There is no single Horizon compensation scheme: the right one depends on what happened to you. If your conviction was quashed, use the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. Group litigation claimants who were not convicted use the GLO scheme, which closed to new applications on 31 July 2026. Postmasters with Horizon shortfalls could apply to the Post Office's Horizon Shortfall Scheme until 31 January 2026, and some who settled or rejected an offer can appeal through an independent process within 3 months. There are also schemes for the older Capture software and for close family members. Status as of 27 September 2026.
Horizon is the Post Office's accounting software, used in its branches. Most Horizon redress schemes are run by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT); the original Horizon Shortfall Scheme is run by the Post Office. Each scheme has its own eligibility rules and time limits, you cannot claim twice for the same loss, and the rules change often, so check GOV.UK before you act.
This guide covers the process only, with no compensation amounts, and is general information, not legal advice.
The Horizon schemes at a glance
Use the table and the scheme finder to see which scheme fits your case. Statuses are as of 27 September 2026.
| Scheme and who runs it | Who it is for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS), DBT | People whose Horizon-related convictions were quashed | Open |
| GLO Compensation Scheme, DBT | Unconvicted postmasters in the 2017 to 2019 group litigation | Closed to new applications on 31 July 2026 |
| Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), Post Office | Postmasters with shortfalls from previous versions of Horizon | Closed to new applications on 31 January 2026 |
| HSS Appeals (HSSA), DBT | Eligible HSS claimants who settled, rejected an offer or are in the dispute process | Open, with 3-month deadlines |
| Capture Redress Scheme, DBT | Postmasters who used the Capture software between 1992 and 2000 | Open |
| Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme, DBT | Close relatives of compensated postmasters | Registration open |
Horizon compensation scheme finder
Indicative only. Scheme details and deadlines are taken from GOV.UK and the Post Office's scheme website as of 27 September 2026, and schemes change often. It is not legal advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Quashed convictions: the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme
You are eligible if a conviction was quashed by a court ruling or by legislation: the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 or the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024. You can still register if your conviction was quashed but you do not have a letter about it. If your conviction was overturned by the courts and you applied to the Post Office's Overturned Convictions scheme, your claim has moved to the HCRS and your caseworker will contact you directly.
The steps are: register, complete the identity checks, apply for the preliminary payment with your solicitor, then choose between the optional fixed settlement and a detailed assessment of your financial losses, such as lost earnings, and the impact on your life. There is no time limit for that choice. If you ask for a detailed assessment, you must decide within 3 calendar months of your first offer if you want to go back to the fixed sum. If you cannot agree an offer, there is an alternative dispute resolution process with facilitated discussions and then an independent panel.
A conviction quashed by the legislation will not be disclosed on any future criminal record check, such as a DBS check. If you live in the UK, you do not pay tax on HCRS payments, and they will not affect any benefits you receive.
Group litigation claimants: the GLO scheme
The Group Litigation Order (GLO) Compensation Scheme launched in March 2023. It provides redress to unconvicted subpostmasters who were part of the group litigation against the Post Office between 2017 and 2019. It closed to new applications on 31 July 2026, and the government expects it to conclude on 31 December 2026. Group claimants who could not use it because they had convictions have either received redress already or can apply to the HCRS.
Horizon shortfalls: the HSS and HSS Appeals
The Post Office set up the Horizon Shortfall Scheme in 2020 for current and former postmasters affected by shortfalls linked to previous versions of Horizon, sometimes called Legacy Horizon, Horizon Online or HNG-X. It does not deal with the current version. Applicants could choose a fixed sum award or a full assessment. The scheme closed to new applications at 11.59pm on 31 January 2026, but applications received by then are still being processed.
DBT runs an independent appeals process, HSS Appeals (HSSA), for HSS claimants who settled or rejected their first offer without entering the Post Office's dispute resolution process (DRP), settled in the DRP before mediation without legal advice funded by the Post Office, or are in the DRP without having requested a mediation meeting. You have 3 months to apply, counted:
- if you settled without the DRP, from the date you settled or the date of the Post Office letter inviting you to appeal, whichever is later;
- if you rejected your first offer without the DRP, from the rejection date or 9 October 2025, whichever is later;
- if you settled in the DRP before mediation, from the settlement date, for settlements on or after 9 October 2025;
- if you are in the DRP without mediation, from your invitation letter or 9 October 2025, whichever is later.
Where that date was on or before 9 October 2025, the deadline was 9 January 2026 and has passed. Include every branch you want to claim for; your lawyer then has 6 months from the Post Office's disclosure to submit all your evidence. You cannot receive less than the highest offer from the Post Office's full assessment, but entering HSSA ends any right to accept the fixed sum offer, and you cannot then return to the DRP. If you disagree with DBT's offer, an independent panel can recommend another amount. DBT funds legal advice under a tariff, and it warns against firms that ask you for money or offer no win no fee agreements.
If you accepted the fixed sum offer, a permission to appeal process is planned but not yet open (as of 27 September 2026). Its guide gives 3 months to register, from its launch or your acceptance of the offer, whichever is later, then a further 3 months to apply once your eligibility is confirmed.
The Capture software: the Capture Redress Scheme
The Capture software was installed in some Post Office branches between 1992 and 2000. You can apply if you were a postmaster in that period, used Capture in your branch and had financial shortfalls because of it. You cannot apply if you have a criminal conviction related to Capture, or if you were an assistant postmaster, contractor or other branch staff.
Complete the application form and send it with your supporting documents to DBT, using only the link on GOV.UK and never links from emails, texts or other websites. DBT checks eligibility first; if it asks for more evidence, you have 2 months to send it, and a refusal can be appealed to the independent panel chair. A panel of 3 members then decides on the balance of probabilities whether each loss happened and was caused by a Capture shortfall. You should respond to the offer letter within 2 months, and you can appeal the award within 2 months of receiving the decision if you have new evidence, or there was a procedural error or a material factual mistake. The panel chair's decision is final. If you live in the UK, you do not pay tax on the payments.
Family members: the Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme
This scheme is for close family members of a postmaster who received compensation from the GLO scheme, the HCRS, the Overturned Convictions scheme or the HSS: spouses and partners, including former ones who were with the postmaster when the Horizon issues happened, parents, siblings and children, including adopted children and stepchildren. You must have lived continuously with the postmaster for at least one year during the period in which they were affected, except in cases involving a death caused by Horizon.
There are 2 routes. Events-based claims give flat-rate payments where your relative was compensated for bankruptcy (including an IVA), malicious prosecution, conviction or imprisonment, or a death caused by Horizon; you should not need legal advice for this route. Fully assessed personal injury claims are for family members who can show they suffered a personal injury, such as a mental or physical health condition. Registration is open on GOV.UK (as of 27 September 2026), you do not need documents to register, and cases will start being reviewed in autumn 2026. You cannot register if you have a conviction related to Horizon or have already been compensated as a postmaster, and estate claims for family members who have died are not accepted.
Other schemes and getting help
The Post Office Process Review scheme, for postmasters whose financial losses were caused by other Post Office products, policies or processes rather than Horizon, closes to new applications on 30 September 2026 (as of 27 September 2026).
If you do not have a lawyer, an independent information and support service run by CPC Project Services can explain the different Horizon schemes and help with forms and correspondence, but it cannot give legal advice or say how much to claim. For the effect of compensation on tax and benefits generally, see our guide to compensation and tax.
Frequently asked questions
Is Post Office Horizon compensation taxable?
GOV.UK says that if you live in the UK you do not pay tax on Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme or Capture Redress Scheme payments, and they will not affect your benefits. Check the guidance for your own scheme.
Can I still apply to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme?
No. It closed to new applications at 11.59pm on 31 January 2026, although applications received by then are still being processed. If you had an offer, you may be able to use HSS Appeals within its 3-month deadlines.
Can I claim for a postmaster who has died?
In HSS Appeals you can appeal on behalf of a postmaster who would have been eligible if you can show you have the legal authority, for example as an executor. The Family Members Redress Scheme does not accept estate claims on behalf of family members who have died.
Do I need a lawyer?
For HSS Appeals, DBT strongly encourages it and pays for legal advice under its tariff, so avoid firms that ask you for money or offer no win no fee deals. You should not need legal advice for the events-based route of the family members scheme.
What if I missed an HSS Appeals deadline?
In most cases DBT cannot accept late appeals. It can use discretion only where extraordinary circumstances caused the delay, and you must explain why it was not possible to apply in time.
Contacts and official sources
- HSS Appeals (DBT): [email protected]
- Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (DBT): [email protected]
- Capture Redress Scheme (DBT): [email protected]
- Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme (DBT): [email protected], including for a paper registration form
- Information and support service (CPC Project Services): 0113 541 7021, for postmasters without a lawyer
- Horizon Shortfall Scheme (Post Office): Remediation Contact Centre 0333 665 1093
Related guides: compensation and tax, how compensation is paid, psychological injury claims, no win no fee explained and choosing a solicitor.
Official sources used for this guide: GOV.UK: Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme; GOV.UK: GLO scheme to close; Post Office: Horizon Shortfall Scheme; GOV.UK: HSS Appeals guidance and principles; GOV.UK: Apply to the Capture Redress Scheme; GOV.UK: Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme guidance. This guide is general information about the law in the UK, not legal advice; the law can change, so check your own position with a regulated solicitor.