Rural Payments and Services

Rural Payments and Services is delivered by the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID), with delivery partners. RPID is the accredited paying agency in Scotland.

We have around 380 staff in 17 area offices throughout Scotland providing a range of services – some in the office covering administration and developing policy, others out in the field updating maps or conducting inspections.

Our key responsibilities are:

• payment of scheme grants and subsidies, including Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) and Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS)
• inspection of agricultural land and livestock to ensure compliance with regulations

Our online service:

• is straightforward and more efficient
• allows you to access your most up-to-date land information
• reduces the risk of you making application errors and incurring penalties

We will continue to deliver improvements to our online services.

In 2024, over 99.9% of Single Application Forms were submitted online through Rural Payments and Services. If you are going online for the first time, but are unsure how to get started or have a limited access to the internet, we can help and discuss what further support is available.

• we have public-use computers available at all area offices that can be used by you free-of-charge to log-in to Rural Payments and Services to complete applications, update your personal details, manage a business or view map information. Customers can book an appointment either online using the link below or by phoning their local Area Office.
• our appointment-booking service allows you to schedule an appointment with a member of our team. This time can be used to help you learn about Rural Payments and Services or talk about any other issue relating to your business or applications.

Contact your local area office for support with your application