TPS and CTPS rules for UK sales calls in 2026

The TPS and CTPS rules come from the UK’s Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). You must not make a live marketing call to a number registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or the Corporate TPS (CTPS) unless that subscriber specifically told you they want your calls. Sole traders use the TPS and companies use the CTPS, so B2B lists need screening against both.

What PECR says about live sales calls

PECR sets the rules for marketing calls in the UK, and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforces them. As of October 2026, the ICO’s telephone marketing guidance sets these rules for live calls:

• Registered numbers. Do not call a number on the TPS or CTPS unless the subscriber has specifically agreed to your calls.
• Objections. Do not call anyone who has told you they do not want your marketing calls, whether or not they are registered.
• Your own list. Keep your own “do not call” list and screen every list against it.
• Identification. Say who is calling, display your number or another contact number, and give a contact address or freephone number if asked. You must not withhold your number.
• Stricter calls. Claims management calls need the person’s specific consent, pension calls are generally banned outside narrow exceptions, and automated (recorded) marketing calls need specific consent to that type of call.

Registration is free, and any number can be added, including mobiles (ICO). The ICO notes that its PECR guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the pages again before you change your process.

TPS or CTPS: who registers where

The two registers work the same way. The difference is the type of subscriber, which is why one B2B list can touch both.

Subscriber	Register	What it means for your list
Individual (consumer)	TPS	Personal landlines and mobiles
Sole trader	TPS	A business on your list, but screened on the TPS
Some partnerships	TPS	Check the partnership type before you assume CTPS
Limited company	CTPS	Most B2B accounts
Limited liability partnership (LLP)	CTPS	A corporate subscriber
Scottish partnership	CTPS	A corporate subscriber, unlike most partnerships
Government body	CTPS	Public-sector prospects

The ICO’s guidance says business-to-business calls need screening against both registers. A director’s mobile may also be on the TPS as a personal number.

How to screen against the TPS and CTPS

The ICO says it can take 28 days for a registration to become active. A check older than that can miss numbers registered since, so:

1. Screen every number against both registers before each campaign, with a check no more than 28 days old.
2. Screen against your own do-not-call list too, and add every objection or withdrawal of consent the moment it is made. The ICO says not to delete the record of people who objected: you need it to keep suppressing them.
3. Treat bought-in lists as your responsibility. The ICO says the normal PECR rules apply whatever the source. Check when the seller last screened the list, and screen it again yourself.
4. Record consent that overrides a registration. The subscriber must specifically tell you they want your marketing calls. The ICO says the notification must contain your name and clearly cover live marketing calls; failing to object or failing to opt out is not enough. You must be able to show this record.
5. Display a number that works. Present your number or a contact number on every call, never a withheld number.

Fines and enforcement as of October 2026

Two regulators can act on UK sales calls:

• The ICO, under PECR. On 5 Feb 2026, most of the remaining data protection provisions of the Data (Use and Access) Act came into force. The ICO’s statement says it can now issue fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover under PECR.
• Ofcom, under its persistent misuse powers. Ofcom’s persistent misuse policy, in force since 1 Mar 2017 and restated in a 22 Jan 2026 reminder, covers silent and abandoned calls, with penalties of up to £2 million.

Ofcom’s policy matters most to teams that dial in parallel. It sets no safe abandoned call rate: it says the 3% rate in its 2010 policy was a way to prioritize cases, not a safe harbor. When it assesses abandoned calls, Ofcom looks at whether:

• an information message plays no more than 2 seconds after the person answers;
• the message names the caller, says they tried to call, gives a basic rate number to decline further calls, and contains no marketing;
• calls ring for at least 15 seconds before the caller gives up;
• the caller calls the same number again within 72 hours of an abandoned call without making sure a live agent is free to take it.

It also notes that answering machine detection can cause silent calls when it mistakes a person for a machine. For the math, see SDR call metrics, and for how lines per rep drive abandoned calls, what a parallel dialer is.

A checklist for UK calling teams

1. Tag each account as a company, LLP, partnership or sole trader.
2. Screen against the TPS and CTPS before each campaign, with checks no more than 28 days old.
3. Run every list through your own do-not-call list.
4. Store each specific consent with the date, your company name and the number.
5. Display a valid number and identify your company on every call.
6. If you dial in parallel, measure abandoned calls daily and play an information message within 2 seconds.
7. Ask your counsel about any call that touches claims management or pensions.

How DialSavvy handles this

DialSavvy checks your own do-not-call list and calling hours in the contact’s time zone before every call, using rule packs by country. In parallel mode, the abandonment governor drops to 2 lines from 2.5% abandoned calls and to 1 line from 2.8%. TPS and CTPS checks are coming, so screen lists before you load them. See DialSavvy compliance and UK calling by country.

Start by tagging next week’s list by company type, then screen it against both registers before the first call.