FEES 5.5B Case fees

4FEES 5.5B applies to respondents.

Any firm falling into either industry block 13 or industry block 15 in FEES 5 Annex 1 R is not required to pay any case fee in respect of chargeable cases relating to those industry blocks.

A credit union or a community finance organisation9 which is subject to the minimum levy in an industry block is not required to pay any case fee in respect of chargeable cases relating to that industry block.

1. (1)

   Any of the following persons which is exempt under DISP 1.1.12R is also exempt from FEES 5.5B:1

   1. (a)

      a firm;1

   2. (b)

      a payment service provider;1

   3. (c)

      an electronic money issuer; 2

      1
   4. (d)

      a designated credit reference agency; and2

      1
   5. (e)

      2a designated finance platform.

2. (2)

   However, a person will only be exempt from FEES 5.5B in any financial year if it met the conditions in DISP 1.1.12R on 31 March of the immediately preceding financial year.1

The purpose of FEES 5.5B is to set out the requirements on respondents to pay fees in relation to cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

These fees are towards funding the Financial Ombudsman Service, and are invoiced and collected directly by the FOS Ltd.

A respondent must pay to the FOS Ltd the standard case fee specified in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 1 in respect of each chargeable case relating to that respondent which is closed by the Financial Ombudsman Service during a financial year (regardless of when the chargeable case was referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service)7, unless the respondent is identified as part of a charging group as defined in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 3.

But a respondent will only be liable for, and the FOS Ltd will only invoice for, the standard case fee in respect of the 4th 8and subsequent chargeable cases which are closed by the Financial Ombudsman Service7 in any financial year.

A respondent must pay to the FOS Ltd any standard case fee which it is liable to pay under FEES 5.5B and which is invoiced by the FOS Ltd within 30 calendar days of the date when the invoice is issued by the FOS Ltd.

If the respondent is identified as part of a charging group as defined in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 3, the charging group must pay the special case fee calculated under FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 4 (from 1 April 2013) instead of the respondent paying the standard case fee.

The FOS Ltd:

1. (1)

   will invoice the special case fee as described in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 4; and

2. (2)

   may invoice the relevant charging group through any of the individual respondents in the relevant charging group.

A charging group must pay to the FOS Ltd any special case fee (including any year-end adjustment) as described in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 4 within 30 calendar days of the date when the invoice is issued by the FOS Ltd.

In respect of the special case fee, individual respondents are jointly and individually liable for the obligations of the charging group of which they are identified as forming part in FEES 5 Annex 3R Part 3.

Where a respondent ceases to be a firm, payment service provider, electronic money issuer, CBTL firm, 6a designated credit reference agency, a designated finance platform, VJ participant or claims management company3 (as the case may be) part way through a financial year it will remain liable to pay case fees under FEES 5.5B in respect of cases within the jurisdiction of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If a respondent does not pay a case fee payable under FEES 5.5B in full to the FOS Ltd before the end of the date on which it is due, that respondent must pay to the FOS Ltd in addition:

1. (1)

   an administrative fee of £250; plus

2. (2)

   interest on any unpaid amount at the rate of 5% per annum above the Official Bank Rate from time to time, accruing on a daily basis from the date on which the amount concerned became due.

In relation to any case fee which was invoiced by FOS Ltd under FEES 5.5B on or after 1 April 2023, no claim for the remission or repayment of all or part of the case fee (or any interest or administrative fee due under FEES 5.5B.25R in relation to it) may be made to FOS Ltd more than 1 year after the date on which the case fee was invoiced (irrespective of when or whether the amounts in question were paid to FOS Ltd).9

In relation to a case fee which was invoiced by FOS Ltd under FEES 5.5B before 1 April 2023, and subject to any rule of law prescribing a shorter time period for making such a claim, no claim for the remission or repayment of all or part of the case fee (or any interest or administrative fee due under FEES 5.5B.25R in relation to it) may be made to FOS Ltd on or after 31 March 2024 (irrespective of when or whether the amounts in question were paid to FOS Ltd).9

The FOS Ltd may allow a claim to be made outside the time limits prescribed in FEES 5.5B.27R and FEES 5.5B.28R if it is satisfied that the failure to make a claim within the time limits prescribed was as a result of exceptional circumstances.9