Eligibility check

Can I file yet?

11 of my 40 complaints were closed without anyone looking at the merits. Six questions would have caught every one. Nothing you enter leaves this page.

1. Is the complaint against a bank, NBFC, wallet or prepaid issuer, or a credit bureau? Yes No. It is an insurer, broker, mutual fund, or a shop or seller

2. Have you complained to that entity in writing? Yes, by email, web form or letter, and I have a copy No, or I have no proof that I did

3. What has happened since? They replied and I am not satisfied, or they rejected it More than 30 days have passed with no reply Fewer than 30 days have passed and there is no final reply Their last reply was more than 90 days ago

4. What do you want the Ombudsman to do? Fix an error, refund money, give information, or compensate for delay or poor handling Make them approve my loan, card or limit, or change a rate or fee they are entitled to set Make them change how their systems or processes work

5. Is the same dispute before a court, consumer commission, tribunal or arbitrator, or already decided by one? No Yes

6. Have you already filed this with the RBI Ombudsman? No Yes, it is pending or was closed

Work out your dates

Enter the date the entity received your written complaint. Add the date of its final reply if you have one.

Complaint to the entity Its final reply (optional)

Based on clause 10(1)(f) and (g) of the 2026 Scheme. For complaints the bank had more than 30 days to resolve under RBI, NPCI or card network rules, count from the end of that longer period.

The ways a complaint gets thrown out

These are the grounds I have met, with the closure wording and the case.

Filed before 30 days ("first resort complaint")

The entity must first receive a written complaint and either reject it, give an unsatisfactory reply, or stay silent for 30 days.

Cases: SBI Cards 2024, American Express 2026, Kotak 2026. Closed in 2, 8 and 4 days.

Avoid it: file on day 31, or the day you get a written rejection. A long-running problem still needs a fresh written complaint and a fresh 30 days.

Commercial decision of the entity

"No complaint for deficiency in service shall lie under the Scheme in matters involving commercial judgment/decision of a Regulated Entity."

Cases: HDFC 2024, AU Small Finance Bank 2024, Federal 2025.

Avoid it: do not ask for approval of credit. Complain about the missing reason, the delay or the wrong information. That version succeeded.

Same matter already pending or decided

A complaint is maintainable only if it does not relate to a grievance already pending before, or settled or dealt with on merits by, the Ombudsman.

Cases: Axis 2025, ICICI 2025, TransUnion CIBIL 2026.

Avoid it: add to the open case by email. After closure, file again only on a new event.

Not a valid complaint: suggestions or queries

"The complaint is not a valid complaint as it does not indicate any deficiency in service and is in the nature of suggestions, queries etc."

Case: TransUnion CIBIL 2026.

Avoid it: one specific failure, one specific remedy.

Not addressed to the Ombudsman directly

An email on which the RBI was only copied.

Case: IndusInd 2026.

Avoid it: file on the portal. Keep the RBI off the cc line of your bank emails.

Other grounds in clause 10 that I have not met

The same grievance is pending before, or was decided on merits by, a court, tribunal, arbitrator or other judicial forum. Criminal proceedings and police investigations do not count.
The complaint is filed through an advocate who is not the aggrieved person.
It is filed more than 90 days after the bank's deadline or last communication.
The complaint to the bank was itself made after the limitation period for the claim.
It is incomplete, or abusive, frivolous or vexatious.
It is a grievance against the entity's management or executives, an employer–employee dispute, or a vendor's dispute with the entity.
It concerns a service the RBI does not regulate, or an entity the Scheme does not cover.
It arises from the entity complying with an order of a court or statutory authority.
It is a credit information dispute for which section 18 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act provides a remedy.