As of June 2, 2025, the British government has paid out over £1 billion in compensation to victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, marking a significant milestone in a long and painful journey toward justice for thousands of wronged sub-postmasters. More precisely, £1.039 billion has been awarded to over 7,300 individuals through a series of compensation schemes designed to address the complex and varied consequences they faced.
The Horizon scandal is widely regarded as one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in modern British history. Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of sub-postmasters were accused—and many convicted—of theft, fraud, and false accounting based on faulty data generated by the Horizon computer system. To date, 992 convictions have been linked to the system, with around 700 brought privately by the Post Office itself. The fallout devastated lives: businesses were lost, homes were sold, and in some cases, individuals faced imprisonment for crimes they did not commit.
Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas acknowledged the ongoing challenges, stating, “We are settling cases every day and getting compensation out more quickly for the most complex cases. But the job isn’t done until every postmaster has received fair and just redress.” Despite the scale of payouts, campaigners warn that many victims are still navigating a slow and often bewildering path to full compensation.
The compensation efforts span four separate schemes, each tailored to different groups of victims and legal circumstances. The most high-profile group includes the 555 sub-postmasters who led a landmark court case against the Post Office, a campaign famously brought to national attention through the ITV drama earlier this year, focusing on Alan Bates’ fight for justice. This group secured a £42.5 million settlement in 2019; however, most saw only a fraction of that amount due to high legal costs. To address this, the government established the Group Litigation Order (GLO) Scheme, which has paid out £167 million so far, including interim payments.
However, 63 members of the GLO group had criminal convictions, making them ineligible for GLO compensation. These individuals may instead receive compensation through one of two other schemes designed for those whose convictions have been overturned. The Overturned Convictions Scheme, open to anyone whose conviction was quashed by the courts, has paid out £68 million to date. Meanwhile, the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme, which came into force in May 2025 under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, caters to those whose convictions were overturned en masse. This scheme offers a fast-tracked £600,000 settlement or the option to negotiate for more, with interim payments available while final amounts are determined. To date, it has delivered £245 million.
A fourth scheme, the Historic Shortfall Scheme, continues to compensate sub-postmasters who repaid money that was never actually missing—losses caused by errors in the Horizon software. Although the government has not recently updated figures for this scheme, it remains a significant part of the overall compensation total.
While the Horizon scandal has dominated headlines, a new chapter is unfolding involving the Capture software, a predecessor to Horizon used by around 2,000 sub-postmasters in over 2,000 branches during the 1990s. Capture was designed to replace paper-based accounting but, much like Horizon, it was plagued by faults that led to unexplained financial shortfalls and wrongful accusations of theft and fraud.
On June 19, 2025, the government announced a new Capture Redress Scheme to provide fair compensation to those affected by Capture’s errors between 1992 and 2000. This scheme is expected to open for applications in autumn 2025, initially rolling out to 150 claimants to ensure the process is accessible and fair before wider implementation.
Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas expressed commitment to this new effort: “We are committed to delivering fair and swift redress for all postmasters affected by Post Office software failures. Today’s announcement represents another important step in righting the wrongs of the past and rebuilding trust in the Post Office.”
The Capture scheme will feature a two-stage process: an eligibility review followed by an independent panel assessment. The government promises prompt preliminary payments to acknowledge losses early and a holistic approach that considers both financial harm and the broader personal impact on claimants. The panel will operate independently from the government, using a balance of probabilities standard of proof, recommending fair payment levels, and allowing claimants the right to appeal in certain circumstances.
The controversy surrounding Capture gained prominence in January 2024 after the ITV drama “Mr Bates vs the Post Office” highlighted the struggles of sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal, prompting MPs and campaigners to investigate injustices tied to Capture as well. Kevan Jones, then an MP and now a member of the House of Lords, was instrumental in spotlighting the issue, leading to an independent forensic investigation by Kroll. Their report found a “reasonable likelihood” that Capture software caused accounting losses, reinforcing calls for justice.
Despite the government’s promise of redress, Capture victims have yet to receive compensation, unlike the Horizon victims who, collectively, have been awarded more than £1 billion. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is currently reviewing 28 potential wrongful convictions linked to Capture system losses. However, the government has declined calls to legislate for the exoneration of Capture victims akin to the 2024 legislation that cleared over 700 sub-postmasters convicted based on Horizon data.
James Arbuthnot, a peer and member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board who has advocated for sub-postmasters for over 15 years, criticized the government’s approach. He said, “It is wrong for the Government to treat Capture victims differently from Horizon victims. Since Parliament exonerated hundreds of Horizon subpostmasters by legislation, we should do the same for Capture victims.” He added that the government should support sub-postmasters directly rather than rely on the lengthy CCRC process, which he described as arbitrary and inconsistent.
Campaigners echo these frustrations. Rupert Lloyd Thomas, a prominent advocate for Capture victims, lamented, “Everything is dragging on far too long. They are just stringing it out and the only beneficiaries are the Post Office.” Meanwhile, Neil Hudgell, a lawyer representing many Capture victims, cautiously welcomed the new scheme’s outlined assessment process but warned, “Time will tell and the devil remains in the detail yet to be unveiled.”
The Capture controversy has unfolded over the past two years with a series of revelations and government responses. From initial parliamentary demands for answers in early 2024 to the government’s promise of redress by December that year, the saga has highlighted systemic issues within the Post Office’s IT systems and accountability mechanisms.
As the Capture redress scheme prepares to open, it represents the fifth compensation scheme linked to the Post Office IT scandals, underscoring the broad and lasting impact of these software failures on thousands of sub-postmasters. It also signals a continuing effort by the government to address historic wrongs, though questions remain about the pace and fairness of justice for all victims.
For many former sub-postmasters, the compensation offers some measure of justice and financial relief. Yet for others, no amount of money can fully compensate for the years of stigma, legal battles, and personal hardship endured. The journey toward full redress continues, with victims and campaigners urging the government to move faster and more decisively to close this painful chapter.
