# Is it legal to record phone calls UK (2 figures)

> The UK Call Handling Compliance Rules carries 2 published figures read from 2 sources' own pages, from 28 to 28 day, read 7 November 2026.

Answering Service Compare · https://answeringservicecompare.com/datasets/uk-call-handling-compliance-rules/ · computed 2026-11-08

**Range of the published figures:** 28 to 28 day (range 28 to 28 day; 2 published figures; 2 of 13 sources read publish one).

2 of the 13 named sources read in full publish a figure; 11 publish none, read 7 November 2026.

## By obligation

| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| obligation TPS registration takes effect | 28 day | 28 to 28 day | 2 |

## Every figure, with its source

One row per source: the figure the source's own page publishes, the page, and the day it was read.

| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| [PECR regulation 21 - unsolicited calls for direct marketing](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/21) | 28 day | TPS registration takes effect | 2026-11-07 |
| [ICO - guidance on direct marketing using live calls](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-direct-marketing-using-live-calls/what-are-the-rules-on-live-direct-marketing-calls/) | 28 day | TPS registration takes effect | 2026-11-07 |

## The sentence each figure was read from (2)

- [PECR regulation 21 - unsolicited calls for direct marketing](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/21), read 2026-11-07: "(3) A person shall not be held to have contravened paragraph (1)(b) where the number allocated to the called line has been listed on the register for less than 28 days preceding that on which the call is made."
- [ICO - guidance on direct marketing using live calls](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-direct-marketing-using-live-calls/what-are-the-rules-on-live-direct-marketing-calls/), read 2026-11-07: "The numbers must feature on the register for 28 days for it to take effect."

## Read in full, publishes no figure

- [ICO - data protection and monitoring workers](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/monitoring-workers/data-protection-and-monitoring-workers/), read 2026-10-24: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [ICO - monitoring workers (guidance index)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/monitoring-workers/), read 2026-10-17: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [ICO - telephone marketing (guide to PECR)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/electronic-and-telephone-marketing/telephone-marketing/), read 2026-10-24: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [ICO - contracts (accountability and governance)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/accountability-and-governance/guide-to-accountability-and-governance/contracts/), read 2026-10-24: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [PECR regulation 19 - automated calling systems](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/19), read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [PECR regulation 24 - information to be provided](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/24), read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [Data Protection Act 2018 section 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/section/1), read 2026-11-07: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [Data Protection Act 2018 section 59](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/section/59), read 2026-11-07: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [Investigatory Powers Act 2016 section 3 - unlawful interception](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/section/3), read 2026-11-07: every candidate on the page was refused
- [FCA Handbook COBS 11.8 - recording telephone conversations](https://handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/COBS/11/8.html), read 2026-11-07: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- [the authority per obligation](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/), read 2026-10-24: read in full and no accepted figure on the page

## Methodology

Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2). 2 of the 13 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 11 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 1 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere. The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in day (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 4 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded. The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): one row per obligation - lawful basis for recording, notice to the caller, notice to workers, the mandatory processor-contract terms, retention, TPS/CTPS screening, automated-calling rules, silent and abandoned calls, sector taping duties - each quoted verbatim from the instrument or the regulator's own page with its effective date, mapped to the question a buyer asks ('can my answering service record my calls?'); the cross-obligation view, and changed-since, is the figure - no provider publishes it and every provider is asked it

## Sources

- [ICO - data protection and monitoring workers](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/monitoring-workers/data-protection-and-monitoring-workers/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [ICO - monitoring workers (guidance index)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/monitoring-workers/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [ICO - telephone marketing (guide to PECR)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/electronic-and-telephone-marketing/telephone-marketing/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [ICO - guidance on direct marketing using live calls](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-direct-marketing-using-live-calls/what-are-the-rules-on-live-direct-marketing-calls/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [ICO - contracts (accountability and governance)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/accountability-and-governance/guide-to-accountability-and-governance/contracts/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [PECR regulation 19 - automated calling systems](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/19) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [PECR regulation 21 - unsolicited calls for direct marketing](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/21) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [PECR regulation 24 - information to be provided](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/regulation/24) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [Data Protection Act 2018 section 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/section/1) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [Data Protection Act 2018 section 59](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/section/59) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [Investigatory Powers Act 2016 section 3 - unlawful interception](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/section/3) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [FCA Handbook COBS 11.8 - recording telephone conversations](https://handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/COBS/11/8.html) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [Ofcom - persistent misuse policy statement](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/unwanted-calls-and-messages/persistent_misuse) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- [the authority per obligation](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/) (the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)

## Cite or embed

- The UK Call Handling Compliance Rules carries 2 published figures read from 2 sources' own pages, from 28 to 28 day, read 7 November 2026.
- 2 of the 13 named sources read in full publish a figure; 11 publish none, read 7 November 2026.
- UK Call Handling Compliance Rules, obligation TPS registration takes effect: median 28 day across 2 sources, read 7 November 2026.

Cite as: "answeringservicecompare.com UK Call Handling Compliance Rules", updated 2026-11-08, https://answeringservicecompare.com/datasets/uk-call-handling-compliance-rules/.

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