How long does a bank have to resolve a complaint in the UK?
Banks are expected to handle complaints promptly, but the formal deadline depends on the type of complaint. For many disputes, eight weeks is the key point for escalation to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
For many banking complaints, if the firm has not sent a final response within eight weeks, or you are unhappy with its final response, you can usually take an eligible complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Some payment-service complaints have shorter regulatory response periods, so check the deadline that applies to your issue.
Start by making a formal complaint
Tell the bank clearly that you are making a complaint, describe what happened and state what outcome you want. Include the account or transaction reference, important dates and copies of evidence. A normal customer-service enquiry can become a complaint later, but labelling the issue clearly helps the bank route it into the formal process and record the start date.
Keep your own copy and note how it was submitted. If the complaint is made by telephone, ask for a reference and send a short written summary afterwards for a complex dispute. The aim is to create one reliable chronology rather than a series of disconnected conversations with different agents.
Eight weeks is a common escalation point
The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that consumers should normally complain to the business first. If the firm does not send a final response within eight weeks, or if the consumer is unhappy with that response, an eligible complaint can usually be referred to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent of the bank and its service is free to consumers.
The eight-week point is not a promise that every case should take eight weeks. Straightforward errors should be resolved sooner. It is a backstop for many complaint categories and a point at which you do not have to wait indefinitely for the firm to finish internal handling.
Payment complaints can have different deadlines
Rules for complaints about payment services can require firms to respond more quickly than the general eight-week timetable, with detailed exceptions for unusual circumstances. That is why a card transfer or payment-service complaint should not automatically be treated as identical to a mortgage or investment complaint.
If timing matters, ask the bank which complaint rules it is applying and when it expects to issue a final response. A clear written answer prevents confusion about whether the case is simply being investigated or has missed the applicable regulatory deadline.
Read the final response carefully
A final response should explain the bank’s conclusion and normally tell you about your right to go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you remain dissatisfied. Check whether the bank has answered the actual complaint you made. A refund of one fee, for example, may not address a separate claim that poor handling caused additional loss.
If facts are missing or wrong, identify them specifically. Do not rewrite the entire history if two incorrect dates are the real problem. A focused challenge helps the Ombudsman understand what remains in dispute and what evidence supports your position.
Do not miss the Ombudsman referral deadline
A final response normally explains the time limit for referring the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, commonly six months from the date of that final response. Keep the letter or email and do not assume continued informal discussion with the bank automatically extends the deadline.
When escalating, send the final response, your original complaint and the most relevant evidence in a clear order. The strongest complaint file is not the largest one; it is the one that lets an independent reader understand the problem, the financial impact and the remedy you are seeking.
Quantify the remedy you are asking for
A complaint is easier to resolve when the requested outcome is specific. Separate direct financial loss, fees or interest from inconvenience and distress. If you paid a late fee elsewhere because the bank made an error, provide the statement showing it. If you want a correction to a credit file, identify the exact entry and why it is inaccurate.
Avoid choosing an arbitrary compensation figure with no explanation. You can ask the bank to reimburse measurable loss and consider appropriate compensation for the service failure, then explain the impact. An Ombudsman can assess fairness more easily when the financial consequences are documented rather than estimated broadly.
If the bank offers a partial refund or goodwill payment, read the wording before accepting it as a full and final settlement. A small credit to the account does not always mean the wider complaint is closed, but the bank's letter should make clear what it believes the payment resolves and what escalation rights remain.
Sources and verification
- Financial Ombudsman Service — Banking and payments complaints
- Financial Ombudsman Service — Cheques and bankers drafts
Victoria Hughes — Consumer Rights Specialist
The most useful thing a customer can do in a banking complaint is make the chronology boringly clear. Date, event, evidence, impact, requested remedy. That structure is more persuasive than a twenty-page emotional narrative even when the frustration is entirely justified. I would mark the date the formal complaint was submitted and then track the bank’s promised response date. For many cases, eight weeks is the important backstop, but payment-service complaints can follow shorter rules, so ask which timetable applies. When the final response arrives, do not judge it only by whether it contains an apology. Check whether it answers the actual factual and financial issues. If you escalate to the Financial Ombudsman, send a curated evidence pack rather than every message ever exchanged. I also keep the six-month referral deadline from the final response visible in the calendar. Continuing to argue with the bank informally can feel productive while a formal external deadline quietly approaches. Good complaint handling is fundamentally evidence management plus deadline management. I also separate measurable loss from inconvenience in the complaint. A £25 late fee caused by a bank error is evidence-based; distress and time spent are different heads of impact. Keeping them distinct makes the remedy request more credible and easier to assess.
MyBankAnswers uses official provider and UK regulatory sources wherever practical. Information is general and does not constitute financial advice.