RBI Banking Ombudsman: can you file yet, and how long have you got?

How this calculator works

The calculator applies four rules from the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, in the order the Ombudsman itself applies them. Nothing you type is transmitted anywhere; the whole calculation runs in your browser.

1. 1Maintainability first. If the same subject matter is pending before, or has been decided by, a court, tribunal, arbitrator or another forum, the complaint is not maintainable and the dates do not matter.
2. 2Then the precondition. A complaint lies to the Ombudsman only after a written complaint to the bank, and only where either no reply came within 30 days or the reply is unsatisfactory. If the bank has already replied and you are dissatisfied, eligibility arises at once — the 30-day wait applies to silence, not to a rejection.
3. 3Then the window start. The 90 days run from the expiry of the 30-day period, or from the bank's last communication, whichever is later. This is why supplying the reply date changes the answer: a late reply pushes the deadline out, an early one does not pull it in.
4. 4Then the window end. Ninety days are added to that start date, and the result is compared with today. Day 90 is still within the window; day 91 is not.
5. 5Finally the amount, if you enter one, is checked against the ₹30 lakh consequential-loss ceiling — not to decide eligibility, but to tell you whether the whole claim can be recovered through this route.

What changed on 1 July 2026

The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 came into force on 1 July 2026 and repealed the 2021 scheme. Compensation went up and the filing window came down sharply, and a great deal of published guidance in India still describes the older rules.

When the Ombudsman will not hear your complaint at all

A significant share of complaints are closed without any decision on the merits, because they were never maintainable. Reading this before you file saves a wasted month.

• You did not complain to the bank in writing first, or you filed before the 30-day period expired.
• You filed outside the 90-day window.
• The complaint concerns a commercial judgment of the bank — its decision to grant or refuse a loan, its pricing, its choice of products.
• The dispute is between the bank and its vendor, or between two regulated entities.
• It is an employment matter between the bank and its staff.
• The same subject matter is pending before, or has been decided by, a court, tribunal, arbitrator or another forum.
• The bank acted in compliance with a court order or a statutory direction.
• The service complained of is outside the RBI's regulatory purview.
• The grievance relates to credit information, for which a remedy exists under the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act.
• The complaint is frivolous, vexatious, or made without sufficient cause.

What to have ready before you file at cms.rbi.org.in

1. 1The bank complaint reference or Service Request number, and the date it was raised.
2. 2A copy of the written complaint you sent, and the bank's reply if there was one.
3. 3Your account number, the registered mobile number, and the branch.
4. 4The transaction details: date, amount and the UTR, RRN or transaction ID.
5. 5A bank statement extract covering the disputed period, showing the debit and the absence of any credit.
6. 6The relief you are seeking, itemised: the principal, any compensation for delay, reversal of consequential charges, and a written explanation.
7. 7For a fraud, the acknowledgement number from cybercrime.gov.in and the 1930 call reference.

What happens after you file

Filing is free, entirely online, and does not require a lawyer. The Ombudsman may attempt to settle the complaint by agreement between you and the bank; failing that, it may pass an award.

1. 1The complaint is registered and given a reference number on cms.rbi.org.in, which you can use to track it.
2. 2It is examined for maintainability. A complaint that fails on the preconditions is closed at this stage.
3. 3The bank is asked to respond, and the Ombudsman may attempt a settlement by agreement.
4. 4If no settlement is reached, the Ombudsman may pass an award directing the bank to pay the amount and any compensation.
5. 5An award lapses unless you send the bank a letter of acceptance in full and final settlement within 30 days of the award.
6. 6If you are dissatisfied with the award, an appeal lies to the Appellate Authority within 30 days of receiving it, extendable by a further 30 days for sufficient cause.

What this calculator does not decide

• It does not decide the merits. Being eligible to file says nothing about whether the Ombudsman will find in your favour.
• It uses 30 days as the wait. Where a specific product carries a longer prescribed timeline under RBI, NPCI or card-network rules, that longer period governs.
• It does not assess whether your particular grievance falls within the Ombudsman's subject-matter jurisdiction beyond the pending-elsewhere question.
• It does not compute compensation. The amount check only tells you whether the claim sits inside the ₹30 lakh consequential-loss ceiling.
• It cannot know about correspondence you have not entered. A later communication from the bank moves the window start, and with it the deadline.

Worked examples