Send your RLE1 form to RPA
Find out about posting or emailing your RLE1 form and supporting documents to RPA
Read this section together with updated guidance about using the RLE1 form electronically and submitting it by email, published on the RLE1 form and guidance page on GOV.UK
Post your completed RLE1 form(s), maps and other supporting documents to: Rural Payments Agency, PO Box 352, Worksop, S80 9FG or email it and any supporting documents to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk.
If you are sending an electronic RLE1 form, send it to us as a PDF attached to an email. You must make sure that the email address you’re sending the RLE1 form from is registered in the Rural Payments service and has the correct permission level for the business the RLE1 form relates to.
We’ll only accept electronic RLE1 forms if you return them as a PDF attached to your email. Photos and/or scanned maps if needed, need to also be attached to the same email as separate files. The maximum size of emails that we can accept is 32MB. If the email exceeds this limit, please send a further email and use the same subject heading. Add the number of emails at the end of the subject heading, for example, 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3. For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media.
Send your electronically completed RLE1 form and any supporting documents by email to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk. We do not need a written signature. Fill in the signature box electronically by typing your name. You must have the correct permission level to submit the RLE1 form. See the ‘Permissions’ table in this guide for information about correct permission levels.
To request a change to your digital maps, put ‘RLE1 Land Change’ and your SBI in the email subject heading.
To request entitlement transfers, put ‘RLE1 Entitlements’ and your SBI in the email subject heading.
If you are requesting a change to your digital maps and entitlement transfers, put ‘RLE1 Entitlements/Land Change’ and your SBI in the email subject heading - without the correct wording, your request may be delayed.
To transfer BPS entitlements or land for a specific scheme year, we need to receive your RLE1 form by midnight on the application deadline. Read the rules for the scheme(s) you’re applying for to check when the application deadline is.
When you post your RLE1 form to us, please make sure you pay the right postage for the size and weight of your envelope -– Royal Mail may return letters without enough postage, or it may take longer. The envelope may need more stamps than the usual first or second class delivery charge, especially if you are including supporting documents.
When we’ve received your RLE1 form we’ll send you an acknowledgement card which you should keep as proof of receipt .
Only the person who signed the RLE1 form can change or withdraw it. They can do this up to the day before the ‘effective date’.
If we have already rejected your RLE1 form because it was not valid, you cannot change or withdraw it. You may choose to fill in and send a new RLE1 form to us.
Call our helpline on 03000 200 301, or email ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or write to us at the above address.
We will contact only the farmer or business making the change to confirm that we have accepted their request.
We carry out a basic check on any RLE1 forms you send to us, as follows:
Part A General details
- Is there a 9 digit SBI present?
Part F Your declaration and responsibilities
- Have any of the declarations or responsibilities been amended in any way?
- Has the form been signed (either a written signature or by filling in the signature box electronically) and a name entered on the form?
We will reject an RLE1 form and return it with a letter if part A and F are not completed correctly, or part F has been amended in any way.
If we require further information on sections B, C and D, we will contact you and request this information. You should send us this information as soon as you can because we cannot process your RLE1 form without it, and this could affect your BPS or Countryside Stewardship applications, claims and payments.