Appealing a claim decision

Being able to appeal a decision reached by FSCS is a really important part of a fair claims process. We want customers to be able to ask FSCS questions about the decision reached on their claim and appeal the decision if they are unhappy.

FSCS decisions are subject to a two-stage appeal process, which is explained on this page. You can also listen to our podcast episode about our appeals process.

Have questions about our decision on your claim?

If you need to discuss the decision we’ve made on your claim, please call us on 0800 678 1100. We will then arrange for your case handler to talk you through our decision and answer any questions you have.

Alternatively, you can reach us via email using our contact us form. We’ll try to get back to you within five working days. 

Appealing our decision on your claim

If you've already discussed your claim with us and you're still unhappy, you can appeal our decision using the details provided in your decision letter. You must do this within three months of our decision.

Your appeal will be reviewed by someone who wasn’t involved in deciding your original claim.

We’ll let you know we've got your appeal within two working days and aim to respond within 20 working days. We'll let you know if it might take longer.

Escalating your appeal

If you’re still unhappy with our decision after an appeal, you can escalate your appeal. We’ll explain how to do this if you reach this stage.

We will review your escalated appeal independently of our previous decisions. This is to make sure we’ve made the right decision in line with our rules and policies.

We’ll let you know we've got your escalated appeal within two working days and aim to respond within 20 working days. We’ll let you know if it might take longer.

Judicial review

At the end of the two-stage appeal process, if you’re still unhappy with FSCS’s decision, you may be able to challenge our decision in the High Court through a process called judicial review.

If you get to this stage, we’ll let you know.

Our appeals process changed on 21 February 2024

We have made some updates to how FSCS handles appeals. The new appeals policy applies from 21 February 2024. The changes include:

• A time limit of three months for customers who want to challenge FSCS’s decision on their claim. This means that for any claims decision made before 21 February 2024, any appeal would have to be raised by midnight on 21 May 2024.
• A clear requirement that all relevant evidence and grounds for your claim must be included in the original claim submission.

Please click here (pdf 63.3KB) to download and read the updated appeals policy that applies from 21 February 2024.

If you’d like to learn more about the FSCS appeals policy and the updates that have been made, you may also find our additional FAQs useful.

Complaints

For complaints about the FSCS itself or its staff, visit our complaints page.

Confidentiality

We hold all personal information in line with our data protection policy and privacy policy. You can also ask us to send you these policies in the post.