Complain to the bank, lender or super fund first, in writing, and give it the time ASIC allows: 30 calendar days for most complaints, 45 for a super fund, and 21 for a credit complaint about a default notice or financial hardship. If the firm does not fix it in that time, or you disagree with its final answer, take the complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). It costs you nothing.
Claim Done’s Bank, Lender or Super Complaint (AFCA) pack writes both documents for A$97: the formal complaint to the firm, and the complaint statement you lodge with AFCA yourself if it gets that far. What follows is the rulebook those two documents are built on, so you know exactly what the firm owes you and by when.
Why does the complaint go to the firm first?
Because the system is built that way. AFCA’s own make a complaint page says the first step “is usually to raise it with them directly”, and under rule A.5.2 of the AFCA Complaint Resolution Scheme Rules AFCA will normally refer a new complaint back to the firm and set a timeframe for it to resolve the complaint or state its position. Skip the firm and you mostly add a lap.
Every bank, lender, credit card issuer, super trustee and licensed financial adviser must run an internal dispute resolution (IDR) process that meets ASIC’s standards in Regulatory Guide 271, and must belong to AFCA. ASIC’s buy now pay later licensing page says that from 10 June 2025 anyone engaging in credit activities involving buy now pay later contracts must hold an Australian credit licence and be an AFCA member.
You do not have to say the word “complaint” or put it in writing to start the process (RG 271.30), and the IDR process must be free (RG 271.141). Write it down anyway. A letter fixes the date the clock starts.
How long does the firm have to give a final answer?
RG 271 sets maximum timeframes in calendar days, and Day 1 is the first day after the firm receives your complaint.
| Complaint type | Maximum time for the final (IDR) response | Where in RG 271 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard complaints: bank accounts, fees, loans, credit cards, buy now pay later, financial advice | 30 calendar days | RG 271.56 and Table 2 |
| Super fund trustee complaints, other than death benefits | 45 calendar days | RG 271.79 and Table 2 |
| Super death benefit distributions | 90 calendar days after the 28-day objection period ends | RG 271.80 to RG 271.85 |
| Credit complaints involving a default notice | 21 calendar days | RG 271.86 and Table 2 |
| Credit complaints involving a hardship notice or a request to postpone enforcement | 21 calendar days, with set exceptions if the lender needs more information or you reach agreement | RG 271.92 to RG 271.93 |
A worked example: email your complaint to the bank on Thursday 1 October 2026 and Day 1 is Friday 2 October. The 30th calendar day is Saturday 31 October 2026. Weekends count.
Two exceptions matter. If the firm resolves the complaint to your satisfaction by the end of the fifth business day, or gives you an explanation or apology where it can reasonably do nothing more, it does not have to send a formal IDR response (RG 271.71). And if a complaint is genuinely complex, or delayed by something outside the firm’s control, the firm can run past the deadline, but only if it sends you an IDR delay notification before the deadline expires. That notice must give the reasons for the delay, your right to go to AFCA and AFCA’s contact details (RG 271.64 to RG 271.66). ASIC’s note is blunt: a delay notification does not stop you escalating to AFCA.
Credit complaints about a default notice carry an extra protection. Under RG 271.89, the credit provider or debt collector must not start or continue legal proceedings or debt collection against you while the complaint is at IDR and for a reasonable time afterwards, unless a limitation period is about to run out. ASIC says it also expects firms to follow this while they consider a hardship notice or a request to postpone enforcement, and that a reasonable time to lodge with AFCA after the IDR response is at least 14 calendar days (RG 271.91).
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who is this about?
2. How much is at stake?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Where should we send it?
What must the firm’s final response contain?
A one-line “we have reviewed your concerns” does not cut it. Under RG 271.53 the IDR response must tell you:
- the final outcome, either confirming what the firm has done to fully resolve the complaint, or giving reasons for rejecting it in whole or in part;
- that you have the right to take the complaint to AFCA if you are not satisfied; and
- AFCA’s contact details.
If the firm rejects the complaint, even partly, RG 271.54 requires it to identify and address each issue you raised, set out its findings on material questions of fact with the information that supports them, and give enough detail for you to understand the decision and decide whether to go further.
So number your issues. The firm’s response has to deal with each number, and a skipped one is easy to spot, for you and later for AFCA.
Ready to put it in writing?
Claim Done drafts your letter, application, response or agreement from your answers, from A$29. You review and approve it before anything is sent or lodged. No lawyer's retainer, no subscription.
When can you take the complaint to AFCA?
When the firm’s maximum timeframe passes without a final response, or when you have the final response and do not accept it. AFCA calls itself a free, fair and independent service. You can lodge online (AFCA says the form takes 30 to 50 minutes), by email, by post, or by phone on 1800 931 678 on weekdays.
AFCA generally accepts complaints about credit, finance and loans, banking deposits and payments, superannuation, investments and financial advice, and insurance. It cannot help if the firm is not an AFCA member, if a court has already decided the matter, or if the complaint is out of time. Its rules factsheet adds that it does not review a lender’s assessment of a borrower’s credit risk, except in cases of irresponsible lending or financial hardship.
AFCA first passes the complaint to the firm to try to resolve it with you. While it is open, the firm must not begin legal proceedings against you about it, recover the disputed debt or list a default on your credit file, although AFCA can allow some steps on conditions. Interest can keep running.
What are AFCA’s time limits?
These come from section B.4 of the AFCA Rules, in the version released on 12 March 2026.
| Type of complaint | Deadline to lodge with AFCA | AFCA Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Most complaints: banking, credit, fees, financial advice | The earlier of six years from when you became aware (or should reasonably have become aware) of the loss, and two years from the firm’s final IDR response | B.4.3.1 |
| Financial hardship variation, unjust transaction or unconscionable interest and charges under the National Credit Code | The later of two years from when the credit contract ends, and two years from the IDR response | B.4.2.1 |
| Most superannuation complaints | Two years from the IDR response | B.4.1.5 |
| Super death benefit payments | Object to the trustee within 28 days of notice of the proposed decision, then lodge with AFCA within 28 days of notice of the final decision | B.4.1.3 |
| Total and permanent disability (TPD) decisions | Four years from the decision if you stopped work because of the condition (and claimed within two years of stopping); six years if you did not stop work because of it | B.4.1.1 |
AFCA may accept a late complaint under rules B.4.1.5, B.4.2 and B.4.3 if special circumstances apply (B.4.4.2). It will not extend the TPD, death benefit and tax statement limits in rules B.4.1.1 to B.4.1.4 at all (B.4.4.1).
The trap sits in the first row, in the word “earlier”. Say you noticed an overcharge in 2025 and the bank’s final response rejected your complaint on 10 March 2026. The six-year clock would run into 2031, but the two-year clock from the IDR response ends on 10 March 2028, and that is the one that counts. A final response does not buy you time. It starts a shorter countdown.
How much can AFCA award?
AFCA publishes these limits on its rules factsheet:
| AFCA limit (complaints received from 1 January 2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Claim limit, generally | $1,263,000 |
| Compensation cap for most claims of direct financial loss | $631,500 |
| Small business loan (credit facility under $6.3 million) | $1,263,500 |
| Superannuation complaints | No cap |
| Indirect financial loss, per claim (such as loss of profits) | $6,300 |
| Non-financial loss, per claim (such as an unusual amount of physical inconvenience) | $6,300 |
Interest and limited costs may be awarded on top. Remedies include paying money, forgiving or varying a debt, refunding a fee, varying an interest rate and varying a credit contract for hardship. If you accept a determination, the firm generally must implement it within 30 days.
For a few hundred dollars in fees or a stalled rollover, the caps never come into play. They matter for a lost investment.
What does the Claim Done AFCA complaint pack include?
The Bank, Lender or Super Complaint (AFCA) costs a flat A$97 and gives you two documents, usually ready about five minutes after you answer the questions:
- A formal complaint to the firm under its internal dispute resolution process. It sets out what happened with your dates and amounts, why you are dissatisfied, the fix you want, the RG 271 timeframe that applies to your complaint and what the final response must contain. Where hardship or a default notice is involved, it asks the lender to hold off enforcement while the complaint is at IDR.
- A complaint statement for AFCA, ready for you to lodge yourself if the firm does not resolve it in time or you disagree with its answer.
You review both, download them, send the letter to the firm and, if needed, lodge the statement with AFCA. Claim Done does not lodge or submit anything for you, and Claim Done is not a law firm. Insurance claims and scam losses have their own packs, the Insurance Complaint (AFCA) and the Scam Recovery Letter, each A$97.
Why pay when AFCA is free? AFCA still is. The A$97 buys a complaint that names the right obligations and deadline and gives the firm a numbered list to answer, done in one sitting instead of an evening with ASIC’s guide. See how it works or compare all prices.
To start, go to claimdone.com.au/begin, choose Bank, Lender or Super Complaint (AFCA), and tell us who the firm is, which account or loan it concerns and what went wrong. Your complaint letter and AFCA statement are ready to review and download straight after.
Facts checked against ASIC Regulatory Guide 271 Internal dispute resolution (issued 2 September 2021), the AFCA Complaint Resolution Scheme Rules (12 March 2026 version), AFCA’s make a complaint page and rules factsheet, and ASIC’s buy now pay later licensing page on 29 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to complain to AFCA?
Yes. AFCA describes itself as a free, fair and independent service for consumers and small businesses. Under ASIC Regulatory Guide 271 the firm's own internal dispute resolution process must also be free to complainants.
Do I have to complain to my bank before going to AFCA?
Usually, yes. AFCA says the first step is usually to raise the problem with the firm directly, and under rule A.5.2 of its Rules it will normally refer a new complaint back to the firm with a timeframe to resolve it. Complaining to the firm first in writing saves that round trip.
What if my bank does not reply within 30 days?
If the maximum timeframe passes without a final response or a valid IDR delay notification, you can take the complaint to AFCA. Even when the firm sends a delay notification, ASIC says that does not stop you escalating to AFCA.
How long does a super fund have to answer a complaint?
Under RG 271, a superannuation trustee must give its final response no later than 45 calendar days after receiving the complaint. Complaints about death benefit distributions have their own timeframe of 90 calendar days after the 28-day objection period ends.
Can I complain to AFCA about a buy now pay later provider?
Yes, if the provider is an AFCA member. ASIC says that from 10 June 2025 anyone engaging in credit activities involving buy now pay later contracts must hold an Australian credit licence and be a member of AFCA.
What happens when you put it in writing — properly
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.