If your bank or NBFC (non-banking financial company) ignores a complaint or gives a poor reply, you can take it to the RBI Ombudsman for free. A new scheme, the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 (RB-IOS 2026), replaced the 2021 scheme from 1 July 2026. Complaints received before that date continue under the 2021 scheme. This guide covers the steps, the deadlines and what the Ombudsman can and cannot do, as of October 2026.
Who can you complain against?
According to RBI's FAQs on RB-IOS 2026, the scheme covers:
- Banks: commercial banks, regional rural banks, state and central co-operative banks, scheduled urban co-operative banks, and non-scheduled urban co-operative banks with deposits of ₹50 crore or more.
- NBFCs registered with RBI that accept deposits, or that deal with customers and have assets of ₹100 crore or more. Some types are excluded, including housing finance companies.
- Non-bank prepaid payment instrument issuers, such as wallet companies.
- Credit information companies, such as credit bureaus.
If your lender is a housing finance company, use its own grievance process and check where to escalate on its website.
Step 1: Complain to the bank first
The Ombudsman will not take up a complaint you have not first made to the bank or NBFC. Write to it by email, through its website or app, or at a branch, and keep proof: the complaint number, acknowledgement and date.
Keep it short and specific: your account or loan number, what went wrong, the dates, and what you want done. Attach copies of key documents.
Banks also have an internal check. Under RBI's Internal Ombudsman Directions, 2026 for commercial banks, a bank with 10 or more banking outlets in India (as on 31 March 2025) must have an Internal Ombudsman. Complaints it rejects fully or partly are escalated to the Internal Ombudsman automatically, and the bank must give you its final decision within 30 days of receiving the complaint. If it still rejects your complaint, its reply must tell you that you can approach the RBI Ombudsman.
Step 2: When can you go to the RBI Ombudsman?
You can file with the RBI Ombudsman if either of these happens:
- You get no reply within 30 days of the bank receiving your complaint (or a longer period if RBI, NPCI or card network rules allow one).
- You get a reply but are not satisfied with it.
The deadline is 90 days from the date the bank's time to reply ran out, or from the date of the bank's last reply, whichever is later. Also, your first complaint to the bank must have been made within the period allowed under the Limitation Act, 1963.
| Stage | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Bank's reply to your complaint | 30 days from when it receives it |
| Filing with the RBI Ombudsman | Within 90 days of the bank's deadline or last reply, whichever is later |
| Accepting an Ombudsman award | Send your acceptance letter to the bank within 30 days of receiving the award |
| Bank complying with an accepted award | Within 30 days of receiving your acceptance letter (or it may appeal) |
| Your appeal against an award | Within 30 days of receiving it, extendable by up to 30 days |
Step 3: How do you file the complaint?
- Online: on RBI's Complaint Management System at cms.rbi.org.in, in Hindi or English.
- Email: [email protected].
- Post: Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, Reserve Bank of India, Central Vista, Sector 17, Chandigarh – 160017.
Include your details, the bank's details, the complaint number and date you got from the bank, your account or transaction details, a copy of the bank's reply if any, the full facts, the relief you want, and supporting documents.
RBI's toll-free number 14448 gives guidance and complaint status, but you cannot file a complaint through it. The IVRS line works 24x7; staff are available 8 am to 10 pm, Monday to Saturday, except national holidays.
Filing is free. You do not need a lawyer or an agent. You can file yourself, or through a representative you authorise in writing. An advocate can represent you only if the advocate is the person affected.
What can the Ombudsman order?
After checking that the complaint can be taken up, the Ombudsman forwards it to the bank for a response. The outcome may be a settlement, an award if a deficiency in service is found and the matter is not settled, or a rejection.
- There is no limit on the amount in dispute.
- Compensation for consequential loss can be up to ₹30 lakh.
- Compensation for loss of time, expenses, harassment or mental anguish can be up to ₹3 lakh.
You can withdraw your complaint at any stage through the CMS portal.
What complaints will the Ombudsman not take up?
RBI's FAQs list grounds on which a complaint may be rejected. They include complaints that:
- Were not made to the bank first, or were filed before the 30 days ran out without a reply.
- Were filed more than 90 days after the relevant date.
- Are already pending or decided by the Ombudsman, a court, tribunal, arbitrator or other forum.
- Concern a commercial judgement or decision of the bank.
- Are against the bank's managers or executives personally, or are staff or vendor disputes.
- Are not addressed to the Ombudsman directly (for example, where RBI is only copied), are incomplete, or are abusive or frivolous.
Can the Ombudsman make your bank cut your interest rate?
Usually not directly. Setting a rate may be treated as a commercial judgement. The Ombudsman may be better suited to service problems, such as no reply to your request, a charge that was not disclosed, a benchmark switch the bank delayed, or a refused document. To ask for a lower rate itself, write to your bank and, if needed, compare offers from other lenders.
What if you disagree with the decision?
You can appeal against an award within 30 days of receiving it. The Appellate Authority may allow up to 30 more days if there is sufficient reason. It can dismiss the appeal, set aside or modify the award, send the matter back for fresh disposal, or pass any other order it thinks fit. Banks can appeal too, with prior approval, within 30 days of receiving your acceptance letter.
Do it in 10 minutes, free
Most complaints are won or lost on the paper trail. LowerMyEMI gives you a ready letter to ask your own bank for a rate review, plus a day-3 reminder and a day-7 escalation text, so your dates and complaint numbers are on record if you need the Ombudsman later.
It can also write one email per lender asking for a lower rate, which you send from your own email. We are not a lender or a complaint agency, and we never promise a rate; each lender decides.