How long do I have to take a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman?

The 6-month limit after a final response

Once a business, such as your lender, has looked into your complaint, it sends you a final response. You then have 6 months from the date on that letter to bring your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. After that, the Ombudsman usually cannot help.

The 6 months is counted in calendar months from the date the final response was sent. The Ombudsman gives two examples: a final response sent on 7 May gives you until 7 November, and one sent on 30 August gives you until 28 February, because there is no 30 February.

The final response should tell you that you have the right to go to the Ombudsman within the next 6 months. It must also say whether the business agrees to the Ombudsman looking at your complaint if you bring it after the time limit. If the business says it agrees, it cannot change its mind later.

If the business has not replied

For most complaints, a business has 8 weeks to send its final response. For complaints about fraud and scams, payment services such as bank transfers or direct debits, and electronic money, it has 15 days.

If those times run out without a final response, you do not have to keep waiting. You can refer your complaint to the Ombudsman straight away. It is free, and you do not need to pay anyone, such as a claims management company, to do it for you. The Ombudsman’s helpline is 0800 023 4567, open 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

How old a problem can be

There is also a limit on how long after the problem you can complain to the business in the first place. You usually need to complain within 6 years of the problem happening, or, if later, within 3 years of when you became aware, or could reasonably have been expected to realise, that you had cause to complain.

So a problem from many years ago is not always out of time. What matters is when you found out, or should have found out, that something was wrong. If you are not sure, complain anyway. If the business says your complaint is too late, the Ombudsman can decide for itself whether that is right.

If you have missed a deadline

If you bring a complaint to the Ombudsman more than 6 months after the final response, it can only help if one of these applies:

• the delay was caused by exceptional circumstances, such as a period of serious ill health or a bereavement, and the Ombudsman is satisfied this stopped you referring your complaint in time;
• the business did not send you a valid final response;
• the business agrees to the Ombudsman looking at your complaint after the 6 months.

If the business does not agree, the Ombudsman will look into what happened and decide for itself whether your complaint is out of time. Complaints about car finance commission follow separate guidance from the Ombudsman. Our guide to complaining about a lender explains each step from your first complaint onwards.

Sources

Every fact in this page was checked against these official sources on 6 November 2026.

1. Time limits Financial Ombudsman Service
2. How to complain Financial Conduct Authority
3. How to complain to us Financial Ombudsman Service
4. Contact us Financial Ombudsman Service

Written and fact-checked by the PiggyBank editorial team. Last reviewed 6 November 2026. This answer is general information, not financial advice. How we write and check our guides.