Frozen bank account – what should I do?

Banks can freeze your account if they suspect fraud, money laundering, illegal activity or if there’s been a court order. If it’s happened to you, it can be really upsetting and confusing, especially if you  haven’t heard directly from your bank to explain why. But most account freezes are temporary measures to protect you and your money, or they’ve made a mistake. So, if your account has been wrongfully frozen, you can take steps to sort it out quickly. 

Contact your bank as soon as possible. Ask to speak to the fraud team, as they can look at your account. You need to act quickly to sort things out and to protect your credit score.  

Your bank might ask you about payments going in or out of your account. If you still have access to online banking, make a note of anything unusual like a tax refund, benefits payment or a large deposit. 

The bank may ask you to prove your identity or explain certain transactions. Have these things on hand: 

• photo ID (like a passport of driving licence) 
• proof of address (like a recent utility bill or bank statement) 
• proof of any large payments or deposits (such as inheritance paperwork or documents from selling a property). 

Although your money is frozen, you should be able to get access to any ‘exempt funds’ –  payments like disability benefits or child support are exempt from freezing. Get your bank to confirm that you can access these. 

Ask what they need from you to unfreeze your account. Write down: 

• the name of the person you spoke to 
• the date and time 
• what they told you, and 
• ask for a clear explanation of the next steps. 

You can push back if needed. If the bank isn’t helping, explain your situation firmly. You can make a formal complaint while on the call. 

Sometimes your bank can’t tell you why your account is frozen and won’t unfreeze your account when you call. Or they may say they are closing your account. 

Try not to panic, there are some things you can do: 

If you have another account, use that. Tell your employer or clients to redirect payments to use it too. If you’re on benefits, ask the provider to recall the money in the frozen account and pay it into this one instead.  

Keep track of any bills that need paying from an alternative account so you avoid any transactions bouncing which could lead to fees or affect your credit score.  

If you’re already dealing with debt, talk to someone who can help – use our Debt advice locator tool to find free and confidential advice.

Let people know about your frozen account as soon as possible — especially anyone who might try to take a payment from you, for example for bills or subscriptions. Most will have special departments that deal with this kind of situation, and they’ve helped others before whose accounts were frozen. 

Start by contacting your essential service providers, like electricity, gas or water. Let them know what’s going on so they can work with you. 

If you can’t pay your rent, speak to your landlord or housing association straight away. You can’t be evicted just because you’re waiting to access your money. For more help with rent issues, see our guide Help with rent – arrears, increases and if you’re struggling to pay.

You might also be able to get extra help for urgent costs. For example, if you get Universal Credit and can’t pay your rent because of the freeze, you could apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment. Find out about this and other help available in our guide Where can I get emergency help with money and food?  

If your account has been frozen because of a court order, get professional help, which may involve fees. Some free legal clinics may be able to help – for example, LawWorks connects you with free legal adviceOpens in a new window from volunteer solicitors. 

Any joint account holder can ask to freeze the account. But it can only be unlocked when everyone agrees how to split the money. If you can’t, you might have to let the courts decide who gets what. Find out more in our guide Sorting out joint bank accounts, debt, savings and other finances with your ex-partner.

Your bank may not unfreeze your account and may close it down. You still have options. 

You can open a new account using our guide How to choose a bank account You can use the Current Account Switch ServiceOpens in a new window to transfer your regular payments.

Give your new bank account details to your employer and any benefits provider. 

If your account has been closed and a CIFAS marker has been put on it (because your bank thinks fraud has taken place), then you may need to open a basic account. Find out how to do this in our guide Fee-free basic bank accounts.

If you're not happy with how your bank is handling the situation, you can make a formal complaint. You’ll need to go through your bank's complaints procedure first – find out how to do this and if it doesn’t get resolved, then you can take your complaint further to the Financial Ombudsman ServiceOpens in a new window

To reduce the chance of your account being frozen or closed again: 

• keep your contact details up to date with your bank 
• let your bank know if you're going to make any unusually large transactions  
• respond quickly to any requests for information from your bank 
• keep a separate current account  
• if you’re going to trade in crypto, talk to your bank first to make sure they allow it.