How allegations are resolved
What ombudsman complaint outcomes mean
Short answer
- Financial Ombudsman uphold rate
- 30% in 2025/26 3
- Financial Ombudsman new complaints
- 214,600 in 2025/26, down from 305,700 in 2024/25 3
- European Ombudsman new complaints
- 3,490 in 2025 4
- European Ombudsman inquiries opened
- 492 in 2025 4
- Kenya
- Commission on Administrative Justice handles maladministration complaints about the public sector 5
What an ombudsman decides
An ombudsman does not decide guilt. It asks whether a public body or business acted wrongly and whether that caused harm. Most schemes first check that the person used the organisation's own complaints process 1. The UK Public Service Ombudsman says investigation is the final step and not all complaints reach it 1. The web addresses of its earlier annual reports use the name Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman 6.
The Public Service Ombudsman weighs how much the issue affected the person on a severity of injustice scale, and checks if the complaint came within 12 months 1. Its recommendations can include an apology, a payment and action to stop the problem happening again 1.
UK Financial Ombudsman: investigator view and final decision
At the Financial Ombudsman Service, an investigator first gives a view on the complaint 7. If both sides accept it, the complaint is settled, and most cases end this way 7. If either side disagrees, an ombudsman reviews the case and issues a final decision 7. If the consumer accepts the findings, the business must follow the instructions 7. There is a limit on what the service can tell a business to pay 7.
For 2025/26 the service reported 214,600 new complaints, almost 30% fewer than 305,700 in 2024/25 3. The overall uphold rate was 30% 3. In a passage on complaints from professional representatives, the service said complaints withdrawn or abandoned fell to 18% from 35% 3. The page's data table shows a total of 214,649 new complaints, a little different from the rounded headline 3.
European Ombudsman: solution, maladministration, no maladministration
The European Ombudsman handles complaints about EU institutions and bodies 2. A complainant must usually have tried to resolve the matter with the EU body first 2. If a complaint can be resolved fast, the Ombudsman proposes a solution, and the matter is settled if the EU body accepts it 2. If the Ombudsman finds maladministration, she makes recommendations and the institution must reply within three months 2. If there was no maladministration, the case closes with a decision saying so 2.
The Annual Report 2025, published on 22 April 2026, says the office handled 3,490 new complaints in 2025 and opened 492 inquiries 4. Of the complaints, 2,249 were outside its mandate 4. For 2024 cases, EU bodies accepted 89% of solution proposals and 78% of suggestions for improvement 4.
Other jurisdictions
In Kenya, the Commission on Administrative Justice, which calls itself the Office of the Ombudsman, is a constitutional commission under Article 59(4) of the Constitution and the Commission on Administrative Justice Act 2011 5. It investigates complaints of delay, abuse of power, unfair treatment, manifest injustice and discourtesy in the public sector, and its mandate covers national and county government 5. It enforces the Access to Information Act 2016 5. Its home page did not show complaint figures when read 5.
Outcome terms compared
| Scheme | Outcome words | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Public Service Ombudsman, UK | Upheld when failings caused harm not put right 1 | Recommendations such as apology or payment 1 |
| Financial Ombudsman Service, UK | Investigator view, ombudsman final decision 7 | Business must comply if the consumer accepts 7 |
| European Ombudsman | Solution, maladministration, no maladministration 2 | Recommendations, reply due in three months 2 |
| Commission on Administrative Justice, Kenya | Maladministration complaints 5 | Mandate over national and county government 5 |
Common questions
Is an ombudsman decision binding?
At the Financial Ombudsman Service, the business must follow the instructions if the consumer accepts the findings 7.
What does upheld mean at the UK Public Service Ombudsman?
The organisation got things wrong, the person was negatively affected, and it has not been put right 1.
How many complaints does the European Ombudsman get?
3,490 new complaints in 2025, of which 2,249 were outside its mandate 4.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@allegationindex.org.
Sources
- Public Service Ombudsman: How we deal with complaints
- European Ombudsman: How we work
- Financial Ombudsman Service: Annual complaints data and insight 2025/26 (21 May 2026)
- European Ombudsman: Annual Report 2025 (22 April 2026)
- The Commission on Administrative Justice: Home
- Public Service Ombudsman: Annual data on complaints
- Financial Ombudsman Service: What to expect
Related
- Upheld, not upheld, withdrawn and dismissed explained
What it means when a complaint is upheld or not upheld, when a charge is withdrawn or discontinued, and when a case is closed with no action.
- How parliaments handle complaints about members
How the UK, Canada, the US House and Malta take, investigate and decide complaints about legislators, with tests, outcomes and appeals.
- Settled without admission of wrongdoing, explained
What it means when a regulator settles a case without an admission, how the SEC and FCA settle, and the 2026 end of the SEC no-deny policy.
- What an allegation status means in official processes
How courts, regulators and standards bodies label an allegation at each stage, from complaint and investigation to notice, charge, finding and appeal.