How complaint systems work

How to read a company complaint response

Q: How long does a company have to answer a complaint?

Eight weeks in the UK, 30 calendar days in Australia for most complaints and 56 calendar days for Canadian banks.

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 9 sources

Short answer

A company's complaint response is the firm's own answer, not an independent ruling. In the UK a final response must accept the complaint and offer redress, offer redress without accepting it, or reject it with reasons, and it must explain the right to go to the Financial Ombudsman Service ¹. Australia sets a 30 calendar day limit for most responses ³, Canada 56 calendar days ⁴ and the UK eight weeks ¹. In the US, CFPB company response labels record how the company says it closed the complaint ⁸.

UK deadline, most complaints: Eight weeks ¹
UK deadline, payment services and e-money: 15 business days, or 35 business days in exceptional cases ¹
Australia deadline, standard complaints: 30 calendar days ³
Canada deadline, banks: 56 calendar days ⁴
India waiting period before the RBI Ombudsman: 30 days ⁵
US share of company responses closed with explanation, 2025: 53% ⁶

What a final response must say

In the UK, DISP 1.6.2R in the FCA Handbook says that by the end of eight weeks the firm must send either a final response or a written response ¹. A final response must do one of three things. It accepts the complaint and offers redress or remedial action where appropriate, or offers redress without accepting the complaint, or rejects the complaint with reasons ¹. It must enclose the FOS explanatory leaflet, give the FOS website address and tell the complainant they may refer the complaint to the FOS ¹.

If the firm cannot answer in time, its written response must explain why a final response is not yet possible and when it expects to send one ¹. The consumer then has 6 months from the date on the final response to bring the complaint to the FOS ².

In Australia, ASIC's RG 271 says an IDR response must state the final outcome, the right to take the complaint to AFCA, and AFCA's contact details ³. Where a complaint is rejected in whole or in part, the response must give clear reasons, address the issues raised and set out the firm's findings on material facts ³.

Response deadlines by country

Jurisdiction	Standard deadline	Other deadlines
United Kingdom	Eight weeks ¹	Payment services and e-money: 15 business days, up to 35 in exceptional cases ¹
Australia	30 calendar days ³	Superannuation trustees: 45 calendar days. Default notice complaints: 21 calendar days ³
Canada (banks)	56 calendar days ⁴	OBSI must make its recommendation within 120 calendar days of having the information it needs ⁴
India	30 days for the regulated entity to reply before the Ombudsman can take the complaint ⁵	Complaint to the Ombudsman within 90 days of that timeline or the last reply ⁵

Reading CFPB company response labels

The CFPB database records the company response to consumer, described as how the company responded, for example closed with explanation ⁸. A separate optional field holds the company public response, chosen from a pre-set list ⁷. A separate field records whether the response was timely ⁷. The CFPB publishes complaints after the company responds or after 15 days, whichever comes first ⁷.

The CFPB's 2025 annual report defines the main labels ⁶.

Closed with monetary relief: objective, measurable and verifiable monetary relief provided as a direct result of the company's steps ⁶.
Closed with non-monetary relief: other objective and verifiable relief, such as correcting account information or restoring access ⁶.
Closed with explanation: no relief, but a written explanation tailored to the issues the consumer raised ⁶.
Administrative response: the company says it cannot act on the complaint and returns it, with options such as alerted CFPB, duplicate complaint, incorrect company or sent to regulator ⁶.

What the CFPB response shares show

Companies gave a timely response to more than 99% of complaints sent to them in 2025 ⁶. Student loans were an exception. Companies did not respond on time, or at all, to 31% of student loan complaints, which the report links in part to pending litigation and servicing changes ⁶.

Product, 2025	Monetary relief	Non-monetary relief	Explanation
All products	Under 1% ⁶	37% ⁶	53% ⁶
Credit card	12% ⁶	19% ⁶	63% ⁶
Checking or savings	10% ⁶	5% ⁶	83% ⁶
Mortgage	2% ⁶	3% ⁶	91% ⁶
Debt collection	Under 1% ⁶	23% ⁶	66% ⁶

Limits of a company response

A response label is the company's own account. The CFPB definitions describe what the company reports it did ⁶.
Closed with explanation is a response category, not a finding that the company acted correctly ⁶.
In Australia, firms report IDR data to ASIC every six months, covering complaints at the firm stage ⁹.
A response that rejects a complaint still opens the next step. In the UK it must tell the consumer about the FOS ¹, and in Australia about AFCA ³.

Common questions

What is a final response letter?

In the UK it is a firm's written answer that accepts or rejects a complaint, or offers redress, and explains the right to go to the FOS ¹.

How long does a company have to answer a complaint?

Eight weeks in the UK ¹, 30 calendar days in Australia for most complaints ³ and 56 calendar days for Canadian banks ⁴.

What does closed with explanation mean on the CFPB database?

The company gave no relief but sent a written explanation tailored to the issues the consumer raised ⁶.

How often do companies give monetary relief on CFPB complaints?

Under 1% of company responses across all products in 2025, and 12% for credit cards ⁶.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@consumercomplaintstats.com.

Sources

How CFPB complaints are resolved
The steps a complaint to the US CFPB goes through, the company response categories, timeliness figures for 2024 and 2025, and what closed means.
The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database explained
What the US CFPB complaint database holds, when complaints are published, 2024 and 2025 volumes, and the limits the CFPB states for the data.
How ombudsman decisions work
How financial ombudsman schemes in the UK, Canada, India and Ireland reach decisions, when they bind a firm, award limits and the routes to appeal.
Canada: OBSI and FCAC complaint data
How bank and investment complaints work in Canada, what OBSI case data and FCAC complaint reports show, and the limits of each figure.
AFCA complaints data explained
What AFCA publishes, its datacube terms, complaint and outcome figures for 2021-22 to 2023-24, and how its decisions bind firms.