Grant rates
Grant rates
Grant support is provided as a percentage of eligible costs. The following grant rates are available:
- Standard rate: 50%
- New entrant rate: 80%
- Highlands and Islands rate: 60%
- Targeted environmental rate: 100%
Grant rates do not combine. Where more than one rate could apply, the highest applicable rate will be used.
The grant rate that applies to each investment will be calculated automatically using the information provided in your application and information held by Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division (SGRPID).
New Entrant Businesses
For the purposes of Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), a new entrant business is a business that first submitted a Single Application Form (SAF) in 2021 or later.
New entrant status is determined using the Business Reference Number (BRN) and the date the business first submitted a SAF to SGRPID.
New entrant status applies to the business, not to individual business members, shareholders, partners or employees.
A business will not qualify as a new entrant solely because:
- a new individual has joined an existing business;
- there has been a change in business membership or shareholding; or
- management or control of an existing business has changed.
New entrant status will be verified using SGRPID business records held at the point of application.
Highlands and Islands Businesses
A business qualifies for the Highlands and Islands grant rate if the parish code in its Main Location Code is listed at Annex A.
Eligibility is determined using the Main Location Code recorded on SGRPID business records at the point of application.
A Main Location Code is formatted as: 12/123/1234
The middle three-digit number is the parish code.
The application system will use your Main Location Code to determine whether your business qualifies for the Highlands and Islands grant rate.
Where your business also qualifies as a new entrant business, the 80% new entrant rate will apply instead of the 60% Highlands and Islands rate.
Where an investment qualifies for the 100% targeted environmental rate, that rate will apply instead of the new entrant, Highlands and Islands or standard rate.
The full list of eligible Highlands and Islands parish codes is provided at Annex A.
Verification of grant rates
The grant rate applied to each investment will be calculated automatically and verified by SGRPID as part of the assessment process.
If the information provided in your application is not supported by SGRPID records, the correct grant rate will be applied.
Important: Grant rates and grant amounts are not used to calculate your Application Score and do not affect your ranking. They are used to calculate the grant available for each eligible investment and the Total Grant Value of your application.
How your grant is calculated
For each investment you select, you must enter:
- the total quantity you are applying for; and
- the total cost for that quantity.
The Capital Investment Guide sets out whether a Maximum Cost or Standard Cost applies and any maximum quantity that can be applied for.
You do not need to provide quotations when you apply.
Maximum Cost investments
For a Maximum Cost investment, enter the expected eligible cost for the total quantity you are applying for.
Do not include costs that are listed within the ineligible costs section of the guidance.
The eligible cost used to calculate your grant will be the lower of:
- the cost entered in your application; and
- the applicable Maximum Cost published in the Capital Investment Guide.
Where the Maximum Cost is published per unit, the applicable Maximum Cost will be calculated using the eligible quantity.
The applicable grant rate will then be applied to the eligible cost.
Standard Cost investments
For a Standard Cost investment, enter the cost calculated as:
- quantity × published Standard Cost
For example, if you apply for 200 metres and the published Standard Cost is £5 per metre, you should enter a quantity of 200 and a cost of £1,000.
The eligible cost will be calculated using the eligible quantity multiplied by the published Standard Cost, subject to any maximum quantity set out in the Capital Investment Guide.
The applicable grant rate will then be applied to the eligible cost.
You do not need to provide invoices or proof of payment for Standard Cost investments.
Maximum grant
The maximum grant available is £20,000 per Business Reference Number (BRN), regardless of the number or value of investments included in your application.
SGRPID will check the quantities, costs and other information used to calculate your grant as part of the assessment process. Where necessary, these will be adjusted to apply the published scheme rules.
If a Maximum Cost investment is completed in full but its verified eligible cost is lower than the amount used to calculate the grant, the difference will be recovered. This will not cause the Application Score to be recalculated or the application to be reranked after an Offer of Grant has been made.