You check the gov.uk page on Monday. You check it again on Thursday. There is no exact opening date for SFI 2026 Window 1. DEFRA has said June. That is it. No day. No time. No countdown.
For a scheme that is expected to close early if demand outpaces budget, that ambiguity matters. Farmers under 50 hectares and those without an existing Environmental Land Management agreement are the priority cohort for Window 1. If you fall into that group, the difference between applying on day one and applying a fortnight in could be the difference between an agreement and a "come back in September".
Here is the current state of confirmed information, what is still missing, and where we think the planning effort is best spent right now.
What DEFRA has actually confirmed
As of mid-May 2026, this is the published position:
Window 1 opens "in June 2026". It will run for approximately two months. It is prioritised for farms with up to 50 hectares of agricultural land registered to a Single Business Identifier on 1 January 2026, or farms without an existing ELM revenue agreement. Window 1 may close before the two months are up if the budget allocates faster than expected.
Window 2 opens in September 2026. It widens to all eligible applicants.
The full SFI 2026 scheme information, including final terms, scheme rules and the complete list of 71 actions with their payment rates, is due to be published before Window 1 opens.
That is the scope of what is firm. The exact calendar date for Window 1, the exact time of day applications go live, and the final budget allocation for the window are not yet public.
What is still unclear
A few specifics matter for planning and remain unanswered:
The precise opening day. "June" covers thirty possibilities.
The early-close trigger. DEFRA has said Window 1 may close if budget allocates. Whether that means a hard cut-off or a tapered slowdown is not spelt out.
Final payment rates. Headline figures are confirmed for many actions, but some rates are still being finalised. Moorland grazing and shepherding rates have risen. Herbal leys, winter bird food and legume fallow rates have fallen.
How transition cases will be handled. Farms with SFI24 agreements considering moving to SFI26, and CS Mid Tier holders with extensions to 31 December 2026, are waiting for clearer guidance on how the schemes interact.
| What is confirmed | What is not |
|---|---|
| Window 1 opens June 2026 | Exact calendar date in June |
| Window 1 runs about 2 months | Whether budget closes it early |
| 71 actions in SFI26 | Final payment rates on all actions |
| £100,000 cap per agreement per year | How some action combinations stack within the cap |
| 3-year agreement length | End-of-agreement transition rules |
| Window 2 opens September 2026 | Whether Window 2 budget depends on Window 1 uptake |
Our take: plan to apply in week one of June
Without a published day, the only safe assumption is that Window 1 could open at the start of June. Anything later is a bonus, not a guarantee.
That has three practical implications.
First, your maps and Rural Payments service data need to be correct by the end of May. If you submit an RLE1 in the first week of June, you are unlikely to see it processed before a competitive application window closes.
Second, your action shortlist should be drafted now against the published 71-action list, even though some payment rates may shift. A shortlist that survives a 10 to 15 percent rate move in either direction is robust enough to commit to. A shortlist built around one headline action that has yet to be confirmed is fragile.
Third, your evidence baseline starts now. SFI 2026 agreements are three years, not five. There is no buffer year. The photos, dates and field records you take in June and July of year one are the evidence base you will rely on right through to 2029.
People Also Ask
Has the exact SFI 2026 opening date been announced? No. As of mid-May 2026, DEFRA has confirmed Window 1 opens in June 2026 and will run for approximately two months. No specific calendar date has been published. Our take: plan as if it opens in the first week of June.
Who can apply in SFI 2026 Window 1? Farms with up to 50 hectares of agricultural land registered to a Single Business Identifier as of 1 January 2026, and farms of any size that do not hold an existing Environmental Land Management revenue agreement. Larger farms with no ELM agreement still fall inside Window 1 eligibility.
When does SFI 2026 Window 2 open? September 2026. Window 2 is open to a wider pool of applicants. The exact September date has not yet been confirmed either.
Can Window 1 close early? Yes. DEFRA has stated Window 1 may close before the two-month period is up if the budget is fully allocated. Our take: treat the two-month window as a maximum, not a default.
Is SFI 2026 the same as SFI 2024? No. SFI26 has 71 actions instead of 102. Agreements are capped at £100,000 per year and last three years instead of five. The £50 per hectare management payment has been removed. Some action payment rates have changed.
Do I need to update my farm maps before applying? Yes. Mapping mismatches in the Rural Payments service are the most common reason farmers cannot select the actions they intend to. Submit any RLE1 changes by the end of May 2026 to give DEFRA time to process.
What evidence do I need for SFI 2026 actions? Evidence varies by action but generally includes dated photographs, field records, input records where relevant, and a clear map view of which parcel holds which action in each agreement year.
Can I hold both Countryside Stewardship and SFI? You cannot duplicate the same action on the same parcel under two schemes. CS Mid Tier has been extended to 31 December 2026, so many farms are weighing whether to extend, exit, or move to SFI26. Our take: model both before deciding.
What we still don't know, summarised
The exact opening day of Window 1. The final payment rates on every action. The precise interaction rules between SFI26 and active CS Mid Tier agreements. Whether Window 2 budget will be sensitive to Window 1 demand.
If any of these change materially in the next two weeks we will update this page.
What to do this month
Treat the next two weeks as preparation, not planning. Get into the Rural Payments service. Reconcile every parcel. Submit any RLE1 by the end of May. Draft a shortlist of five to ten actions you would commit to even if the rates moved 10 percent. Start building dated photos and field notes for those parcels now, so your evidence file has a real baseline by the time agreements begin.
A platform like JustFarm is built for exactly this stage. It pulls your parcels into one map, lets you draft and compare action plans against the published SFI26 list, and gives you a single place to store the photos, notes and records that count as evidence. The Basic plan is free and is enough for many farms preparing for Window 1. The SFI tools and the Planner add-on sit alongside Pro for farms running multiple scenarios.
The system is complex. The dates are still partly missing. Preparation is the part you can control. SFI 2026 rewards prepared farms, and good evidence is built over time, not in the week before an inspection.
If you want to see how it fits, create a free account or view pricing to compare plans.
