Ofcom out-of-contract broadband note: keep the contract end date in view
Ofcom says providers must send an end-of-contract notification between 10 and 40 days before the contract ends. The contract-end date is the point around which to review your current position.
Update · Household bills · Published 1 January 2026
What changed
Ofcom says phone, broadband and pay-TV providers must send an end-of-contract notification between 10 and 40 days before the contract ends.
Ofcom’s current consumer guidance puts checking whether you are in contract first. That guidance refresh does not establish a new legal rule or changed legal rights.
Why the contract end date matters
The broadband contract end date is the point around which to review your current contract position, the information in provider communications and any available next step.
Ofcom’s Q2 2025 operator-data averages found higher average spending for out-of-contract customers in the reported broadband categories, but those averages do not apply to every household. The date remains useful as the point around which to organise a review.
What to do now
Find the broadband contract end date shown by your provider or notification.
Keep the provider's end-of-contract notification and relevant contract information available.
Keep any linked phone or pay-TV dates separate if they do not end at the same time.
Sources
- Ofcom — Money saving tips for phone, broadband and pay-TV. Ofcom's consumer-guidance page was published on 1 July 2026, last updated on 24 August 2026, and currently puts ‘Check if you're in contract’ first. This does not prove a new rule or change to legal rights.
- Ofcom — Are you in or out of contract?. Ofcom says phone, broadband and pay-TV providers must send an end-of-contract notification between 10 and 40 days before the contract ends.
- Ofcom — Pricing and consumer engagement report. Ofcom found that out-of-contract customers spent on average £7 a month more for standalone broadband, £8 more for broadband with fixed voice, and £9 more for broadband, fixed voice and pay-TV than in-contract customers. These are Q2 2025 market averages, not a result that applies to every household.