Financial Services Compensation Scheme

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme provides protection for customers of failed financial services firms.

In this section

Overview

The PRA is responsible for oversight of, and rules relating to, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection in respect of deposits and insurance policies. These rules are set out in the PRA Rulebook.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for FSCS protection in relation to certain other regulated activities, including investment provision and distribution, home finance, debt management, funeral plan provision and insurance distribution.

A memorandum of understanding between the FSCS and the Bank of England (exercising its prudential regulation functions) sets out how we work together.

Memorandum of Understanding between the FSCS and Bank of England

FSCS-related news and publications

31 March 2025: We published CP4/25 - depositor protection. The CP sets out the PRA’s proposals in relation to the protection for deposits available from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme. The CP is relevant to: PRA-authorised UK banks, building societies and credit unions; overseas firms with permission to accept deposits where the deposits are held by a UK branch or subsidiary of the firm; the FSCS, as the administrator of the UK’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme; and depositors. Responses in relation to the proposals in connection with the limit of protection available from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme are requested by 30 June 2025, while responses in relation to the proposals in connection with the implementation of the Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill are requested by 30 April 2025.

28 March 2025: We published PS4/25 – Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2025/26. The PS is relevant to all FSCS levy-paying Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and PRA-authorised firms. The FSCS MELL applies for the financial year ending Tuesday 31 March 2026.

10 January 2025: Jointly with the FCA, we published CP1/25 - Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2025/26. The CP is relevant to all PRA and FCA authorised firms, who fund the FSCS through levies. The consultation closed on 7 February 2025. 

  • 28 March 2024: We published PS6/24 – Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2024/25. The PS is relevant to all FSCS levy-paying Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and PRA-authorised firms. It contains no material of direct relevance to retail financial services consumers or consumer groups upon which they might need to act. The FSCS MELL applies for the financial year ending Monday 31 March 2025.

    11 January 2024: Jointly with the FCA, we published CP1/24 - Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2024/25. The CP is relevant to all PRA and FCA authorised firms, who fund the FSCS through levies. The consultation closed on Monday 12 February 2024.

  • 2 November 2023: We published DP2/23 – FSCS general insurance limit which sets out the PRA’s analysis of those areas of general insurance (GI) where the PRA has identified additional FSCS coverage could be warranted to secure an appropriate degree of policyholder protection and possible options to remedy this. The DP seeks input from stakeholders to help in the PRA’s assessment of whether, and for which specific types of GI, current FSCS protection levels may be insufficient, taking account of the potential benefits, costs and risks. It also seeks feedback on whether the definition of small business in the Policyholder Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook remains appropriate. The DP is relevant to the FSCS, insurers authorised by the PRA, EEA insurers in the Supervised Run-off or Contractual Run-off regimes, firms that have assumed responsibility for liabilities from PRA-authorised insurers (successors) and policyholders. Responses to the discussion paper are requested by 24 January 2024.

    11 October 2023: We published CP22/23 – Occasional consultation paper – October 2023, which included a proposal in Chapter 2 to amend the Depositor Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook to facilitate the ability of the FSCS to pay compensation to eligible depositors of insolvent deposit takers via electronic transfer. That element of the consultation paper is relevant to the FSCS and of interest to deposit-taking firms and depositors. The consultation closed on 13 November 2023.

    14 September 2023: We published PS12/23 - Dealing with insurers in financial difficulties which set out the PRA’s final rules and policy in respect of amendments introduced by the Financial Service and Markets Act 2023 to the Financial Service and Markets Act 2000, particularly in relation to the ‘write-down’ of insurance contracts. The PS is relevant to PRA-authorised insurers (other than friendly societies) with a Part 4A permission. The new rules came into effect on 19 September 2023. 
     
    30 June 2023: We published PS7/23 - Depositor Protection which provides the PRA’s response to the final part of the representation to CP9/22 – Depositor Protection. It covers a number of changes to the depositor protection rules and is relevant to all PRA-authorised credit institutions and credit unions. The amendments to the DP rules, SS18/15, SoP – Deposit Guarantee Scheme and SoP – Calculating Risk-based Levies came into effect on 1 July 2023.

    31 March 2023: We published PS3/23 – Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2023/24. This PS is relevant to all PRA and FCA authorised firms but contains no material of direct relevance to retail financial services consumers or consumer groups upon which they might need to act. The FSCS MELL will apply for the financial year ending Sunday 31 March 2024.

    31 March 2023: We published PS2/23 - Depositor Protection which provides feedback to part of the responses to CP9/22 – Depositor Protection. It also contains the PRA’s final rules concerning the relevant amendments to the Depositor Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook. The amendments clarify that the FSCS depositor protection regime covers FSCS eligible customers of e-money institutions, authorised payment institutions, small payment institutions, and credit unions should a credit institution holding such firms’ safeguarded funds fail. The changes to DP 6.2 and consequential changes to the rules came into effect on 12 March 2023.
     
    8 February 2023: We published CP3/23 - Dealing with insurers in financial difficulties which set out the Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) proposed rules and policy in respect of the changes introduced by the Financial Service and Markets Bill 2022-23 to the Financial Service and Markets Act 2000 concerning insurers in financial difficulties. This CP is relevant to all PRA-authorised insurers (other than friendly societies) with a Part 4A permission. The consultation closed on 31 March 2023. 

    12 January 2023: Jointly with the FCA, we published CP1/23 - Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2023/24. This CP is relevant to all FCA and PRA authorised firms. This consultation closed on Thursday 9 February 2023.

  • 28 November 2022: We published PS10/22 – Depositor Protection which provides feedback to the response to CP9/22 ‘Depositor Protection’. It also confirms the PRA’s final amendments to the Depositor Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook, the deletion of the Dormant Account Scheme Part of the PRA Rulebook, and the deletion of the Dormant Account Scheme Statement of Policy. The changes to the COA Rules and DAS Rules came into effect on 30 November 2022. The DAS SoP was deleted on the 30 November 2022. The consequential changes to SS18/15 to reflect the changes introduced by these rules came into effect on 1 July 2023.

    23 September 2022: We published CP9/22 - Depositor Protection which set out the PRA's proposals to amend the Depositor Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook (DP), delete the Dormant Account Scheme Part of the PRA Rulebook, and make minor amendments to the PRA’s supervisory statement (SS)18/15 on ‘Depositor and dormant account protection’ (SS18/15), the PRA’s Statement of Policy on ‘Deposit Guarantee Schemes’ (SoP – DGS), and the PRA’s SoP on ‘Calculating Risk-Based Levies for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme deposits class’ (‘SoP – RBL’). The consultation period for the Continuity of Access Rules and Dormant Account Scheme proposals closed on Friday 21 October 2022. The consultation period for the remaining proposals closed on Friday 16 December 2022. 

    25 March 2022: We published PS3/22 ‘Financial Service Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2022/23’. This PS is relevant to all PRA-authorised firms, but contains no material of direct relevance to retail financial services consumers or consumer groups upon which they might need to act. The FSCS MELL applies for the financial year ending Friday 31 March 2023.

    12 January 2022: Jointly with the FCA we published CP1/22 ‘Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2022/23’. This CP is relevant to all FCA and PRA authorised firms. This consultation closed on Monday 14 February 2022. 

  • 14 April 2021: The PRA and FCA published a joint letter to banks and building societies on obtaining deposits via deposit aggregators. This letter highlights the risks associated with the increasing volumes of deposits that are placed with banks and building societies via deposit aggregators, and how to mitigate them.

    26 March 2021: We published PS5/21 ‘Financial Service Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2021/22’. This PS is relevant to all PRA-authorised firms, but contains no material of direct relevance to retail financial services consumers or consumer groups upon which they might need to act. The FSCS MELL applies for the financial year ending Thursday 31 March 2022.

    24 March 2021: We published PS4/21 ‘Depositor protection: Identity verification’. This PS is relevant to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), all PRA-authorised deposit takers, and insolvency practitioners (IPs). The changes outlined in this PS took effect on Monday 29 March 2021.

    22 January 2021: Jointly with the FCA we published CP4/21 ‘Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2021/22’. This CP is relevant to all FCA and PRA authorised firms. This consultation closed on Friday 19 February 2021.  

    20 January 2021: We published CP3/21 ‘Depositor protection: Identity verification’. This CP is relevant to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, all PRA-authorised deposit-takers, and insolvency practitioners. This consultation closed on Monday 15 February 2021.

  • 28 December 2020:  Jointly with the Bank of England, we published Policy Statement (PS) 30/20 ‘UK withdrawal from the EU: Changes before the end of the transition period’. This PS provides the final policy to Consultation Paper (CP) 13/20 ‘UK withdrawal from the EU: Changes before the end of the transition period’ and CP18/19 ‘UK withdrawal from the EU: Changes following extension of Article 50’ and contains final PRA Rulebook EU Exit instrument, PRA transitional direction and related guidance documents, as well as an update to Supervisory Statement (SS) 18/15 ‘Depositor and dormant account protection’ , which became effective from 11pm Thursday 31 December 2020. 

    This PS is relevant to all firms authorised and regulated by the PRA. Some of the changes are also relevant to firms authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This PS and the accompanying materials may also be relevant to firms applying to the PRA or FCA for authorisation.

    9 October 2020: We published PS21/20 ‘Extending policyholder protection for building guarantee policies’, which contained a rule change to extend policyholder protection for holders of building guarantee policies, amending the Policyholder Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook.

    The rule change took effect on Thursday 8 October 2020. 

    4 August 2020: We published Policy Statement (PS) 19/20 ‘Financial Service Compensation Scheme – Temporary High Balance Coverage Extension’. The PS updated the following:

    The rule change and updated SoP was effective from Thursday 6 August 2020. Coverage for THBs reverts to six months from Monday 1 February 2021.

    9 July 2020: We published CP6/20 ‘Financial Service Compensation Scheme – Temporary High Balance Coverage Extension’. This CP is relevant to the FSCS and all PRA-authorised deposit-takers as well as retail financial consumers who are currently, or who may become, THB depositors before Monday 1 February 2021. 

    27 March 2020: We published PS8/20 ‘Financial Service Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2020/21. This PS is relevant to all PRA-authorised firms, but contains no material of direct relevance to retail financial services consumers or consumer groups upon which they might need to act. The FSCS MELL applies for the financial year ending Wednesday 31 March 2021.

    31 January 2020: This page has been updated to describe the impact of the transition period for EU withdrawal on FSCS protection.

    15 January 2020: The PRA and FCA published CP1/20 'Financial Services Compensation Scheme - Management Expenses Levy Limit 2020/21'. The CP sets out proposals for the Management Expenses Levy Limit (MELL) for the FSCS in 2020/21 and is relevant to all PRA- and FCA-authorised firms. This consultation closed on Monday 17 February 2020.

  • 29 March: We published Policy Statement 10/19 'Financial Services Compensation Scheme – Management Expenses Levy Limit 2019/20’.

    28 February: We published near-final policy to deliver the general approach being taken to ensure there is a functioning legal framework when the UK leaves the EU. This includes an update to Supervisory Statement 18/15 ‘Depositor and dormant account protection’.

  • 18 January: The PRA and FCA published CP3/18 'Financial Services Compensation Scheme - Management Expenses Levy Limit 2018/19' - also see the FCA's website. The CP sets out proposals for the management expenses levy limit (MELL) for the FSCS.

Territorial scope of FSCS protection for deposits

Depositors with eligible deposits held by UK establishments of firms with Part 4A permission to accept deposits are protected by the FSCS. Generally, deposits held outside of UK establishments are not protected by the FSCS. 

Since EU withdrawal, deposits held by UK firms’ branches in the EEA are not protected by the FSCS. They may be protected by the relevant EEA State’s deposit guarantee scheme, depending upon the depositor protection regime in that EEA State. 

However, eligible deposits held with firms with deemed Part 4A permissions under the Supervised Run-Off (SRO) Regime remain protected by the FSCS.

Furthermore, eligible deposits held in Gibraltarian branches of UK firms are protected by the FSCS. However, pending the finalisation of the UK’s proposed new relationship framework between the UK and Gibraltar (the Gibraltar Access Regime), customer deposits held by UK branches of Gibraltarian firms are protected by the Gibraltarian deposit guarantee scheme (subject to the Gibraltarian deposit guarantee scheme’s regulations).

Amounts of compensation: deposits

Customer deposits held by banks, building societies and credit unions (including in Northern Ireland) in UK establishments that are authorised by the PRA are protected by the FSCS up to £85,000. This includes, for example, eligible deposits in current accounts, savings accounts, cash ISAs or savings bonds.

A limit applies to the total eligible deposits of each person, per PRA-authorised firm. So for deposits in a joint account, this means that each account holder is protected up to the deposit protection limit, ie the total protection adds up to two times £85,000.

A PRA-authorised firm may own several banking and building society brands. This means that anyone who has deposits in more than one account under a single brand, or multiple accounts under different brands owned by a single firm, is only protected up to a total of £85,000 across all these accounts.

There will be temporary deposit protection for up to 6 months above the £85,000 limit for certain types of deposits classified as temporary high balances, such as the proceeds from private property sales. Protection will be up to £1million in most cases.

People with eligible deposits that add up to more than the deposit protection limit may wish to take steps to keep their deposits fully protected (eg by splitting their deposits across different PRA-authorised firms).

In March 2023, we amended the rules in the Depositor Protection Part of the PRA rulebook to clarify the protection available to eligible customers of e-money institutions (EMI), authorised payment institutions or small payment institutions (together PI), and credit unions (in respect of e-money), if a credit institution holding such firms’ safeguarded funds were to fail. In the event of such a failure, each end customer would be considered against the eligibility requirements and eligible customers would be separately protected up to the £85,000 limit.

Lists of the banking brands and building society brands that share FSCS protection

Lists of the banking and building society brands that share FSCS protection with other brands are available below. These show:

  • certain banking and building society brands;
  • the PRA-authorised firm that owns that brand;
  • the unique ‘firm reference number’ (FRN) of that PRA-authorised firm; and
  • other brands owned by the same PRA-authorised firm that share the same FSCS protection.

A PRA-authorised bank or building society may use several brands. This means that anyone who has deposits in more than one account under a single brand, or multiple accounts under different brands owned by a single firm, is only protected up to a total of £85,000 across all of these accounts.

Not all banks and building societies protected by the FSCS are included on these lists – the lists include only those brands which share FSCS depositor protection coverage with other brands. If your bank or building society does not appear on these lists, you can ask them directly how your money is protected or check the Financial Services Register. The ‘Which firms does the PRA regulate?’ page includes lists of PRA-authorised banks and building societies which are updated monthly. Generally, following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, eligible depositors of PRA-authorised banks and building societies are protected by the FSCS if the firm holds their deposits in the UK (see below for further information).

Banks and building societies whose deposits are FSCS protected are also required to display FSCS posters at branches listing the brands that share protection, provide depositors with an annual information sheet describing protection, and include a statement regarding protection on depositor statements of account.

Insurance contracts: compensation scheme coverage

To be protected by the FSCS, insurance policyholders must have a protected insurance contract and be eligible to receive compensation.

Protected insurance policies

To be protected, an insurance policy issued following the end of the transition period generally must:

  1. Be a ‘relevant’ general insurance contract or a long-term insurance contract. Further details on the types of general insurance contracts and long-term insurance contracts protected by the FSCS can be found in the policyholder protection part of the PRA Rulebook.
  2. Not be a reinsurance contract.
  3. Generally be issued by a UK authorised firm through an establishment in the UK, Gibraltar, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
  4. Relate to a protected risk or commitment:
    • For more information on how ’risk or commitment’ is determined, refer to Chapter 9 of the Policyholder Protection Part of the PRA Rulebook.

Eligible claimants

Not all policyholders are eligible to claim compensation from the FSCS. For claims relating to general insurance, most private individuals and small businesses are eligible for protection. For long-term insurance most claimants, including large businesses, are eligible for protection.

Provided that the claim is a protected contract of insurance, there are no exclusions from eligibility for claims under insurance contracts that cover compulsory insurance

Amounts of compensation: insurers

If, on and from 3 July 2015, an insurance firm has been declared in default and the FSCS is satisfied that a claim is protected and the claimant is eligible (in accordance with policyholder protection rules), the following compensation from the FSCS is available:

Compensation for general insurance contracts

  • Where the claim is in respect of a liability subject to compulsory insurance, a liability subject to professional indemnity insurance, or death or incapacity of the policyholder due to injury, sickness or infirmity: 100% of the claim.
  • All other cases: 90% of the claim.

Compensation for long-term insurance contracts

  • 100% of the claim is available for all long-term insurance claims.

For general insurance, the FSCS must calculate the value of the firm’s liability to the claimant in accordance with the contract terms, and pay that amount, subject to any limits, to the claimant.

For long-term insurance, unless the FSCS is trying to secure continuity of cover, it must calculate the value of the firm’s liability to the claimant in accordance with the contract terms as valued in a liquidation of the insurer, or in the absence of this, in accordance with valuation techniques that the FSCS considers appropriate.

This may mean that policyholders will lose some of the value. 

List of insurers operating in the United Kingdom

A list of UK-authorised insurers, Gibraltar-authorised insurers and insurers incorporated in the European Economic Area (EEA) with deemed Part 4A permission in Supervision Run-Off (SRO) can be found on the ‘Which firms does the PRA regulate?’ page.

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This page was last updated 09 April 2025