Thousands of BISS, CRISS and Eco-Scheme payments unpaid since 2022: how to check if you are owed money

DAFM told the Dáil on 29 September 2026 that 3,820 BISS, CRISS and Eco-Scheme applications from the 2022 to 2025 scheme years were still unpaid. That is 1,118 BISS and CRISS cases and 2,702 Eco-Scheme cases. If one of them is yours, the hold is almost always an open query on your file. You can find it in MyAgFood and clear it. Here is how.

Checked 26 October 2026. The figures come from written answer 622 of 29 September 2026, where Minister Martin Heydon answered Aontú TD Paul Lawless. They are DAFM's own counts as of September 2026. The 2026 advances have since issued, so this piece is about older scheme years. DAFM's Scheme Payments Update page was still dated 25 September when we checked.

::: official-advice-banner Payment holds are decided case by case. Use this guide to find the query on your file and the right contact. Confirm the detail with DAFM or your advisor before you act on a penalty or an appeal. :::

How many BISS, CRISS and Eco-Scheme payments are still unpaid?

Deputy Lawless asked how many applicants had not been paid in full at four, eight, 12 and 24 weeks after each year's payments began. DAFM said it does not hold those figures. It gave the position as of September 2026 instead.

Two things stand out from DAFM's own table.

First, the numbers grow the closer you get to today. There are 67 open BISS cases from 2022 and 428 from 2025. Old cases do get cleared, slowly.

Second, the Eco-Scheme column tells you something about the hold. For 2023, 2024 and 2025, DAFM lists the same number of applications as eligible and as paid. On DAFM's own numbers, every Eco-Scheme application it has found eligible has been paid. The unpaid ones are not yet on the eligible list. That means a query is still open, or the application has failed, and nobody has closed the file.

The Minister's explanation was short. "My Department cannot pay applicants who have eligibility queries outstanding." He added that DAFM "provides direct phone and in-person supports to farmers and their advisors in such cases."

For the 2026 scheme year, DAFM said it had 122,151 BISS applications and 116,831 eligible for payment when the advance issued on 22 October. The 2026 payment calendar covers that run and what is still to come.

How do you check if one of the unpaid cases is yours?

You will not get a letter saying "you are one of the 3,820". You have to look. Take these steps in order.

1. Open your payment history. Log in to MyAgFood and check the payments issued for each scheme year back to 2022. BISS, CRISS and the Eco-Scheme are paid separately, so a missing Eco-Scheme payment can sit beside a paid BISS one.
2. Read every unread letter. The correspondence section holds the query that stopped the payment. DAFM says preliminary checks and area monitoring findings are notified there, with a text alert if you signed up for one.
3. Check the scheme status for each year. An application showing a query, an amendment or an inspection has a reason attached. Note the parcel number or the action it names.
4. Ask your advisor. If a FAS advisor submitted the application, the notification went to their agfood account as well as yours. DAFM says a preliminary check or area monitoring notification can only be answered once, so agree who answers it.
5. Ring the Direct Payments Helpdesk on 057 867 4422. That is the number DAFM printed in its 22 October 2026 announcement. Have your herd number ready. Ask which check is open and what DAFM needs from you.

One warning. DAFM's 22 October release listed the usual reasons a BISS application is ineligible: no payment entitlements, a claimed area of zero, or no eligible land. If one of those applies, there is no payment to chase. The BISS hub explains how entitlements and eligible hectares fit together.

What usually holds a BISS, CRISS or Eco-Scheme payment?

The 2026 BISS terms and conditions set out every control DAFM runs before it pays. The same controls applied in earlier years. The holds fall into six groups.

A dual claim, over-claim or overlap. Preliminary checks flag land declared by two farmers, an area larger than the parcel, or parcels that overlap. You get the chance to withdraw the parcel without penalty or stand over your claim. If the check is never answered, DAFM runs full administrative checks and may apply a penalty.

A red parcel from area monitoring. Satellite checks grade every parcel green, yellow or red. Red means something was found: a building or roadway, scrub or rock not excluded, the wrong crop, or no sign of farming. A red parcel brings a notification on agfood. DAFM says failure to respond "may result in a delay or reduced payments".

An administrative check that needs evidence. DAFM can ask for geotagged photos through its AgriSnap app, seed receipts or contractor receipts. The terms say that if you do not provide the information, DAFM may decide the case on what it has, and may reject the application.

An inspection. Cases are picked at random and by risk. The conditionality inspection rate is at least 1% of farmers with more than 10 hectares. Other schemes run at 5% to 10%. Findings arrive on a formal notice, and the payment is then worked out on what the inspector found.

Entitlements that do not match the land. BISS pays on the lower of entitlements held or eligible hectares found. Under the 2026 terms, an over-declaration of 3% or less, and under 2 hectares, is paid on the area found with no penalty. Over either line, the penalty is 75% of the area over-claimed.

A debt from another year. The terms say DAFM "will recoup the debts from any DAFM payments that become due". An old overpayment or penalty can take a bite out of a new payment, or all of it.

Bank details are not listed as a scheme control, but a payment can only land in an account DAFM holds. If the farm account changed, the Financial Self-Services helpline is 049 436 8271 and the email is paymentssection@agriculture.gov.ie, both from the 2026 contact list.

What should you send, and to whom?

Match the query to the contact. Quote your herd number on everything. DAFM says the only proof of postage it accepts is a registered or express post receipt, so keep it.

Send the thing DAFM asked for, not a general letter. A preliminary check wants a yes or no on the parcel. An area monitoring notice wants an accepted or rejected finding, and often a geotagged photo. An evidence request wants the receipt.

If you are heading for a review or appeal, our guide on appealing a failed farm inspection covers how to lay out the grounds.

How long should each step take?

DAFM's targets come from the Farmers' Charter. In written answer 617, given the same day, the Minister listed the record. BISS and CRISS paid 90% of participants in the first run in 2023, 93% in 2024 and 94% in 2025. The Eco-Scheme paid 89%, 94% and 93%. So somewhere between one application in 10 and one in 15 misses the first run. Most of those clear in the pay runs that follow.

The cases in the table above are the ones that did not clear. Realistic timelines for them:

• A preliminary check or area monitoring reply: the response date is printed on the notice. Answer by it and no penalty applies if the issue is fully fixed.
• An evidence request: the request gives a timeframe. Miss it and DAFM decides on what it holds.
• An internal review: DAFM's terms give no target. Ask the section for one in writing and keep the date.
• An appeal: you have three months from the final decision letter to lodge a Notice of Appeal. DAFM's terms say the Appeals Office aims to conclude within three months of receiving all documentation. You are entitled to an oral hearing. The service is free.
• An unfair appeal process: complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman, 01 639 5600.

If a payment from 2022 or 2023 is still open, the paper trail matters more than the phone. Write down each call, the name, and what was said. Ask which check is open, not whether it is "still processing".

Want the rate you should have been paid, to check the figure when it lands? Our 2026 scheme rates guide lists every confirmed one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check whether my BISS payment was paid for 2023 or 2024?

Log in to MyAgFood and open the payment history for the scheme year. BISS, CRISS and the Eco-Scheme show as separate payments. If one is missing, the correspondence section should hold the query. If it does not, ring the Direct Payments Helpdesk on 057 867 4422 with your herd number.

Why is my Eco-Scheme payment unpaid when my BISS was paid?

The schemes are checked separately. DAFM's figures show every Eco-Scheme application it found eligible for 2023 to 2025 has been paid. An unpaid Eco-Scheme claim is one DAFM has not found eligible yet. Ask ecoscheme@agriculture.gov.ie which practice or parcel is the problem.

Can I still appeal a BISS decision from 2022?

Only within three months of DAFM's final decision letter, unless the Director of Agriculture Appeals accepts exceptional circumstances. If you never received a final decision, the case is still open and a review request is the first step. Keep the letter and the date.

Is a late BISS payment paid with interest?

The 2026 terms provide for interest on debts you owe DAFM. They say nothing about interest on money DAFM owes you. The payment arrives at the scheme rate for that year once the query clears. Chasing the query is the only way to shorten the wait.

The bottom line

DAFM has 3,820 BISS, CRISS and Eco-Scheme applications from 2022 to 2025 still unpaid. It will not send you a note if one is yours. Log in to MyAgFood tonight, check each year's payment history and read every letter. Answer the open query through the channel it names. Ring 057 867 4422 if nothing explains the hold, and put a review in writing if you disagree. A query nobody answers stays on the list.