Service Complaint Letter: Free Template and What to Include

A service complaint must be made in writing, on the My Complaint app (through Defence Gateway) or on the form at Annex F of JSP 831. Use the free tool below to draft the wording, then put it on the form. Below is what your statement of complaint must include.

What your statement of complaint must say

• How you think you have been wronged
• The name, if you know it, of anyone you say is the subject of the complaint or is involved in it
• Whether it involved discrimination, harassment, bullying, or dishonest or biased behaviour
• When it happened: the date, or that it happened over a period and when that ended, or that it is still happening, or that you cannot remember the date
• If you are complaining after the time limit, why
• The redress (outcome) you are asking for, and the date of your statement

These are the points the Armed Forces (Service Complaints) Regulations 2015 require. Send the form to your Single Service Secretariat. The person who decides whether your complaint can go forward (is admissible) is called the specified officer.

What counts as a Service Complaint

If you are serving, or you have left, you can make a service complaint about a wrong relating to your service that happened while you were subject to service law. GOV.UK says this can include bullying, harassment, discrimination, and biased, improper or dishonest behaviour. Some matters cannot be the subject of a service complaint, and some (for example housing, pay and allowances, and healthcare) have their own procedure that must be used first: see JSP 831 or ask your unit HR team.

Time limits

You must normally make a service complaint within 3 months of the matter, or of the last time it happened. If the matter could be an Equality Act 2010 claim, such as discrimination, harassment or victimisation, the limit is 6 months. If you had to use another procedure first, the time runs from when that ended. A late complaint goes ahead only if the specified officer thinks that is just and equitable, so do not wait until the wording is perfect.

In England, Wales and Scotland, if you may want to take discrimination or harassment to an employment tribunal, you must have made a service complaint and not withdrawn it. The tribunal claim has its own 6-month time limit from the act, running at the same time. See our service complaints guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will raising a complaint affect my career?
Being treated badly because you made a service complaint is itself a wrong relating to your service, and you can make a further service complaint about it. If your complaint was about discrimination or harassment, victimisation for making it is also covered by the Equality Act 2010 in England, Wales and Scotland.

Can I raise a complaint anonymously?
No. A service complaint is made by one named person in a written statement, and other people can make their own service complaints about the same or similar matters. Your unit HR team or equality and diversity adviser can explain how the matter might be resolved informally, and an assisting officer can help you set out a formal complaint.

See our full list of letter guides for related letters.

[Your Service Number, Rank, and Name]
[Your Unit/Station/Regiment Address]
[Your Postcode]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Military or Personal Email Address]
[Single Service Secretariat for your Service]
[Address]
[Postcode]
[Date of this statement]

[Put this wording on the form at Annex F of JSP 831, or in the My Complaint app.]

Dear [Name or Title of Contact],

Subject: Formal Service Complaint

I am making a Service Complaint under section 340A of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

I believe I have been wronged in a matter relating to my service in the Armed Forces. The details of my complaint are as follows:
• What happened: [Describe what happened, including dates, locations, and how you think you have been wronged]
• Who was involved: [The name of anyone the complaint is about or who was involved, if you know it]
• When it happened: [The date / It happened over a period ending on [date] / It is still happening / I cannot remember the date]
• This complaint [does / does not] involve [discrimination / harassment / bullying / dishonest or biased behaviour].

[If you are complaining after the 3-month time limit: I am making this complaint late because [your reason].]

To resolve this complaint, I am asking for the following redress:
• [State the outcome you want, e.g. A formal apology / A review of my annual appraisal / The correction of my administrative records]

Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]