»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp

You may be able to register for financial redress if you were wrongly convicted of a crime because of the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office. This means you’ll be paid for your losses.

What you’ll get

You could get a fixed total sum of £600,000. This will be made up of a preliminary payment of £200,000, then a second and final payment of £400,000.

You may get a different amount if you choose to have a detailed assessment of your case.Ìý

If you live in the UK, you do not need to pay tax on any payments you get from the HCRS. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy will not impact any benefits you receive.

Eligibility

You’re eligible for the HCRS if you’ve had a conviction quashed (which means it has been overturned) by either the:

You may get a letter telling you your conviction has been quashed from the:

• Ministry of Justice if you’re in England or Wales
• Scottish Government Justice Directorate if you’re in Scotland
• Department for Justice if you’re in Northern Ireland

You can still register if you’ve had your conviction quashed but you’ve not got a letter.

If you have a solicitor

You’ll need to provide your solicitor’s details when you register. If you’ve already registered, you’ll need to share their details with your caseworker.

If you’re not eligible for the HCRS

You may be eligible for the:

• Group Litigation Order (GLO) compensation scheme

​​You’ll be eligible for a scheme if you lost money or were convicted of a crime because of the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office.

Which scheme you’re eligible for depends on your individual circumstances.

Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) online.

Before you start

To register, you’ll need to provide your:  

• ²¹»å»å°ù±ð²õ²õÌý
• email address
• phone number
• solicitor’s details, if you have one
• unique reference number (URN) - you’ll find this on the letter confirming your conviction has been quashed, if you got one

You can still register if you’ve had your conviction quashed but you’ve not got a letter.

If you’re registering for someone else

You’ll need the personal details of the person you’re registering for, as well as your own details.

After registering, you’ll be asked to provide documents to show you have the legal right to register for that person.

Register online

Read the HCRS privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

If you need help

Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the HCRS.

A caseworker will contact you. You’ll be asked to provide documents to prove your identity.

What happens next

Once you’ve proven your identity, you’ll get a preliminary payment of £200,000.

If you were a postmaster, you’ll also get a set of documents related to your employment with the Post Office and the events leading up to your conviction.

If you decide to take the fixed total sum of £600,000, you’ll get a second and final payment of £400,000.Ìý

If you decide to get a detailed assessment, you’ll need to provide evidence of your losses. Your application will then be assessed.

You can read guidance on how detailed claims will be assessed using an assessment framework.

If you live in the UK, you do not need to pay tax on any payments you get from the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS). »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy will not impact any benefits you receive.

You’ll need to prove your identity before you can get any payment from the scheme.Ìý

After you’ve registered, a caseworker will contact you by email and tell you what you need to do next. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy will tell you how to send any ID documents.

If you have a solicitor 

Your solicitor can complete the ID checks for you.Ìý

What your solicitor needs to do  

»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy’ll verify your identity and current address. You’ll need to provide your solicitor with your acceptable ID documents. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy’ll then need to give scanned copies of these documents to your caseworker.Ìý 

Your solicitor will then send your caseworker a legal declaration confirming they’ve verified your identity.Ìý

If you do not have a solicitor

If you do not have a solicitor yet, or do not want one, you can use a countersignatory to confirm your identity and address.Ìý

Who your countersignatory can be 

Your countersignatory must:  

• have known you for at least 2 years  
• be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally)ÌýÌý
• be ‘a person of good standing in their communityâ€� or work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession

Your countersignatory cannot be:  

• related to you by birth or marriage   
• in a relationship with you
• someone who lives at the same address as you   

Recognised professions for countersignatories  

A countersignatory must be in one of the following professions:

• ²¹³¦³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù²¹²Ô³ÙÌýÌý
• airline pilot  
• articled clerk of a limited company  
• assurance agent of recognised company  
• bank or building society official  
• ²ú²¹°ù°ù¾±²õ³Ù±ð°ùÌýÌý
• ³¦³ó¾±°ù´Ç±è´Ç»å¾±²õ³ÙÌýÌý
• commissioner for oaths  
• councillor, for example local or county  
• civil servant (permanent)ÌýÌý
• »å±ð²Ô³Ù¾±²õ³ÙÌýÌý
• director, manager or personnel officer of a VAT-registered company  
• engineer with professional qualifications  
• financial services intermediary, for example a stockbroker or insurance broker  
• fire service official  
• funeral director  
• insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company  
• Âá´Ç³Ü°ù²Ô²¹±ô¾±²õ³ÙÌýÌý
• Justice of the Peace  
• legal secretary (fellow or associate member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs)ÌýÌý
• licensee of a public house  
• local government officer  
• manager or personnel officer of a limited company  
• member, associate or fellow of a professional body  
• Member of Parliament  
• Merchant Navy officer  
• minister of a recognised religion (including Christian Science)ÌýÌý
• nurse (RGN or RMN)ÌýÌý
• officer of the armed services  
• ´Ç±è³Ù¾±³¦¾±²¹²ÔÌýÌý
• paralegal (certified paralegal, qualified paralegal or associate member of the Institute of Paralegals)ÌýÌý
• person with honours, for example an OBE or MBE  
• ±è³ó²¹°ù³¾²¹³¦¾±²õ³ÙÌýÌý
• photographer (professional)ÌýÌý
• police officer  
• president or secretary of a recognised organisation  
• Salvation Army officer  
• social worker  
• ²õ´Ç±ô¾±³¦¾±³Ù´Ç°ùÌýÌý
• ²õ³Ü°ù±¹±ð²â´Ç°ùÌýÌý
• teacher or lecturer  
• trade union officer  
• travel agent (qualified)ÌýÌý
• valuer or auctioneer (fellow or associate members of the incorporated society)ÌýÌý
• Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers  

If your countersignatory does not meet these requirements, your application could be delayed or rejected.Ìý 

What you need to do 

You’ll need to send your 3 ID documents to your caseworker. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy must be scanned copies of the original documents.Ìý  

You’ll also need to send a verification statement signed by your countersignatory.

This should be a document written by your countersignatory which includes the statement “I certify that this is a true likeness of [applicant’s title and full name]�.

»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp document should also include the date and their:

• full name
• profession
• signature
• contact details

Your caseworker will contact them to confirm that they meet the criteria of a countersignatory. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy must be available to respond quickly when contacted, or your application could be delayed or rejected.

List of acceptable ID documents  

You need to provide 3 forms of ID documents. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy must all be different.Ìý

You should provide one of the following, a: 

• current valid passport for any country
• current biometric residence permit for the UK
• current full or provisional photo card driving licence from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands
• birth certificate from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands (issued within 12 months of birth)

You’ll also need 2 of the following: 

• current full or provisional photo card driving licence from any country outside the UK, excluding Isle of Man and Channel Islands 
• current full or provisional paper driving licence from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands only (issued before 1998)ÌýÌý 
• birth certificate from the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands (issued within 12 months of birth) 
• marriage certificate - UK and Channel Islands only  
• civil partnership certificate - UK and Channel Islands only  
• mortgage statement - UK only (issued in the last 3 months) 
• financial statement, for example a pension or endowment - UK only (issued in the last 12 months) 
• a statement from central or local government showing you are entitled to benefits
• bank or building society account opening confirmation letter - this must be a paper copy  
• original utility bill - this must be a paper copy 
• benefit statement - UK only (issued in the last 3 months) 
• P45 or P60 statement  
• Council Tax bill from UK or Channel Islands only (issued in the last 3 months) - this must be a paper copy

Your documents will not be accepted if they’re:

• ²ú±ô³Ü°ù°ù±ð»åÌýÌý
• ¾±±ô±ô±ð²µ¾±²ú±ô±ðÌýÌý
• ´Ç³Ü³Ù-´Ç´Ú-»å²¹³Ù±ðÌý
• ¾±²Ô³¦´Ç³¾±è±ô±ð³Ù±ðÌý

This will cause delays to your application.

If you need help

Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS).

If you’re registering for someone else, you need to prove you have the legal right to make decisions for them or for their estate.

You need different documents depending on where you live and whether the person you’re registering for is alive.

After you’ve registered, a caseworker will contact you by email. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappy will tell you how to send any ID documents.

If you have power of attorney in England or Wales  

If you’re a property and financial affairs attorney, you’ll need to provide a registered lasting power of attorney (LPA) document. This must:  

• be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)ÌýÌý
• be stamped with ‘Validated â€� OPG’Â�
• confirm the attorney’s name, address and date of birth 
• confirm the donor’s name and ²¹»å»å°ù±ð²õ²õÌý 

If the LPA was registered on or after 1 January 2016, you can give your caseworker access to view the online summary.

You can also send the original LPA document or a certified copy to your caseworker. A solicitor will be able to certify a copy.Ìý

If you have power of attorney in Scotland

If you’re a property and financial affairs attorney in Scotland, you’ll need to provide a registered continuing or combined power of attorney document. This must: 

• be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) 
• be stamped with the Public Guardian’s certification indicating registration 
• confirm the attorney’s name, address and date of birth
• confirm the donor’s name and ²¹»å»å°ù±ð²õ²õÌý

You’ll need to send your caseworker either: 

• the original certificate confirming the power of attorney is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) 
• a certified copy of the power of attorney (you can have this certified by a solicitor or notary public) 

If you have power of attorney in Northern Ireland

If you’re a property and affairs attorney, you’ll need to provide a registered enduring power of attorney (EPA) document. This must:

• be registered with the Office of Care and Protection (Patientsâ€� Section)
• be stamped as being registered and carry the seal of the Court 
• confirm the attorney’s name and ²¹»å»å°ù±ð²õ²õÌý
• confirm the donor’s name, address and date of birth 

You’ll need to send your caseworker either:

• the original EPA »å´Ç³¦³Ü³¾±ð²Ô³ÙÌý
• a certified copy of the EPA (you can apply for certified copies from the Office of Care and Protection)

If the person you’re representing has died  

If you’re representing someone who has died, you need to provide legal documents to prove you can manage their estate.Ìý

If there is a will (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) 

If you’re an executor of the will, you’ll need to provide a grant of probate which includes:

• the full name and address of the deceased 
• the date of death 
• what country the deceased lived in (their ‘domicileâ€�)

You can apply for probate if you’re named as an executor in either the will or an update to it (known as a ‘codicil�).

Up to 4 executors can be named.Ìý 

If the will does not name an executor, or the named executors cannot apply, you’ll need to send ‘a letter of administration with the will annexedâ€�. This proves you have the right to act as an executor of the person’s estate. A solicitor can help you get this.Ìý

If there is a will (Scotland) 

You will need to provide .Ìý

Your caseworker will tell you what evidence you need.

If there is no will 

If there is no will, the closest living relative can register.Ìý

You’ll need to show you have the legal right to administer the estate, for example probate.

This may be the deceased’s husband, wife or civil partner. It cannot be a partner who was not married to or in a civil partnership with the deceased.Ìý

You’ll need to provide a grant of letters of administration, including: 

• the full name and address of the deceased 
• the date of death  
• what country the deceased lived in (their ‘domicileâ€�)

If you need help

Contact the Department for Business and Trade for support with registering for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS).