PPI claims: When you should hear back, how long the process will take and how to claim late

It was intended to protect ­people if they were struggling to keep up with their payments due to illness or unemployment, but it was widely mis-sold.

The deadline for making a PPI claim was on Thursday 29 August, so if you did make a claim you might be wondering how long you’ll be waiting to hear back.

When should I hear back if I made a claim?

According to Financial Claims Specialist Canary Claims, a PPI claim should be settled within eight weeks, which is the timeframe that banks are given to respond to your claim with an outcome.

However, some cases may take longer, especially those that are particularly old or complex, but you should then receive a letter from the bank or lender.

If you don’t hear back within within eight weeks, you should contact the bank to chase up your claim and find out when it will be resolved. A PPI claims company will follow up with the bank on your behalf if you’ve used their services.

The Canary Claims website states that “although the response from the bank may take eight weeks, the whole process can take up to six months.

“If you need to find evidence of PPI before making a claim, the process will take even longer.”

Can I still claim?

According to Moneysavingexpert.com as the PPI deadline has now passed, most people can no longer put in a PPI reclaim. However, a small handful with exceptional circumstances may still be able to claim.

The finance information also website notes that Santander has extended its deadline for submitting PPI claims after its website struggled on Thursday (29 Aug).

It's not clear how long this extension will last, so if you haven't got your claim in you will need to do so now.

Numerous other banks also struggled with the high amount of people submitting claims, so it’s worth checking if they’ve also extended their PPI deadline.