Banner graphic promoting the Return to School Grant 2026, announcing that Applications are closed.
Mobile banner graphic for the Return to School Grant 2026 stating that applications are now closed.

After reaching the allocated number of available grants, the Return to School application process is now closed.

If you applied and had a Unique Identifying Number issued, rest assured that our team is working hard to process your application.

If you need urgent assistance or if your family is in need of support, please call our 24-hour helpline on 0800 188 4444. A member of the team will then be in touch to discuss your specific support needs.

After reaching the allocated number of available grants, the Return to School application process is now closed.

If you applied and had a Unique Identifying Number issued, rest assured that our team is working hard to process your application.

If you need urgent assistance or if your family is in need of support, please call our 24-hour helpline on 0800 188 4444. A member of the team will then be in touch to discuss your specific support needs.

Waiting to hear about your application?

Response Timeline

We aim to respond as quickly as possible. If you’ve received your UIN, your application is safely with us. Please wait until September before checking your status.

Additional information

If we require any additional information from you, please respond as soon as possible. This helps us to process your application. If we haven’t heard from you after 4 weeks, we will cancel your application.

Checking your email

RABI will contact you by email, so please make sure you check your inbox, junk or spam inboxes too. If you find our emails there, we suggest marking them as ‘not spam’.

Staying connected

If you do not have an email address, or we haven’t heard back from you by email on an important matter relating to your application, we will call the telephone number(s) provided in your application.

Waiting to hear about your application?

Response Timeline

We aim to respond as quickly as possible. If you’ve received your UIN, your application is safely with us. Please wait until April before checking your status.

Additional information

If we require any additional information from you, please respond as soon as possible. This helps us to process your application. If we haven’t heard from you after 4 weeks, we will cancel your application.

Checking your email

RABI will contact you by email, so please make sure you check your inbox, junk or spam inboxes too. If you find our emails there, we suggest marking them as ‘not spam’.

Staying connected

If you do not have an email address, or we haven’t heard back from you by email on an important matter relating to your application, we will call the telephone number(s) provided in your application.

Waiting to hear about your application?

Response Timeline

We aim to respond as quickly as possible. If you’ve received your UIN, your application is safely with us. Please wait until April before checking your status.

Additional information

If we require any additional information from you, please respond as soon as possible. This helps us to process your application. If we haven’t heard from you after 4 weeks, we will cancel your application.

Checking your email

RABI will contact you by email, so please make sure you check your inbox, junk or spam inboxes too. If you find our emails there, we suggest marking them as ‘not spam’.

Staying connected

If you do not have an email address, or we haven’t heard back from you by email on an important matter relating to your application, we will call the telephone number(s) provided in your application.

If you have a question…

Please check the FAQs and Terms and Conditions before getting in touch, as many common questions are answered there. This helps the team process applications as quickly as possible.

If your question hasn’t been answered, please email campaigns@rabi.org.uk.

If your query is not related to the Return to School Grant, please call 0800 188 4444. Thank you for your understanding.

Terms and conditions

These Terms and Conditions will set out the basis upon which applicants can apply and qualify for the Return to School Grant (RTS) 2026 provided by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI). This is a capped campaign and once all the grants have been allocated, RABI will close the online application portal.

The grant offer is £200 per school age child (4-16 years old) up to a maximum number of six (6) school age children (4-16 years old) per household or family unit.

The grant is only able to be paid for school aged children where evidence is provided of Child Benefit being claimed for them.

As this grant is available to both working and non-working farming families, you will be asked to answer a set of questions during the online application process to ensure the grant goes to households in need that meet our definition of farming people. The main areas of consideration are as follows:

  1. Applicants must provide key pieces of information:
  • Total number of all children you claim Child Benefit for (not necessarily aged 4–16 years old).
  • The amount of Child Benefit you receive.
  • A copy of a bank statement showing Child Benefit payment received in last two months (this can be a different account to where the grant should be paid).
  • Confirmation of number of school aged children eligible for the grant (4-16 years old).
  1. Applications must be made by the parents or legal guardians of children who will be returning to or starting school from Reception class (age 4) to Year 11 (age 16).
  2. Applicant/or partner must have farmed (or be farming in) and are currently domicile in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to receive the grant.
  3. If currently non-working, applicant/or partner must have farmed for a minimum of 2 years, and farming should have been you/your partner’s main source of employment during that period.
  4. Financial criteria i.e., do you (as a family) have less than £500 disposable income per calendar month after critical living expenses? OR are you in receipt of statutory benefits that indicate a low-income household?
  • Typical critical living expenses, as defined by Joseph Rowntree Calculator, are Rent/Mortgage, Council Tax, Water Rates, Food, Utilities, Insurance, Childcare, Travel Expenses.
  1. Successful applicants are not required to provide evidence of how funds are spent.
  2. Applicants must be able to provide the relevant personal banking details for RTS 2026 payment. Please note the account must be in the applicant’s name singularly. Joint personal accounts will not be accepted. Business accounts will not be accepted.
  3. Successful RTS 2026 applicants will be considered for additional support, offered by RABI, which can be accessed via the RABI 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444.
  4. All applicants agree to permit follow up contact from the RABI support team, where additional support is requested to allow us to discuss services and support that you may be entitled to from RABI.

Applications will be reviewed against the following areas:

  1. All mandatory fields completed on the application form.
  2. All necessary information provided i.e., the number of all children they claim Child Benefit for (not necessarily aged 4-16 years old), the amount of regular Child Benefit payments they receive, a copy of a bank statement that shows the Child Benefit payment dated within the last 2 months and correct banking details input and a confirmation of number of school aged children eligible for the grant (4-16 years old). The grant is only able to be paid for school aged children where evidence is provided of Child Benefit being claimed for them.

Please note: we can only pay this grant into an account that includes the applicant’s name, and it must be a personal bank account. We cannot pay into a joint personal account, or a business account of any type.

  1. Application information meeting the eligibility criteria relevant for the RTS 2026.
  2. Truth declaration completed.
  3. T&Cs agreed to.

All completed applications will be reviewed against the above criteria.

  1. All completed applications will receive an email to confirm we have received your application. This email will contain your unique identifying number (UIN). If you have not received it, check your spam/junk folder regularly. We recommend marking our emails as ‘Not spam’ if you find any there.
  2. A member of the RABI team will be in contact with you to let you know if your application has been successful. We aim to contact you via email by September. Please avoid sending follow-up emails, as this will slow down the process. If we need more information, we’ll contact you directly.
  3. If your application is approved, RABI aim to make payment within 4 weeks of approving your application.
  4. If your application does not meet RABI’s eligibility requirements, you will be advised that your request has been declined.
  5. RABI reserves the right to request additional supporting information where required.
  6. If you do not have an email address, RABI will contact you by telephone.
  7. If the RABI assessment team does not reach agreement on an application, RABI’s Director of Services reserves the right to make the final decision.
  8. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the assessment process, you can lodge a complaint which will be dealt with in accordance with RABI’s complain policy: Complaints policy & procedure – RABI

 

With your consent, RABI may use information provided in your application, in anonymised or pseudonymised form, for research, evaluation and insight purposes. This helps us understand need, improve our services, demonstrate impact, and inform policy and sector-wide learning that benefits the farming community.

Where application data is used for research, it will be anonymised or pseudonymised wherever possible before analysis. This means individuals will not be identifiable in any reports, publications or shared findings.

Research may be carried out by RABI staff or by trusted research partners acting on our behalf and subject to appropriate data protection safeguards.

Your decision to consent or not consent to the use of your data for research purposes will not affect your application, the assessment of eligibility, or the support you receive from RABI.

You may withdraw your consent for the use of your data in research at any time by contacting RABI at campaigns@rabi.org.uk. This will not affect any research already undertaken using anonymised data. Once data has been anonymised and included in analysis, it may not be possible to remove it.

Further information about how we process and protect personal data can be found in our Privacy Policy: Privacy and cookie policy – RABI.

Where applicants separately consent, RABI may also contact them to invite participation in future research or evaluation activities related to our work.

Participation in any future research will be voluntary, and choosing not to take part will not affect any current or future support.

By submitting a completed application form, either online or over the phone, you agree for your personal details to be processed by RABI in accordance with our Privacy Policy: Privacy and cookie policy – RABI

Frequently asked questions

We want to support as many farming people as possible with a contribution towards the cost of their children returning to school. We also want to ensure parity between households and a per child amount, as opposed to a per household amount, allows for that. Four years of data analysis combined with a robust piece of research aimed at understanding how to maximise the positive impact of these cost-of-living campaigns, has resulted in this figure being selected.

There are 4,000 grants available, split across two phases of 2,000 each. This is a capped offer, in terms of budget and the maximum number of school aged children that can be applied for is six (6). Once the first 2,000 grant applications are received, we will temporarily close the online application portal. It will then reopen on Monday 29th June, and close after another 2,000 grant applications are received.

The grant is available to families whose main source of employment comes from farming, including farm workers. If non-working, you/your partner must have farmed for a minimum of 2 years and farming should have been your/your partner’s main source of employment during that period in England, Wales or NI and you are still domicile in one of those areas.

Applicants must be the parent or legal guardian of the school aged children (aged 4 – 16 years) they are applying for and must also be a qualifying farming person or the cohabiting partner of a qualifying farming person. This grant is available to both working and non-working farming people and you will be asked to answer a set of questions during the online application process to ensure the grant goes to households in need. Eligible applicants could then receive £200 per child where it is evidenced that Child Benefit is claimed for them (a maximum 6 children can be applied for per household). The 5 areas you will be evaluated against are as follows:

  1. Do you or your partner/spouse qualify as a working farming person.
  2. If non-working, you/your partner must have farmed for a minimum of 2 years and farming should have been your/your partner’s main source of employment during that period.
  3. Financial criteria i.e., do you have less than £500 disposable income pcm after critical living expenses OR are you in receipt of statutory benefits that indicate a low-income household.
  4. You must have/or currently be farming in England, Wales & NI and if non-working still be living within England, Wales & NI to receive the grant.
  5. You must be currently receiving Child Benefit, and be able to provide the following: Firstly, the total number of all children you claim Child Benefit for (not necessarily aged 4-16 years old). Secondly, the amount of your regular Child Benefit payment. Finally, a copy of a bank statement that shows the Child Benefit payment dated within the last 2 months, showing the Child Benefit payment being received.

Please note: The grant is only able to be paid for school aged children where evidence is provided of Child Benefit being claimed for them.

Unfortunately, only those living in England, Wales of Northern Ireland are eligible for the grant. For direct support in Scotland, please refer to options with RSABI: Financial support for essential items.

You will need to provide following to validate your receipt of Child Benefit:

  • Firstly, the total number of all children you claim Child Benefit for (not necessarily aged 4-16 years old).
  • Secondly, the amount of regular Child Benefit payment you receive.
  • Thirdly, a copy of a bank statement that shows the Child Benefit payment dated within the last 2 months, showing the Child Benefit payment being received (this can be a different account to where the grant should be paid). The bank statement must clearly show your full name and receipt of Child Benefit. This can be downloaded via internet banking and submitted as a PDF document. We cannot accept screenshots from mobile banking apps which do not show your full name.
  • Finally, a confirmation of number of school aged children eligible for the grant (4-16 years old).

Please note: we cannot pay this grant into any account that does not include the applicant’s name, and it must be a personal bank account and not a business account.

If you are in need of advice and support, please call our 24hr helpline on 0800 188 4444 and a member of the team will assist you with you enquiry.

You will receive an acknowledgement email containing a unique identifying number (UIN) and details of the next step in the process when you submit your initial application on the website.

Please check your spam and junk folders, if this has not been delivered to your inbox within four (4) hours.

The quickest way to apply is through our website, but if you are unable to apply in this way, please contact our helpline on 0800 188 4444 and a member of the team will assist you with making an application.

If you are unable to get straight through to a call handler, it is recommended that you leave a voicemail requesting to be called back to submit an application, rather than staying in the queue.

To leave a voicemail, please press 1 once you are placed in the telephone queue. Please then ensure that you have your phone on loud and nearby until you have received the call back. You will receive one call back, and provided that you left a voicemail whilst the campaign was still open, and answer the call back, you are guaranteed to be able to submit an application.

Please note: Staying in the telephone queue does not guarantee you will be able to submit an application as the campaign may close before you are able to speak to a call handler.

The quickest way to apply is through our website, but if you are unable to apply in this way, please contact our helpline on 0800 188 4444 and a member of the team will assist you with making an application.

If your bank details are not accepted by OneID then you can apply by calling our 24hr helpline instead: 0800 188 4444.

If your bank details should be accepted by OneID but you still have difficulty, please look at the video on our website this shows you how to navigate through the process. Your application is likely to be processed quicker if you can make an application via our website, but if you have difficulty doing this a member of the team can assist you. Please call our 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444 to complete an application.

You will receive an application confirmation email containing your unique identifying number (UIN). A member of the RABI team will be in contact with you to let you know if your application has been successful by September. If your application is approved, we will aim to make payment by September.

If your application does not meet our eligibility requirements you will be advised, by email, that your request has been declined.

 

If you have been issued with a unique identifying number (UIN), prior to the campaign closing date, your application will be processed. We ask you to wait until September to contact us before enquiring about your application status.

When the first phase of applications closes, you will see a message advising that the campaign is closed for now, and a countdown for when the next phase will open. When the second phase of applications closes, you will see a webpage advising that the campaign is now closed and no further applications can be made.

If, however, you apply whilst the campaign is still open and there is an error, meaning you did not receive a UIN, please contact please call our 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444 with your query. Or if a member of the RABI team has not contacted you by September to advise of the decision, please call our 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444 with your query quoting your UIN.

Once all the grants have been allocated, we will not be taking additional applications. If you missed the chance to apply and are in need of support, please call our 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444 and a member of the team will be in touch to discuss your support needs.

You can also visit our website for more information www.rabi.org.uk.

Please call our 24hr helpline 0800 188 4444 and a member of the team will be in touch to discuss your support needs. You can also visit our website for more information: www.rabi.org.uk.

Start your application for Phase 1 at 12pm

Know someone who might benefit? Share this page on social media with your farming community.

Know someone who might benefit? Share this page on social media with your farming community.