Data Protection Complaints

Individuals have the right to complain where they consider that you have infringed UK data protection legislation because of the way in which you’ve handled their personal data (or that belonging to someone they are acting on behalf of).

This Data Protection Complaints template collection is designed to help organisations handle complaints from individuals about the processing of their personal data clearly, consistently, and in compliance with UK data protection law.

Legal and Compliant

All Simply-Docs templates are written and maintained by experienced legal professionals. These data protection templates are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure continued compliance with current UK law.

These templates are designed to support compliance with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, including the new right for individuals to complain directly to organisations about the handling of their personal data.

When Should You Use These Templates?

These templates should be used by organisations that collect, use, store, share, retain, delete, or otherwise process personal data and need a clear process for handling complaints from individuals.

A data protection complaint may relate to issues such as inaccurate personal data, direct marketing, transparency, retention, data sharing, security concerns, data subject rights, or the way in which an organisation has handled personal data more generally.

What Templates Are Included?

This Data Protection Complaints collection includes practical templates for each stage of the complaints process.

Data Protection Complaints Policy and Procedure

An internal policy and procedure helps organisations set out how data protection complaints should be received, acknowledged, investigated, responded to, reviewed, and recorded.

Data Protection Complaints Form

A data subject-facing form helps individuals provide the information needed to make a complaint about the handling of their personal data. The form also makes clear that individuals do not have to use the form in order to make a complaint.

Data Protection Complaint Acknowledgement Letter

This letter helps organisations acknowledge receipt of a data protection complaint, provide a complaint reference, summarise the complaint, identify the person handling it, explain next steps, and request clarification, proof of identity, or proof of authority where necessary.

Data Protection Complaint Acknowledgement and Response Letter

This letter is designed for simpler complaints where you can acknowledge the complaint and provide the outcome at the same time.

Data Protection Complaint Request for Further Information Letter

This letter helps you request clarification, further details, proof of identity, or evidence of authority where more information is needed before a complaint can be investigated or answered properly.

Data Protection Complaint Receipt of Additional Information or ID / Authority Letter

A short letter confirming receipt of further information, proof of identity, or evidence of authority and confirming that you will continue investigating the complaint.

Data Protection Complaint Holding or Progress Update Letter

A letter to help you keep complainants informed where a complaint investigation is ongoing and a final response is not yet ready.

Data Protection Complaint Final Response Letter

This letter helps you provide the outcome of a data protection complaint investigation. It covers a full range of outcomes, action taken or proposed, apologies or acknowledgements of dissatisfaction, internal review or clarification options, and the complainant’s right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Why Use These Templates?

Handling data protection complaints properly is an important part of data protection compliance and good customer service. A clear complaints process helps you to respond consistently, investigate concerns fairly, keep appropriate records, and demonstrate accountability.

These templates are designed to help you:

provide clear routes for individuals to raise data protection complaints
acknowledge complaints and explain next steps
request only necessary and proportionate information
investigate complaints consistently
provide clear outcomes and remedial actions where appropriate
keep complainants informed
maintain records of complaints, decisions, and actions taken

For more information about each document in this collection, please click on the links below:

Data Protection Complaints is part of Business . Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Business for 1 year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we now have to handle data protection complaints ourselves? +

Yes. Since 19 June 2026 the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 gives individuals the right to complain directly to you about how you handle their personal data, and you must have a process to receive and deal with those complaints. That means offering an accessible way to complain, acknowledging complaints, investigating them without undue delay and telling people the outcome. It is a new, standalone duty on top of your existing obligations.

How quickly must we acknowledge a data protection complaint? +

You should acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it, then investigate without undue delay and tell the complainant the outcome. Even where a complaint is not well founded, you have to deal with it properly and keep a record. Building the 30 day acknowledgement and a clear investigation step into your procedure is the practical way to stay on the right side of the new rules.

What is the difference between a complaint and a subject access request? +

They are different processes with different rules. A subject access request asks you to provide a copy of the personal data you hold on someone. A data protection complaint is a grievance about the way you have handled their data, for example keeping it too long or sharing it wrongly. One is about disclosure and runs on the one month clock, the other is about your conduct and runs on the complaints procedure. Handle each under its own process.

Can the person still complain to the ICO? +

Yes. The new internal route does not remove the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, it sits before it. In practice the ICO expects people to raise the matter with the organisation first and give it a chance to respond, so a good internal process can resolve issues early and reduce referrals. Your final response should still tell the person they can go to the ICO if they remain dissatisfied.

What do we need in place to comply with the new complaints rules? +

You need an accessible way for people to complain, a written procedure covering acknowledgement, investigation, response and record keeping, plus a mention of the complaints route in your privacy information. In practice that means a complaints policy and procedure, a form people can use if they wish and template letters from acknowledgement through to final response. This suite provides those pieces so you can put the process in place quickly.

Business Buy Only £38.50 + VAT!
Unlimited Downloads for One Year
No Auto-Renewal

Data Protection Complaint Templates

All UK GDPR & Data Protection