Financial Ombudsman Service shares a festive finance warning
18 December 2025
With the festive season approaching, we are encouraging consumers to take a few practical steps to protect their finances.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed the increase to our award limits.
Our award limit is the maximum amount we can require a financial business to pay when we uphold complaints. This limit is adjusted each year in line with inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
The FCA has confirmed that, from 1 April 2023, our award limits will go up to:
- £415,000 for complaints referred to us on or after 1 April 2023 about acts or omissions by firms on or after 1 April 2019
- £190,000 for complaints referred to us on or after 1 April 2023 about acts or omissions by firms before 1 April 2019
Different limits apply depending on when the complaint was brought to us. You can read about current and previous limits on our understanding compensation page.
We will be updating the guidance on our website to reflect these changes from 1 April 2023.
The FCA’s policy statement PS19/8 sets out the full background to increasing our award limits. The change can be seen in the FCA’s handbook.
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