How long does the Financial Ombudsman take to decide a complaint?

Short answer

Most cases are resolved within three to six months, but investment, pension and fraud complaints can take a year or more. Before that clock even starts, the firm has 8 weeks to send a final response — and you then have 6 months from that letter to refer to the FOS.

The Financial Ombudsman Service handles over 200,000 complaints a year, and how long yours takes depends far more on its type than on how loudly you chase. The FOS aims to resolve most cases within three to six months; investment, pension and fraud complaints routinely run past a year.

Where the time goes

The firm's 8 weeks. You must complain to the firm first. FCA rules (DISP) give it 8 weeks to issue a final response. Payment complaints — a disputed card transaction, a payment sent to the wrong account — run to 15 business days under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, extendable to 35 in exceptional circumstances.
Referral and eligibility. The FOS first checks the complaint is in remit: the firm must be FCA-authorised, and you must be an individual, a micro-enterprise, a small charity with income below £6.5 million, or a small trust.
The investigator's view. A case handler reviews both sides' evidence and issues a view. Many complaints end here, because both parties accept it.
The ombudsman's decision. If either side disagrees, an ombudsman issues a formal, final decision — sometimes preceded by a provisional decision you can comment on.

Watch the three time limits that control access, because all must be satisfied: 6 months from the firm's final response, 6 years from the event, or if later 3 years from when you knew or ought to have known you had cause to complain. The 6-month rule is the one people miss.

How to make your case go faster

Submit a complete referral first time. Give the firm's name, a dated chronology of what went wrong and what it cost you, the outcome you want, and copies of your complaint, the firm's replies and its final response. You do not need legal language — the FOS decides what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances, weighing the law, regulators' rules and good industry practice.

The service is free to you and the firm pays a case fee whatever the outcome, which is why firms often settle once a referral lands. Refer online, or call 0800 023 4567. If you need help completing it, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper both assist free of charge.

Read the full guide: Financial Ombudsman Service: How to ComplainCovers eligibility, the process, deadlines, and next steps in depth.

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