NEW DELHI, November 7, 2026 — Customers with unresolved service complaints against a bank, an eligible non-banking financial company, a non-bank prepaid payment instrument issuer or a credit information company can seek redress through the Reserve Bank of India’s Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026. The revised scheme took effect on July 1, 2026, replacing the 2021 framework for new complaints. It retains a first-complaint requirement but changes the filing window: after the applicable response period has expired, or after an unsatisfactory final communication, a customer ordinarily has 90 days to approach the RBI Ombudsman.
The change matters because older online guides may still quote the previous one-year or one-year-and-30-day deadline. That rule belongs to the 2021 scheme and continues only for complaints received before July 1, 2026, appeals arising from decisions under that scheme and execution of awards issued under it. A customer filing a new complaint after the transition date should use the 2026 rules, not copy a deadline from an older article. The scheme is cost-free, but a complaint can be rejected if the customer has not first approached the regulated entity, misses the filing window or raises a matter outside the RBI’s jurisdiction.
The Reserve Bank–Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 provides an alternate grievance-redress mechanism for customers who allege a deficiency in service by a regulated entity covered by the scheme. Deficiency in service means a shortcoming or inadequacy in a service that the entity is required to provide under law, regulation or its service obligations. It may involve financial loss, but the definition does not require that a customer prove a monetary loss in every case.
The covered categories include commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks, State Co-operative Banks, Central Co-operative Banks, scheduled primary urban co-operative banks and non-scheduled primary urban co-operative banks with deposits of at least ₹50 crore as shown in the previous financial year’s audited balance sheet. The scheme also covers specified RBI-registered NBFCs: those authorised to accept deposits, or those with customer interface and assets of at least ₹100 crore on the relevant audited balance-sheet date. Certain NBFC classes are excluded, including housing finance companies, Core Investment Companies, IDF-NBFCs, NBFC-IFCs, non-operating financial holding companies, primary dealers and mortgage guarantee companies.
Non-bank issuers of prepaid payment instruments and Credit Information Companies are also included. That is important for customers dealing with eligible wallet or prepaid payment services and credit-reporting agencies. However, the scheme does not cover every company that has some connection with finance. A merchant, loan-service provider, app brand, payment aggregator or technology intermediary is not automatically a covered regulated entity. The legal entity named in the complaint must fall within the categories in the scheme.
Some grievances are outside the mechanism even when the organisation is regulated by RBI. Complaints about a lender’s commercial judgement, such as whether to grant a loan, are generally not a service-deficiency dispute for the Ombudsman to reverse. The scheme also excludes vendor disputes, employee-employer matters, disputes between regulated entities, services outside RBI’s regulatory remit, and action taken to comply with orders of a court, tribunal or law-enforcement authority. A grievance already pending before or decided on merits by another judicial or quasi-judicial forum may also be non-maintainable. Credit-information complaints need particular care because the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act provides a separate remedy for specified matters.
The customer must first approach the bank, NBFC, PPI issuer or credit information company concerned. The complaint should be made through the entity’s official grievance channel, and the customer should keep proof of receipt. An acknowledgement number, email, service ticket, signed letter or other record showing when the entity received the complaint can become important when the RBI checks whether the customer approached it in time.
If the entity sends a reply or resolution and the customer is dissatisfied, the customer may approach the RBI Ombudsman without waiting for the full 30-day period. If there is no reply, the customer must ordinarily wait until 30 days have passed from the entity’s receipt of the complaint. The 2026 scheme also recognises a longer response period where a timeline has been specified by RBI, the National Payments Corporation of India or a card network. In that situation, the higher applicable period must be considered. A blanket assumption that every payment complaint has exactly the same waiting period can lead to a premature filing.
The new filing deadline is 90 days from the date on which the applicable response timeline expires or the date of the last communication from the regulated entity, whichever is later. The original complaint to the regulated entity must itself have been made before the limitation period prescribed under the Limitation Act, 1963 has expired. These are separate checks: the customer must first have a timely underlying complaint, then satisfy the response condition, and finally file with RBI within the 90-day window. A later reminder or repeated email should not be assumed to restart the clock unless the applicable rules and facts support that conclusion.
For complaints received before July 1, 2026, the transition provision preserves the 2021 scheme. Under that earlier framework, the one-year deadline after an unsatisfactory reply, or one year and 30 days where there was no reply, may still govern the preserved complaint. The date that matters for the transition is when the complaint was received by the regulated entity and the applicable proceedings, not simply the date on which the transaction occurred. Customers with an older complaint should identify the governing scheme before calculating a deadline.
The online route is the RBI’s Complaint Management System. A customer should identify the regulated entity by its legal name, select the relevant complaint category and describe the service failure in chronological order. The description should state what happened, when the first complaint was lodged, what response was received and why the customer believes the matter remains unresolved. A complaint that merely copies RBI on an email to the bank is not the same as a complaint addressed directly to the Ombudsman through the prescribed process.
The 2026 scheme also permits complaints by email to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at [email protected], or in physical form using the prescribed signed complaint form and supporting documents. The postal address is the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, Reserve Bank of India, Central Vista, Sector 17, Chandigarh. The CMS portal is designed to register online complaints and provide tracking, while email and physical submissions are received and processed through the CRPC. A customer does not need to identify a particular RBI Ombudsman office before filing; the complaint is allocated through the RBI’s internal process.
The minimum information includes the complainant’s name, mobile number, email address if available and full postal address; the name and location of the regulated entity; the entity’s complaint or acknowledgement number and date; relevant account, card, loan or transaction details; transaction date and reference number where applicable; the entity’s response, if any; a complete description of the facts; the nature and extent of loss or inconvenience; the relief requested; and supporting documents. A customer should attach only material relevant to the grievance and avoid exposing unrelated personal data.
After successful registration, the customer receives a complaint number. The status can be tracked through CMS using the complaint number and mobile number. The RBI Contact Centre can also provide information about the grievance process and status. Its toll-free number, 14448, has an IVRS facility available 24 hours a day. Access to Contact Centre personnel is available from 8 am to 10 pm, Monday to Saturday, excluding national holidays, in English, Hindi and several regional languages. The Contact Centre does not itself file a complaint; customers must use CMS, email or the physical process.
The RBI first checks whether the complaint meets the scheme’s maintainability requirements. If it does, the matter is sent to the regulated entity for a response and the Ombudsman examines the complaint, the response, supporting documents and relevant RBI directions. The process is intended to be summary, cost-free and non-adversarial. It is not a full civil trial, and it may not be suitable for a dispute that requires extensive oral evidence or complex adjudication better handled by a court or another forum.
Where appropriate, the Ombudsman or Deputy Ombudsman may try to resolve the matter through facilitation, advisory assistance, conciliation or another structured settlement process. If the parties reach an acceptable resolution, the complaint can be closed as settled. If it is not settled and the Ombudsman finds a deficiency in service, an award may direct the regulated entity to take remedial action and, where applicable, pay compensation. A complaint can also be rejected if the Ombudsman finds no deficiency in service or concludes that a maintainability condition has not been met.
The 2026 scheme does not impose a ceiling on the amount in dispute that can be brought for settlement or an award. That does not mean every complainant receives the full amount claimed. The Ombudsman may award compensation up to ₹30 lakh for consequential loss and, in addition, up to ₹3 lakh for loss of time, expenses, harassment or mental anguish. These are maximum powers, not automatic entitlements. The customer must describe the actual loss, explain how it arose from the service deficiency and provide evidence where possible.
Appeal rights have also changed. Under the 2026 scheme, an appeal is available only against an award passed by the RBI Ombudsman. A complainant who is aggrieved by an award may appeal to the Appellate Authority within 30 days of receiving it. A regulated entity may also appeal within the applicable 30-day period, subject to the required prior sanction. The scheme does not create a general appeal against every rejection, closure or settlement. Customers should read the outcome communication carefully and check whether the decision is appealable before preparing an appeal.
Before filing, confirm the exact legal entity and whether it is within the 2026 scheme’s coverage. A complaint against a brand name may be misdirected if the actual service was provided by a different regulated entity. Check whether the institution is a covered bank, eligible NBFC, non-bank PPI issuer or Credit Information Company. If it is not covered, the RBI FAQ says the complaint may be handled through another applicable arrangement, including a Consumer Education and Protection Cell where appropriate, but the Ombudsman scheme itself may not apply.
Keep the first complaint and its proof of receipt. Calculate the applicable 30-day or longer response period, record the date of the last communication and note the 90-day filing deadline. Do not wait until the end of the period to organise documents. If the complaint involves a digital payment, preserve the transaction reference, date, amount, beneficiary details where available and any response from the bank or payment provider. If it concerns a credit report, identify the disputed entry and the correction sought.
Do not submit incomplete or abusive complaints, repeat the same grievance after it has been settled, or omit information about a parallel court or tribunal proceeding. The scheme excludes certain matters already pending or decided elsewhere and certain disputes that fall outside RBI’s regulatory remit. A customer may use an authorised representative, but the representative must be properly authorised in writing. An advocate cannot act as the representative unless the advocate is personally the aggrieved person.
Finally, do not pay an agent who promises to secure an RBI award. The scheme is free. The Contact Centre provides information but does not take a fee or guarantee a result. Never share a password, card PIN, one-time password or remote-access code with someone claiming to be an RBI official. Use the official RBI process and retain the acknowledgement for every submission.
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