What automatic compensation is
Automatic compensation is a set payment your broadband provider gives you when certain things go wrong. You don't have to fill in a form, argue your case or even ask. The scheme is voluntary: providers choose to sign up to an industry Code of Practice backed by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. It started on 1 April 2019.
The code requires payments in three situations (providers can add others):
- Your service stops completely and isn't fixed in time (a "delayed repair").
- Your new service, upgrade or switch isn't working by the date you were promised (a "delayed start").
- An engineer misses a confirmed appointment, or it's cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice.
The scheme covers residential landline and fixed broadband, the kind that comes into your home through a line or cable. Business services aren't covered. ISPreview reported at the launch that the scheme doesn't extend to mobile networks, so 4G and 5G home broadband may not be covered. If you use one, check that provider's own terms.
ISPreview reported in April 2026 that providers paid more than £63 million in about a million payments during 2024. Delayed starts were the biggest share, at £41.6 million.
How much you get (amounts from 1 April 2026)
The code sets minimum amounts, which go up each April with inflation. Providers can pay more. These are the minimum rates for problems that start on or after 1 April 2026:
What went wrong | When it applies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Delayed repair | You've reported a total loss of service and it isn't fixed by 11.59pm two working days after your report | £10.34 once that deadline passes, then £10.34 for each further full calendar day it stays broken |
Delayed start | Your service isn't working by 11.59pm on the start date your provider first confirmed in writing | £6.46 for the missed date, then £6.46 for each further full calendar day of delay |
Missed appointment | An engineer doesn't turn up to a confirmed appointment, or it's cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice | £32.31 per missed appointment |
When the scheme started in 2019 the amounts were £8 a day, £5 a day and £25. They now go up every 1 April by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate as it stood on 31 October the year before. The new rates apply to problems that begin from 1 April, so a fault that started in March is paid at the old rate. Figures checked October 2026.
Two more points:
- It's one payment per order, not per service. If your landline and broadband go down at the same time, you get one daily payment, not two.
- The provider responsible for the fault pays. If you get your phone line and your broadband from different companies, the company where the fault started pays.
Which providers are signed up
Ofcom's list of providers in the scheme (last updated 20 July 2026, checked October 2026) is:
- BT
- EE
- Hyperoptic
- Plusnet
- Sky, including NOW Broadband
- TalkTalk (Ofcom notes that "restrictions apply" for customers who aren't on the Openreach network).
- Utility Warehouse
- Virgin Media
- Vodafone
- Zen Internet
ISPreview reports that these providers serve 97% of landline customers and 91% of broadband customers. Zen says it was one of the first providers to join when the scheme launched in April 2019. You can read more about each provider on our Zen broadband deals page and the other provider pages linked from our guide to UK broadband providers.
That leaves a lot of smaller providers, including many full fibre "altnets" (alternative networks that build their own lines), outside the scheme. Some publish their own compensation rules in their terms, and these can differ a lot. Here are some examples, checked in October 2026:
- Gigaclear isn't on Ofcom's list. It publishes its own compensation scheme for residential switches (more on that below). See our Gigaclear broadband deals page.
- Connect Fibre says in its residential terms that it may credit full fibre broadband customers two days of service for each day a fault runs beyond four business days. It covers the broadband only, not phone or Mesh Wi-Fi, and it isn't automatic: you have to ask Customer Service within 14 days of the outage, and later requests won't be considered. See our Connect Fibre page.
- Rise Fibre took on about 120,000 TalkTalk broadband customers, mostly on the CityFibre network, in August 2026. It isn't on Ofcom's list, so if you were moved to Rise, check its own terms. See our Rise Fibre page.
If compensation matters to you, check before you sign up. The comparison on our broadband deals page shows live deals for your postcode. Before you pick one, check the provider against the list above or search its terms for "compensation". Every provider in the scheme must publish its scheme in plain English on its website, including any compensation it offers beyond the code, and tell you about it in writing, in a form you can keep, when you sign up.
Broadband stopped working: compensation for slow repairs
This is the payment most people need. The one thing you must do is report the fault to your provider. The clock doesn't start until you report it. Our guide on how to report a broadband fault explains how to do that well. If you're not yet sure whether the problem is at your end, start with what to do when your broadband is down.
What counts as a total loss of service
The code only requires payment for a total loss of service caused by an unplanned problem on the provider's network. The provider confirms the fault with an engineer visit or by testing your line remotely.
- For broadband, a total loss means you can't reach the public internet at all.
- For a landline, it means you can't make any calls or receive any calls, or calls only work one way.
Virgin Media's own terms add a Wi-Fi point: a total loss means no internet over a wired connection, so losing only Wi-Fi doesn't count. Whoever your provider is, a wired test settles the question, so before you call, plug a laptop straight into the router if you can.
These problems are not covered:
- Slow speeds. Your provider's speed promises are a separate matter (see our guide to minimum speed guarantees).
- Intermittent faults, where the connection keeps dropping but comes back. If you and the provider disagree about whether a loss was total or intermittent, the code says it's up to the provider to show evidence. Our guide on broadband that keeps dropping out covers what to do instead.
- Planned work that the provider told you about in advance.
When the clock starts and how days are counted
Under the code, the first payment is due if a total loss isn't fixed by 11.59pm on the day two working days after you report it. The code calls this the "payment trigger time". Its example: report a fault on Monday, and compensation is due if it isn't fixed by 11.59pm on Wednesday. After that, the code requires one more payment for each full calendar day, weekends included, that the service stays broken. Ofcom's consumer page puts it the same way: an initial £10.34, then £10.34 for each full day it's still not fixed.
Here's how that works out in an example where a fault is reported on Monday and fixed the following Monday:
- On the code's wording: one payment when the Wednesday 11.59pm deadline passes, plus one each for the full days of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That's five payments of £10.34, or at least £51.70.
- BT's own published example for the same case says BT pays £41.36: four days at £10.34, for Thursday to Sunday.
If your credit looks a day short, ask your provider to show how it counted the days, and quote the code's wording on the payment trigger time.
Weekends and bank holidays matter at the start. BT counts working days as Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. On that basis, a fault reported on a Friday wouldn't be overdue until 11.59pm the following Tuesday.
Two more rules affect the start time:
- Out-of-hours reports: if you report a fault outside your provider's usual fault-reporting hours, the clock starts at 9am on the next working day.
- Priority Fault Repair: if you're registered for Priority Fault Repair, the clock starts when the provider first knew about the problem, even if that was before you reported it.
If you ask for a later repair date than the first one offered, compensation may not be due. More on that below.
New service late: compensation for a delayed start
When you order broadband, your provider confirms a start date (sometimes called an activation or go-live date). If the service isn't working by 11.59pm on the date it first confirmed in writing, you're owed £6.46 for the missed date. You're then owed £6.46 for each full calendar day after that, until the first new date the provider offers, or until you cancel if that's sooner. You don't need to do anything to get it.
"Your service" is wider than a brand-new line. The code covers:
- New connections.
- Upgrades that start a new minimum contract period, such as moving up to full fibre with your existing provider.
- Migrations your provider arranges itself.
- Switching from another provider.
There's also a rule about the router. If it hasn't arrived by your start date and you tell your provider, delayed-start compensation can apply, unless the provider can show proof that it posted the router. So if the box doesn't turn up, tell your provider before the start date and note when you did.
BT gives this example: activation was due on a Monday but finished on the Friday, and BT paid £25.84. That's four days at £6.46. Our guide to broadband installation lead times explains how start dates are set and why they sometimes move.
If your switch goes wrong
When you switch provider using One Touch Switch, Ofcom's switching process, your new provider arranges the move. These switching rules apply to every provider, whether or not it's in the voluntary scheme. Ofcom says any loss of service during a switch must not last longer than one working day, and that providers must compensate you if things go wrong. That includes being left without service for more than one working day, or a provider missing a service or installation appointment.
For providers in the voluntary scheme, the delayed-start and missed-appointment payments above apply to switches too. Ofcom's switching page doesn't list amounts, so for other providers check the terms. Gigaclear, which isn't in the voluntary scheme, is an example. Its One Touch Switch scheme pays £6.46 for a missed switch date plus £6.46 for each further full calendar day, and £32.31 for a missed installation appointment, as bill credits it says are applied in line with Ofcom requirements. It covers residential One Touch Switch orders only.
If your switch has gone wrong in other ways, such as the wrong line being taken over or two providers billing you, see our guide to fixing broadband switching problems.
Engineer didn't turn up: compensation for a missed appointment
If your provider confirmed an engineer appointment for an installation or a repair and nobody came, you're owed £32.31 per missed appointment. The same applies if the appointment was cancelled or changed with less than 24 hours' notice. You don't have to claim.
It isn't payable if:
- The provider changed or cancelled the appointment at least 24 hours in advance.
- You agreed to a different time slot on the day.
- The engineer couldn't get in because you weren't home, or you didn't give access.
The missed-appointment payment is on top of any delayed-start or delayed-repair compensation. For example, suppose the four-day late activation in BT's example happened because an engineer didn't turn up to a confirmed installation appointment. You'd be due £25.84 for the delay plus £32.31 for the missed appointment, a total of £58.15.
Get every appointment confirmed in writing, by email, text or in your online account, with the date and time slot.
When you won't be paid
The code lists situations where the provider doesn't have to pay. The main ones are:
- The fault is in your home. For example, your own equipment or internal wiring is to blame, or something done inside the home caused it.
- You caused the delay or stopped it being fixed. For example, you didn't take the first repair date offered, asked for a later appointment, didn't let the engineer in, or the place wasn't safe to work in.
- You've broken your contract terms.
- The report was fraudulent, frivolous or vexatious.
- Rare national emergencies where the government has made emergency regulations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, if the provider couldn't reasonably have avoided the problem.
- Legal hold-ups. For example, an engineer may need permission to work on someone else's land, called a "wayleave" (see our guide to broadband wayleaves). Compensation is paused only while the request for permission is with the body that decides it.
What isn't on the list matters too. Extreme weather, strikes and acts by third parties don't stop compensation. Ofcom says you're still paid for these unless an exclusion applies. If a provider says an exclusion applies, Ofcom expects it to explain why clearly. Even when a provider has a genuine reason not to pay, Ofcom says you shouldn't be charged for a service you aren't getting, so ask for that part of your bill back.
How and when it's paid
Compensation is normally a credit on your bill, unless you agree to something else. It must be added to your account within 30 calendar days of the fault being fixed, the missed appointment, or the late start being sorted out or cancelled. Because of billing cycles, it may not show until a later bill.
A provider can offer something else instead, worth the same or more, as long as it tells you how much the bill credit would have been. The bill-credit option must be offered just as clearly. If you won't be getting any more bills, for example because you've left, the compensation must be paid as money.
If the problem goes on for weeks
Once payments have been running for 30 days, a provider can send you a cease notice, which says that payments will stop on a date at least 30 days later. The notice must tell you that you can cancel without early termination charges before that date, and that you can still complain and use the free dispute service described below. After the cease date the provider must take reasonable steps to give you a suitable alternative service. If it can't, you're still entitled to compensation.
Providers can set their own limits within these rules. BT, for example, says it pays compensation for a total loss of service or a late activation for up to 60 days. It also says that if the problem isn't fixed within 30 days, you can end your contract without termination charges. That's BT's own policy, so check what your provider says. If you're thinking of leaving, our guide to leaving broadband without an exit fee covers your other options. You can then compare what's on offer at your address on our broadband deals page.
A simple checklist to make sure you're paid
- Check your provider is in the scheme, or find its own compensation terms.
- Keep the written confirmation of your start date. The delayed-start clock runs from the date first confirmed in writing.
- Report faults straight away and note the date, time and fault reference.
- Take the first repair or installation date offered unless you really can't.
- Make sure someone is in for the whole slot, and the engineer can reach your router, master socket or fibre box.
- Tell the provider if the router hasn't arrived by your start date.
- Note when the service came back, then check your bills over the next 30 days or so for the credit, at the rates in force when the problem started.
If you haven't been paid what you're owed
If the credit hasn't appeared, or looks too small:
- Check your bills and account. Look for a compensation line, which may appear on the bill after the one you expected.
- Contact your provider with your fault or order reference, the dates and your calculation. Ask it to explain how it worked out the amount, or why it says an exclusion applies.
- Make a formal complaint if that doesn't settle it. Our guide on how to complain about your broadband provider walks you through it.
- Go to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) if the complaint isn't resolved. ADR is free and independent. Since 8 April 2026 you can go to ADR six weeks after you first complained (Ofcom cut the wait from eight weeks). You can go sooner if your complaint has reached "deadlock", meaning the provider says it can't resolve it. Ofcom approves two schemes, CISAS and the Communications Ombudsman.
The code says you can use ADR to dispute both whether you're entitled to compensation and how much you're owed. Automatic compensation also doesn't take away your other legal rights. If a fault cost you more than the scheme pays, you can still raise that with your provider.
Broadband automatic compensation FAQs
How much automatic compensation do I get if my broadband stops working?
For problems starting on or after 1 April 2026, providers in Ofcom's scheme must pay at least £10.34 once a total loss of service is still unfixed at 11.59pm on the second working day after you report it, then £10.34 for each further full calendar day. On the code's wording, a fault reported on Monday and fixed the following Monday comes to at least £51.70. BT's own published example for that case is £41.36, so if your credit looks short, ask how your provider counted the days.
Do I have to claim automatic compensation?
No. For a late start or a missed engineer appointment you don't need to do anything. For a broken service you only need to report the fault, because the repair clock starts from your report. The provider should then credit your account within 30 days of the fix.
Does slow or dropping broadband count?
No. The scheme only covers a total loss of service, meaning you can't reach the internet at all. Slow speeds and connections that keep dropping but come back aren't included. Virgin Media's own terms also say losing only Wi-Fi, while a wired connection still works, doesn't count. Speed problems may be covered by your provider's speed guarantee instead.
Which broadband providers pay automatic compensation?
Ofcom's list, last updated 20 July 2026, is BT, EE, Hyperoptic, Plusnet, Sky (including NOW Broadband), TalkTalk (with restrictions for customers not on the Openreach network), Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Zen Internet. Other providers may have their own terms, and Ofcom's switching rules require every provider to compensate you if a switch goes wrong.
Am I paid twice if my broadband and landline both go down?
No. Compensation is paid per order, not per service, so if your landline and broadband from the same provider fail together, you get one daily payment. If they come from different providers, the provider where the fault started pays.
Do weekends count towards the two working days?
Not at the start. Working days are usually Monday to Friday, not counting public holidays (that's how BT defines them), so a fault reported on Friday has until 11.59pm the following Tuesday. Once compensation has started, a further payment is due for every full calendar day, weekends included. Faults reported outside the provider's fault-reporting hours count from 9am the next working day.
What if my provider doesn't pay automatic compensation?
If your provider is in the scheme and you think you've been missed, contact it with your fault or order reference and dates, then make a formal complaint. If that hasn't resolved it after six weeks, or the provider says it has reached deadlock, you can take it to the provider's free ADR scheme. If your provider isn't in the scheme, check its terms for its own compensation rules.
