UK SRS deadline: the timeline in full
There is no single UK SRS deadline — there is a sequence.
The standards were finalised on 25 February 2026 for voluntary use, and the FCA has proposed a phased set of mandatory dates for listed companies that begin on 1 January 2027.
This page lays out every milestone in order, and is clear about which dates are settled and which are still FCA proposals.
One regime, two kinds of date
The phrase “UK SRS deadline” suggests a single cut-off.
In practice the regime is built from a string of milestones, and they fall into two very different categories.
Settled events have already happened or are fixed in the government’s and the FCA’s published process — the exposure-draft consultation, the publication of the final standards on 25 February 2026[2], and the close of the FCA’s CP26/5 consultation on 20 March 2026[3].
Proposed reporting deadlines are the dates from 2027 onwards. These come from the FCA’s CP26/5 consultation and are not yet law — they take effect only if and when the FCA confirms them in its Policy Statement, expected in autumn 2026[3].
Every UK SRS milestone, in order
The table below tracks the regime from the first exposure drafts in mid-2025 through to the latest proposed comply-or-explain dates.
The final column flags whether each milestone is settled or still a proposal.
| Date | Milestone | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 2025 | DBT publishes exposure drafts of UK SRS S1 & S2 and opens a 12-week consultation | Done | DBT [1] |
| 17 Sep 2025 | Exposure-draft consultation closes | Done | DBT [1] |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Modernising Corporate Reporting Written Ministerial Statement confirms direction for private-company scope | Done | DBT [5] |
| 12 Nov 2025 | FRC publishes ISSA (UK) 5000, the voluntary UK sustainability assurance standard | Done | FRC [4] |
| 30 Jan 2026 | FCA publishes consultation paper CP26/5 on mandatory listed-company rules | Done | FCA [3] |
| 25 Feb 2026 | DBT publishes final UK SRS S1 & S2 for voluntary use, with government response | Done | DBT [2] |
| 20 Mar 2026 | FCA CP26/5 consultation closes | Done | FCA [3] |
| Autumn 2026 | FCA Policy Statement with final listed-company rules expected | Expected | FCA [3] |
| 15 Dec 2026 | ISSA (UK) 5000 sustainability assurance standard takes effect | Upcoming | FRC [4] |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Proposed mandatory UK SRS S2 climate reporting (excluding Scope 3) for in-scope listed companies | FCA proposal | FCA [3] |
| 1 Jan 2028 | Proposed Scope 3 emissions reporting on a comply-or-explain basis (one-year relief) | FCA proposal | FCA [3] |
| 1 Jan 2029 | Proposed UK SRS S1 (non-climate) reporting on a comply-or-explain basis (two-year relief) | FCA proposal | FCA [3] |
The proposed 2027, 2028 and 2029 dates all apply to accounting periods beginning on or after those dates, so the first annual reports under the mandatory rules would appear a year later in each case[3].
For the detail of who falls inside those proposals, see our guide to who needs UK SRS and the UK SRS × FCA framework.
Which dates are settled, and which are not
This distinction matters because it changes what a company should be doing now.
The standards themselves are real and final: UK SRS S1 and S2 were published on 25 February 2026 and can be adopted voluntarily today[2]. The assurance standard, ISSA (UK) 5000, is also published — issued on 12 November 2025 and effective 15 December 2026[4].
The mandatory reporting dates, by contrast, live entirely inside the FCA’s CP26/5 consultation. The FCA proposed replacing the existing TCFD-aligned Listing Rules with rules requiring in-scope listed companies to report against UK SRS S2 from 1 January 2027, with Scope 3 and S1 phased in afterwards[3].
Because that consultation closed on 20 March 2026 and the Policy Statement is not expected until autumn 2026, none of the 2027–2029 dates is yet a legal deadline[3].
| Requirement | Proposed from | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| UK SRS S2 climate (excluding Scope 3) | Period beginning on/after 1 Jan 2027 | Mandatory (proposed) |
| Scope 3 emissions | Period beginning on/after 1 Jan 2028 | Comply-or-explain (1-year relief) |
| UK SRS S1 (non-climate) | Period beginning on/after 1 Jan 2029 | Comply-or-explain (2-year relief) |
How the climate and non-climate disclosures fit together is set out in our analysis of UK SRS S2 climate disclosures, the wider UK SRS requirements and the data work behind Scope 3 reporting.
The next dates on the calendar
Two future events will reshape the timeline above.
The FCA Policy Statement, autumn 2026. This is the single most consequential date left. It will confirm, modify or reset the proposed 1 January 2027 start for mandatory UK SRS S2 reporting[3].
The private-company consultation, expected during 2026. The Modernising Corporate Reporting programme, confirmed by Written Ministerial Statement on 21 October 2025, sets the direction for extending UK SRS beyond listed companies — but no thresholds, scope or timeline have been set[5].
How the consultations themselves are sequenced is covered in our UK SRS consultation tracker.
What to do before the deadlines land
Because the standards are final but the mandatory dates are not, the sensible posture is to prepare against the proposed timeline without waiting for it to become law.
Confirm whether you are likely to fall within the FCA’s proposed scope, then run a gap analysis against UK SRS S2 — the climate standard that would apply first from the proposed 1 January 2027 start[3].
Use the voluntary-adoption window to trial a reporting cycle and identify data gaps, particularly in the Scope 3 value-chain data that would only become comply-or-explain a year later[3].
Keep the FCA and GOV.UK pages under review so the autumn 2026 Policy Statement and the expected private-company consultation do not catch you flat-footed[3].
For a step-by-step approach to that preparation, see our UK SRS implementation guide and the full UK SRS timeline.
UK SRS deadlines: frequently asked questions
When do UK SRS become mandatory?
No UK SRS deadline is law yet. UK SRS S1 and S2 were published by the Department for Business and Trade on 25 February 2026 for voluntary use. The FCA’s CP26/5 consultation proposes making UK SRS S2 climate reporting mandatory for in-scope listed companies for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, but that depends on a Policy Statement the FCA expects to publish in autumn 2026. Until then the 2027 date is a proposal, not a deadline.
What is the first hard UK SRS deadline?
For reporting itself, none has been set in law. The most recent fixed deadline was the close of the FCA’s CP26/5 consultation on 20 March 2026. The next milestone is the FCA Policy Statement expected in autumn 2026, which would confirm whether mandatory UK SRS S2 reporting starts for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027. The earliest annual reports under those rules would therefore be published in 2028.
When does Scope 3 reporting apply under UK SRS?
Under the FCA’s CP26/5 proposals, in-scope listed companies would report Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions on a comply-or-explain basis for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2028 — a one-year transitional relief from the initial application of UK SRS S2. This is an FCA proposal, not yet law.
When does UK SRS S1 (non-climate) apply?
The FCA proposes that the wider, non-climate UK SRS S1 disclosures apply to in-scope listed companies on a comply-or-explain basis for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2029 — a two-year transitional relief. Climate disclosures under UK SRS S2 come first; S1 follows.
Can companies adopt UK SRS early?
Yes. The standards have been available for voluntary use since they were published on 25 February 2026. There is no registration or approval process — voluntary adoption is an internal decision. Many companies are using the period before any mandatory date to run a trial reporting cycle and close data gaps.
Which companies do the proposed deadlines apply to?
The FCA’s CP26/5 proposals target around 500 primary-listed companies in UK Listing Rules categories 6, 16 and 22. Companies in the secondary-listing categories (UKLR 14 and 15) would instead make a shorter transparency statement naming the sustainability standard they apply in their home jurisdiction. This is narrower than the older listing language: the proposals do not simply capture the FTSE 350 or every listed entity.
When would the first UK SRS annual reports actually appear?
Because the proposed dates apply to accounting periods beginning on or after each date, the first reports lag the dates by roughly a year. If the FCA confirms a 1 January 2027 start for UK SRS S2 climate reporting, a company with a calendar-year financial year would first report under the rules in its annual report for 2027 — published in 2028. Scope 3 (proposed from 2028) and UK SRS S1 (proposed from 2029) follow on the same one-year lag.
When does the assurance standard ISSA (UK) 5000 take effect?
The Financial Reporting Council published ISSA (UK) 5000, the voluntary UK sustainability assurance standard, on 12 November 2025, and it takes effect for assurance engagements from 15 December 2026. It is a voluntary standard: CP26/5 does not itself mandate assurance of UK SRS disclosures, so this date governs how voluntary assurance is performed rather than creating a reporting obligation.
- Exposure drafts: UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS S1 and S2) — GOV.UK / Department for Business and Trade · Consultation ran 25 Jun 2025 – 17 Sep 2025; government response published 25 Feb 2026
- UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (guidance) — GOV.UK / Department for Business and Trade · Final UK SRS S1 and S2 published 25 Feb 2026 for voluntary use
- CP26/5: Aligning listed issuers’ sustainability disclosures with international standards — Financial Conduct Authority · Published 30 Jan 2026; closed 20 Mar 2026; Policy Statement expected autumn 2026
- FRC issues ISSA (UK) 5000 sustainability assurance standard — Financial Reporting Council · Published 12 Nov 2025; effective 15 Dec 2026
- Regulation Action Plan Update, and Modernisation of Corporate Reporting (Written Ministerial Statement) — UK Parliament / Department for Business and Trade · WMS of 21 Oct 2025; broad MCR consultation expected during 2026