FCA Complaint Response: The 8 Week Deadline

Quick answer

Under the FCA's Dispute Resolution: Complaints sourcebook (DISP), a financial services firm must send a complainant a final response within eight weeks of receiving the complaint. If the firm cannot resolve the complaint in eight weeks, it must send an update explaining why and when it expects to respond. Once you have a final response - or once the eight weeks have passed without one - you have six months to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The eight weeks are calendar weeks, not working days.

Where the 8 week rule comes from

The requirement is in the FCA's DISP sourcebook, part of the FCA Handbook. DISP 1.6 sets out the time limits for responding to complaints. DISP 1.6.2R requires a firm to send a written response that either accepts the complaint and (where appropriate) offers redress, or rejects the complaint and gives reasons, within eight weeks of receipt. If the firm cannot do so, DISP 1.6.4R requires it to send a holding response explaining the delay and giving an indication of when a final response will be sent. Firms must also acknowledge complaints promptly - an oral complaint that is resolved within three business days by the end of the third business day can be handled under a simpler procedure (DISP 1.5).

What counts as a complaint

For DISP purposes, a complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether oral or written, and whether justified or not, about the provision of (or failure to provide) a financial service or a redress determination. It does not have to use the word "complaint" - a customer who emails to say they are unhappy about a charge has made a complaint for these purposes, and the eight-week clock starts running from the date the firm receives that expression of dissatisfaction.

When the clock starts and stops

The eight-week period runs from the date the firm receives the complaint, not the date it is logged or acknowledged. It is a period of eight calendar weeks (56 days), so weekends and bank holidays are included. If a complaint is received on 12 June 2026, the eight-week deadline is 7 August 2026. The period does not pause while the firm investigates internally, and it is not extended by the firm's own delays. In limited circumstances, firms and complainants can agree a different timetable, but the default statutory position is eight weeks.

Worked example: counting the 8 weeks

Because the deadline is calendar-based, a complaint received just before a bank holiday still has the same eight-week deadline - the holiday does not add time.

What a final response must contain

A final response must state whether the complaint is upheld or rejected, explain the firm's position, and - if redress is due - state what is being offered. Critically, DISP requires the final response to tell the complainant about their right to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months, and to enclose a copy of the FOS's standard explanatory leaflet (or refer to it electronically). If the final response omits this information, the complainant's time limit for going to FOS may effectively restart, so firms are expected to include it correctly.

The 6 month ombudsman window

The complainant's right to refer to FOS is governed by the FCA's DISP 2.8 rules. In broad terms, FOS can consider a complaint if it is referred within six months of the date the final response was sent (or should have been sent). If the firm never sends a final response, the complainant can refer once the eight weeks have passed, and the six-month window runs from the point the final response was due. FOS also applies longer outer limits - generally six years from the event complained about, or three years from when the complainant became aware (or should reasonably have become aware) that they had cause to complain - unless FOS decides the complainant had valid reasons for the delay.

What happens if the firm misses the deadline

If a firm fails to send a final response within eight weeks, the complainant is not required to keep waiting. They can refer the complaint directly to FOS. The firm also risks regulatory consequences: complaint-handling failures can lead to FCA action, and the firm must report complaint data to the FCA. Persistent failure to meet DISP time limits is treated as a serious conduct issue, because prompt and fair complaint handling is a core part of the FCA's consumer protection objectives.

Business days vs calendar weeks

A common point of confusion is whether the eight weeks are working days. They are not. DISP 1.6 expresses the deadline in weeks, and the FCA interprets this as a calendar period. By contrast, the simpler three-business-day rule for resolving straightforward oral complaints (DISP 1.5) is in business days. So: the final-response deadline is eight calendar weeks, while the quick-resolution route for simple oral complaints uses business days. When calculating either, check which one applies to your situation.

How this differs from other complaint schemes

The FCA eight-week rule is specific to financial services. Other schemes use different timelines: NHS complaints are typically acknowledged within three working days and answered in full within six months (with escalation to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman), and many non-financial businesses use a 20-working-day or 28-day internal complaint window under voluntary codes. Do not mix these up - the FCA DISP eight-week deadline applies to FCA-regulated firms such as banks, insurers, lenders, investment firms and consumer credit providers.

Step-by-step: tracking an FCA complaint

1. Record the date the firm received your complaint. The clock starts on receipt, not on your first contact.
2. Add eight calendar weeks to find the final-response deadline.
3. Expect a prompt acknowledgement and, if resolution will take time, a holding response explaining the delay.
4. Check the final response for the FOS referral wording and explanatory leaflet reference.
5. If unhappy or no response after eight weeks, note your six-month window to refer to FOS.
6. Use the complaint response deadline calculator to confirm the date, then verify against the FCA Handbook.

Key takeaways

• FCA-regulated firms must send a final response within eight weeks of receiving a complaint (DISP 1.6).
• Eight weeks means eight calendar weeks (56 days) - weekends and bank holidays are included.
• If the firm cannot resolve it in time, it must send a holding response explaining why and when.
• The final response must tell you about your six-month right to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
• If there is no final response after eight weeks, you can refer straight to FOS.
• Simple oral complaints may be resolved under a three-business-day rule (DISP 1.5) - the only business-day element in this timeline.

References

• FCA Handbook - DISP 1.6 (Complaints time limits)
• FCA Handbook - DISP 1.5 (Complaints handling)
• FCA Handbook - DISP 2.8 (FOS time limits)
• Financial Ombudsman Service - How to complain
• FCA - How to complain