Defra plans to offer SFI again in 2027.
02
The rules the calculator checks
- An agreement can be worth no more than £100,000 a year, and each business can have only one
- You need at least 3 hectares of agricultural land to apply
- Ten actions share a limit: together they can cover no more than 25% of the farm’s agricultural area. Legume fallow is not one of them
- Per 100 metre actions, such as hedgerows and dry stone walls, are entered in metres
03
Rates that changed
Some SFI26 rates for new agreements are lower than in SFI24, and the moorland actions pay more. Existing SFI23 and SFI24 agreements keep their old rates.
- Herbal leys: £224 a hectare, down from £382
- Winter bird food: £648 a hectare, down from £853
- Legume fallow: £532 a hectare, down from £593
- Low livestock grazing on moorland: £89 a hectare, up from £53
- Shepherding with stock off for 8 months: £102 a hectare, up from £48
04
SFI on let land
On tenanted land the tenant usually holds the agreement, because they manage the land. The actions must fit the tenancy agreement and its term, and some, like taking land out of production, need the landlord’s agreement. Landlords and tenants increasingly agree how SFI fits with the tenancy before an application goes in.
Common questions.
- How much does SFI26 pay?
- It depends on the actions. Rates run from £4 per 100 metres for managing ditches to £1,920 a hectare for organic top fruit. An agreement is capped at £100,000 a year.
- Is SFI26 open?
- Window 2 opened on 22 September 2026 and closed the same day when its £233 million budget was allocated. Defra has said SFI will be offered again in 2027, with dates still to be announced.
- What is the 25% rule in SFI26?
- Ten actions, including pollen and nectar mixes, winter bird food and grassy field corners, can together cover no more than 25% of the farm’s agricultural area.