UK FOS final plans and budget for 2026/27

The UK Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has published its final plans and budget for 2026/27, setting out its priorities for the next 12 months. The FOS expects to receive 199,000 new complaints in 2026/27 (down from nearly 306,000 in 2024/25 and around 210,000 in 2025/26), a decline which it attributes to fewer motor finance commission cases and fewer complaints from professional representatives. It does expect an increase in credit card and consumer credit complaints, however, because of cost of living pressures. It plans to resolve 266,500 cases over the year (covering both new and existing cases).

On its funding, the FOS states that while case fees and levies were held flat for two years at significantly reduced levels, increases are now needed due to inflationary challenges, reduced reserves and the cost of implementing reforms. Therefore, as consulted on in its November plans and budget consultation, from 1 April it will set the compulsory levy at GBP86 million, charge respondent firms GBP680 per case and introduce charges for professional representatives—GBP80 for cases they refer that are found in favour of the consumer and GBP260 where the case is found in favour of the firm (in which case the firm's case fee reduces to GBP500).

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