Reading complaint data
Upheld and not upheld explained
Short answer
- FOS uphold rate, Q2 2026/27
- 27% of cases resolved, 31% excluding motor finance commission cases 2
- FCA firm-reported upheld share, 2025 H2
- 55.54% (955,698 complaints) 3
- FCA firm-reported upheld share, 2025 H1
- 57.88% 3
- AFCA determinations for complainant, 2023-24
- 30% of 4,281 6
- FSPO tracker mortgage decisions not upheld, 2025
- 111 of 115 5
Two different uphold rates
There are two main kinds of uphold rate. The first is a firm's own rate. In the UK, firms report to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) how many of the complaints they closed they upheld. For 2025 H2 (1 July to 31 December 2025) firms closed 1,720,632 complaints and upheld 55.54% of them 3.
The second is an ombudsman's rate. A consumer can bring a complaint to the FOS after the firm's final response, or if the firm does not reply in time 4. The FOS rate then measures how often the ombudsman service found for the consumer among the cases it resolved. In Q2 2026/27 that was 27% 2.
The two rates use different groups of complaints. The FOS rate covers only cases brought to it after the firm's own process 4.
Outcome labels by body
| Body | Labels used | Example published figure |
|---|---|---|
| UK FOS | Upheld means found in favour of the consumer 1 | 27% upheld, Q2 2026/27 2 |
| UK firms via FCA | Upheld or not upheld by the firm 3 | 55.54% upheld, 2025 H2 3 |
| Ireland FSPO | Upheld, substantially upheld, partially upheld, not upheld 5 | Tracker decisions 2025: 0, 0, 4 and 111 5 |
| Australia AFCA | In favour of the complainant or of the financial firm 6 | Determinations 2023-24: 30% complainant, 70% firm 6 |
| India RBI Ombudsman | Settlement, conciliation or mediation, rejected, withdrawn, award 7 | 2024-25: 51.91% settled, 43.36% rejected 7 |
| Canada OBSI | Cases closed with monetary compensation 8 | Fiscal 2024: 24% banking, 30% investment 8 |
| US CFPB | Company responses such as closed with monetary relief or closed with explanation 9 | 2025: monetary relief under 1% of all responses 9 |
Partial outcomes and offers
Not upheld does not always mean the consumer got nothing. In 2025 the FSPO made 115 tracker mortgage decisions. It upheld none, partially upheld 4 and did not uphold 111. Of those 111, 24 were not upheld on the grounds that the provider had already made a reasonable offer 5.
UK firm data shows the same point. In 2025 H2 firms paid £30,074,292 in redress on complaints they did not uphold, alongside £205,716,292 on upheld complaints 3.
The CFPB does not use the word upheld. It publishes how the company says it closed each complaint. In 2025, 37% of responses were closed with non-monetary relief and 53% were closed with explanation 9.
Why stage matters
AFCA's 2023-24 Annual Review shows how much the stage changes the rate. Of 99,853 complaints closed before a determination, 72% were resolved by agreement or in favour of the complainant and 2% in favour of the financial firm 6. Of 4,281 determinations, 30% were in favour of the complainant 6.
At the RBI Ombudsman in 2024-25, 37.84% of complaints disposed of were classed as not maintainable under the scheme 7. The settlement and rejection shares are shares of maintainable complaints only 7.
Checks before quoting an uphold rate
- Whose decision is it, the firm's or an independent body's 3,2?
- Is the base complaints received or cases resolved? The FOS rate uses cases resolved 2.
- Is there a size threshold? The FOS gives a product rate only where 30 or more cases were resolved 2.
- Are groups of cases skewing the figure? The FOS says motor finance commission closures lower its overall rate 2.
- Which period is it, and has it been revised? FCA 2025 H2 figures were revised on 15 May 2026 3.
Common questions
What does upheld mean in a complaint?
At the UK FOS it means the complaint was found in favour of the consumer 1.
What is the Financial Ombudsman Service uphold rate?
27% of cases resolved in July to September 2026, or 31% excluding motor finance commission cases 2.
Why is the firm uphold rate higher than the ombudsman rate?
They measure different sets of complaints. Firms report on all complaints they close 3, and the FOS reports only on cases brought to it after the firm's response 4.
What does partially upheld mean?
It is one of the FSPO's outcome labels, between substantially upheld and not upheld. In 2025 it partially upheld 4 of 115 tracker mortgage decisions 5.
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
- Financial Ombudsman Service: Half-yearly complaints data: H1 2026 (22 October 2026)
- Financial Ombudsman Service: Quarterly complaints data: Q2 2026/27 (22 October 2026)
- Financial Conduct Authority: Aggregate complaints data: 2025 H2 (28 April 2026)
- Financial Ombudsman Service: How to complain
- Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman: Overview of Complaints 2025 (March 2026)
- AFCA: 2023-24 Annual Review (October 2024)
- Reserve Bank of India: Annual Report of Ombudsman Scheme, 2024-25 (1 December 2025)
- Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments: Annual Report 2024
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Consumer Response Annual Report, January 1 to December 31, 2025 (March 2026)
Related
- Financial Ombudsman Service uphold rates
UK Financial Ombudsman Service uphold rates for 2025/26 and recent quarters, by product, with case volumes, award limits and what upheld means.
- FCA firm complaints data explained
What the UK FCA publishes on complaints firms receive, who must report, the 2026 H1 figures, definitions and the limits the FCA sets out.
- 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.
- What a complaint count does not show
Why raw complaint numbers are not proof of wrongdoing, in the words of the CFPB, FCA, ASIC and FCC, with the counting rules that shape the totals.
- 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.