How Long the Financial Ombudsman Takes

Most complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service are dealt with within six months, and the service aims to resolve 90% of cases within six months of the point it accepts them as complaints¹. That is the headline figure, but it is not the whole wait. Before the ombudsman can look at anything, the firm you are complaining about has up to eight weeks to deal with it². Only after that period ends, or after you receive a final response, can the complaint move to the ombudsman.

Once the ombudsman has the case, how long it takes depends on what the complaint is about, how complex it is and how quickly the information needed can be obtained³. The service says it might sort out a complaint in a few days, but it might take a few weeks or months or longer⁴. Its own published figures show an average of 60.81 days from receiving all the information needed to start investigating until an initial assessment is issued, for the period 9 July 2024 to 8 July 2025⁵.

So the realistic picture is a two-stage wait: up to eight weeks with the firm, then an investigation that typically runs for several months. The sections below set out what happens at each stage, what can slow a case down, and the deadlines you need to watch.

Before the ombudsman: up to eight weeks with the firm

The ombudsman cannot take your complaint until the firm has had its chance to resolve it. The bank or building society has up to eight weeks to deal with your complaint². This is often called the eight-week rule, and it is the first thing that determines how long the whole process takes.

The eight weeks is a maximum, not a fixed wait. If the firm sends you a final response letter sooner, you can bring the complaint to the ombudsman straight away, whether or not you are happy with the answer⁹. If eight weeks pass and no final response has arrived, you can escalate the complaint without waiting any longer¹⁰. Some complaints follow a shorter internal timetable: for complaints about a payment scam, the firm must get back to you within 15 days, either with a response or to explain why it cannot yet give one, and must send a final response within 35 days¹¹.

The eight-week period applies across the range of complaints the ombudsman handles, from current accounts and loans to insurance, investments and pensions³. For complaints about financial difficulties affecting your ability to repay a mortgage, the firm should look into things and reply within eight weeks, and you can bring the complaint to the ombudsman if you are not happy with the response or the firm does not get back to you¹².

Investigation time: typically three to nine months

Once the ombudsman accepts a complaint, the investigation begins. The service's stated aim is to resolve 90% of cases within six months of the point it accepts them as complaints¹. In practice, the time from acceptance to a final decision can run longer for complex cases. One documented impersonation scam case took nine months to reach a final decision, despite the customer repeatedly chasing¹³.

The ombudsman's own statistics give a narrower measure: the average time from receipt of all the information needed to start investigating until an initial assessment is issued was 60.81 days for the period 9 July 2024 to 8 July 2025⁵. For the previous period, 9 July 2023 to 8 July 2024, the equivalent figure was 42.69 days for domestic disputes¹⁴. These figures measure one part of the process, not the whole journey from complaint to decision.

The ombudsman is clear that timescales vary. It says it might sort out a complaint in a few days, but it might take a few weeks or months or longer⁴. The time it takes depends on what the complaint is about, how complex it is and how quickly all the information needed can be obtained³. A straightforward complaint about a mis-sold product may move faster than one involving multiple parties, technical evidence or a firm that is slow to respond.

What slows a case down or speeds it up

The single biggest factor in how long a case takes is how quickly the information needed can be obtained³. The ombudsman says the time it takes to investigate a complaint depends on what it is about, how complex it is and how quickly all the information needed can be obtained⁴. That is a direct, measurable effect on timing.

Complexity is the other main driver. The ombudsman says the time it takes depends on what the complaint is about and how complex it is³. A complaint involving several products, a firm that has gone out of business, or disputed facts is likely to take longer than a simple one. The service's own guidance acknowledges that some cases take a few days while others take months or longer⁴.

How quickly you respond matters too. The ombudsman says the time it takes to investigate a complaint depends on what it is about, how complex it is and how quickly all the information needed can be obtained⁴. It also says it might sort out a complaint in a few days, but might take a few weeks or months or longer⁵. Meeting information requests promptly keeps the case moving.

Time limits for bringing a complaint to the ombudsman

There are two separate time limits, and missing either can end your chance of using the ombudsman. The first is the referral deadline: you must bring your complaint to the ombudsman within six months from the date on your final response⁶. If the firm never sent a final response, the six months runs from the end of the eight-week period¹⁵. If you complain after six months, the ombudsman will ask the company whether it agrees the complaint can be investigated further¹⁶.

The second limit concerns how old the underlying event is. The ombudsman generally cannot help with complaints about something that happened more than six years ago⁴. The rule is six years from the event complained of or, if later, three years from the date you became aware, or ought reasonably to have become aware, that you had cause for complaint⁷. This means a problem that occurred eight years ago may still be eligible if you only discovered it within the last three years.

Some complaints have their own specific deadlines. It is too late to complain about the sale of PPI, because the deadline to complain was 29 August 2019⁴. For building warranty complaints, the ombudsman can only look at complaints after the insurer has written a resolution or conciliation report, the report told the builder to do something by a deadline, and the builder failed to complete the works by the deadline or is insolvent or not co-operating¹⁷.

How to flag an urgent case

The ombudsman's process does not have a formal fast-track for urgent cases, but there are practical steps that affect timing. Responding to information requests promptly keeps a case on track, because the time it takes to investigate depends on how quickly all the information needed can be obtained⁴. Providing clear, complete evidence at the outset reduces the chance of the case being delayed while information is chased.

If your circumstances are urgent, for example because you are in financial difficulty, the ombudsman's guidance on specific complaint types sets out how it handles those cases. For mortgage difficulties, the firm should reply within eight weeks, and you can escalate if you are not happy or the firm does not respond¹². The ombudsman's general guidance on what to expect explains that it will ask you to reply to its enquiries by a particular date, usually within two weeks⁸.

The service publishes its own performance data. It publishes complaints data on financial products and services every quarter and updates on business complaints data every six months¹⁸. It also publishes data every six months showing the number and outcome of the complaints it handles about financial businesses¹⁹. These publications are where you can check how the service is performing on timing.

Where to get free help

The Financial Ombudsman Service is free to consumers. You do not need a claims management company to bring a complaint, and the ombudsman's own guidance explains how to complain directly⁶. If you are unsure whether the ombudsman is the right route, its guidance on which complaints it can help with covers the main product areas, including current accounts, loans, insurance, investments and pensions³.

For help understanding your options before you complain, free and impartial services are available. Citizens Advice provides guidance on complaining about banks and building societies, including the eight-week rule and the six-month deadline for going to the ombudsman¹⁵. MoneyHelper offers free guidance on everyday money matters²⁰. If you are in debt, StepChange and National Debtline provide free advice on disputing debts and dealing with creditors²¹.

If your complaint is about a firm that has failed, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme may be able to help instead of, or as well as, the ombudsman. The two schemes do different things: the ombudsman resolves disputes about how a firm treated you, while the FSCS pays compensation when a firm cannot pay claims against it²³. Which one can help depends on what went wrong.