Ofcom investigation: Royal Mail Quality of Service performance compliance

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s compliance with its quality of service performance targets during the 2025/26 financial year. Ofcom rules require Royal Mail to meet specified quality of service performance targets in the provision of universal service products.

Among other targets, for the 2025/26 period, the requirement on Royal Mail was to: deliver 93% of first class mail within one working day of collection; and deliver 98. 5% of second class mail within three working days of collection.

Performance against these targets is measured as an average performance level on an annual basis excluding the Christmas period. On 29 May 2026, Royal Mail announced that it did not meet the above performance targets in the 2025/26 period, as it: delivered 75. 7% of first class mail within one working day of collection; and delivered 90.

2% of second class mail within three working days of collection. Ofcom takes compliance with the quality of service targets very seriously and in light of Royal Mail’s reported performance, and will investigate: whether Royal Mail has failed to comply with its obligations under DUSP condition 1. 9.

1 in respect of the 2025/26 regulatory period, including considering any improvements made by Royal Mail over that period; and where there is a failure, whether it is appropriate to impose a financial penalty on Royal Mail for that failure, and the level of any penalty.

And talking of penalties, this has become an annual event for Royal Mail and Ofcom, with the fines having been ratcheted up by #50% year on year: £5. 6m for the 2022/23 financial year £10. 5m for the 2023/24 financial year £21m for the 2024/25 financial year We’ll have to wait until November/December to see what this year’s fine (if any) may be