TPS and CTPS guidance checked: 13 October 2026.
Register with TPS or CTPS, tell organisations to stop their marketing calls, and use appropriate call-blocking tools. Registration is free, but it cannot prevent every unwanted call. An existing customer relationship does not automatically override your registration.
Your phone rings. You stop what you are doing, answer it and discover that, once again, someone wants to sell you something you have not asked for.
For a household, that can be an unwelcome interruption. For a business, it can mean putting a customer, a deadline or an important conversation on hold.
This guide explains why nuisance calls continue, what not to do when you receive one, and the steps households and businesses can take. It also explains the difference between TPS and CTPS, what existing customers’ rights really are, and where to report unwanted calls.
Unwanted calls do not all come from the same source. Some are sales calls from genuine businesses. Others involve recorded marketing messages, misleading sales tactics or attempted fraud. Treating every call as the same problem makes it harder to choose the right response.
Technology also plays a part. Automated dialling systems in call centres cause many silent and abandoned calls. Instead of reaching a person, you may hear nothing, encounter an information message or find that the call ends when you answer. Ofcom explains how silent and abandoned calls happen.
Scam callers may disguise the number on your screen, making a call appear to come from a familiar organisation or a UK number. This is known as number spoofing, and it means caller display is not proof of identity. Ofcom’s guide to scam calls explains the warning signs.
TPS and CTPS record an objection to live marketing calls; they are not technical barriers that stop a phone ringing. Callers who ignore the rules may still get through. Registration, careful call handling and appropriate blocking tools therefore serve different purposes.
It is not just households that need to think about unwanted calls. A business number needs to be accessible to prospective customers, suppliers and existing clients, which can make simply ignoring unfamiliar numbers impractical.
There is a balance to strike: protect your team’s time without making genuine enquiries harder to reach you. A useful starting point is to distinguish unwanted sales pitches from customer calls, service updates and anything that needs an urgent response.
So what can be done to protect yourself? First, it helps to understand the rules and the common mistakes to avoid.
Not every unsolicited sales call is illegal. Under PECR, most live marketing calls can be made without prior consent where the number is not on TPS or CTPS and the recipient has not previously objected. Recorded marketing calls, claims management and pension-related calls have stricter requirements. Callers must also follow any other applicable rules, including data-protection requirements when using personal data. See the ICO’s telephone marketing guidance.
PECR stands for the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. The important distinction is not simply whether a call was unexpected, but what it was for and whether the caller was entitled to make it.
Do not disclose sensitive personal details, bank information, passwords or PINs to an unexpected caller whose identity you have not independently verified. A familiar company name, a convincing explanation or knowledge of your details does not establish who they are.
End the call and contact the organisation through a number you have independently checked, such as the number on its official website or your account statement. Do not rely on a number supplied during the suspicious call. See Ofcom’s advice on verifying callers.
You do not have to be a pushover. Be firm, keep the conversation brief and end the call when you have said what you need to say.
For an identifiable marketing caller, a clear request not to call again is more useful than an argument. Where you suspect fraud, do not stay on the line to challenge the caller or try to catch them out.
For your team, agreeing a polite response in advance can help everyone handle interruptions consistently. Our phone answering and etiquette guide offers further advice on professional call handling.
Some missed-call scams ring briefly in the hope that you will call back. Returning the call may connect you to an expensive premium-rate service. Check an unexpected number before using it; an unfamiliar missed call is not, by itself, a reason to return it. Ofcom explains missed-call scams.
Do not press buttons, follow instructions or share more information during a suspected scam call. Similarly, do not reply to a suspicious text from an unknown sender, even with “STOP”. Ending the contact and reporting it is the safer course. See Ofcom’s guidance on responding to scams.
Trying to keep nuisance callers talking, or turning the situation into a money-making exercise, is not a practical protection plan. Focus instead on reducing interruptions and keeping sensitive information out of the conversation.
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) record objections to unsolicited live marketing calls. Both are free, and registration takes effect after a number has been listed for 28 days. See the ICO’s explanation of the registers.
Use the official TPS and CTPS website to choose the appropriate register. There is no need to pay a third party to register your number.
TPS covers individual subscribers, including sole traders and some partnerships. CTPS covers corporate subscribers. The distinction depends on who holds the telephone contract, not simply whether a number is used for business.
| Who holds the telephone account? | Appropriate register |
|---|---|
| An individual registering a personal landline or mobile | TPS |
| A sole trader | TPS |
| An ordinary, unincorporated partnership in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, rather than an LLP | TPS |
| A limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP) | CTPS |
| A Scottish partnership | CTPS |
| Another corporate body, including certain government bodies | CTPS |
These categories follow the ICO’s definitions of individual and corporate subscribers.
Business-to-business calls are not automatically exempt. Organisations making live marketing calls to businesses should screen against both TPS and CTPS, as well as their own “do not call” records. A number appearing on a website or in a directory does not remove these protections. See the ICO’s business-to-business marketing guidance.
Being an existing customer is not a blanket exemption from TPS or CTPS. For ordinary live marketing calls to a registered number, the organisation needs your specific agreement to receive its calls. The ICO explicitly includes existing customers in this restriction.
Buying something, providing a delivery number or failing to tick an opt-out box is not enough. Your agreement must clearly cover live marketing calls from the named organisation, involve a positive indication of agreement, and be demonstrable by the caller.
Registering later with TPS or CTPS does not automatically cancel a specific agreement already given. Tell that organisation directly when you no longer want its marketing calls. See the ICO’s guidance on agreement and withdrawal.
The “soft opt-in” relevant to some email and text marketing is not an existing-customer exemption for telephone calls. The ICO treats these as different marketing methods with different requirements.
Genuine administrative and customer-service calls are not direct marketing. A call about a delivery or account problem falls outside the marketing rules when it is purely about that matter. Adding a sales pitch brings the call within those rules.
Genuine market research is also different from marketing. However, a “survey” that promotes products or collects details for future marketing is not exempt simply because it is described as research. See the ICO’s distinction between marketing, service calls and research.
A call specifically requested to discuss a product or service is solicited, rather than unsolicited. TPS or CTPS registration does not prevent that particular callback. The request does not cover unrelated future sales calls, and the caller must still identify itself and display a contact number. The ICO explains how requested callbacks are treated.
Automated recorded marketing calls need consent specifically covering that type of call. Permission for live calls is not enough. Live claims management marketing calls also require specific consent, whether or not the number is registered. See the ICO’s rules for recorded and claims management calls.
Pension-related marketing calls have a narrowly defined exception. The caller must be a pension scheme trustee or manager, or an FCA-authorised firm. It must also have consent or meet all the existing-client conditions: the relationship was not established primarily to enable the call, the person could reasonably expect the call, and an opt-out was offered when details were collected and in every subsequent communication. The caller must also respect an opt-out. This is not a general existing-customer exemption. See the ICO’s pension-call guidance.
You can object without registering with TPS or CTPS. The organisation must stop its live marketing calls unless you subsequently agree to receive them again.
The ICO recommends a suppression record rather than simply deleting the number. This helps prevent it being added again through another calling list. See the ICO’s advice on objections and suppression lists.
Before submitting an online form, check how the organisation intends to use your telephone number. Look carefully at choices covering calls, emails and texts rather than assuming that one preference covers every channel.
For a company you recognise, use its genuine preference centre or opt-out instructions. Do not use an unsubscribe link or reply to a message you suspect is fraudulent; navigate to the organisation independently. Ofcom’s advice on unwanted marketing explains the distinction.
Caller display, call blocking and call screening are different tools. Caller display helps you decide whether to answer; blocking rejects or diverts selected calls; screening can help establish who is calling before you respond. Availability varies by handset and provider. See Ofcom’s guidance on blocking, filtering and screening.
Check compatibility with your existing phone service, what happens to blocked calls and whether an extra charge applies. For a business, consider how a first-time customer will get through before enabling strict restrictions.
Your provider may offer network-level filtering, a personal blocklist or settings for withheld and international numbers.
For example, BT Call Protect is included with BT’s Digital Voice and Home Phone Standard services at no extra cost. Its current features include warnings for suspected nuisance calls and diversion of known scam calls to junk voicemail. Check the current instructions for your service rather than relying on an older setup guide.
No filter is perfect. Review your settings and any junk voicemail so that important calls are not overlooked.
Ask your landline provider whether your number is listed in public directories and what ex-directory options are available.
Removing a directory listing does not erase copies already held elsewhere, and it is not a substitute for TPS or CTPS registration. Businesses should also weigh any privacy benefit against the need for customers to find their contact details.
Many smartphones let you block a number from your recent calls. Some also offer spam filtering or screening for unfamiliar callers; the options depend on the device and software. Ofcom summarises common mobile protections.
Some provider services also let you divert whole categories, such as withheld or international numbers. Consider who else might be affected. Customers, colleagues or relatives abroad may be calling for a perfectly genuine reason.
A blanket block on unfamiliar numbers may be particularly unsuitable for a business that relies on new enquiries. Screening or taking a message may be the better starting point.
Searching a number online may reveal reports from other people. However, a search result or community comment does not verify the caller’s identity. The displayed number may have been spoofed, and an absence of complaints is not evidence that a call is safe. Use a separately verified contact route when necessary. See Ofcom’s advice on checking suspicious numbers.
Report nuisance marketing calls to the ICO, and silent or abandoned calls to Ofcom. Suspected fraud needs a different reporting route. The ICO’s nuisance-call guidance explains the distinction.
| Type of call or problem | Where to report it |
|---|---|
| Unwanted live or recorded marketing calls | Use the ICO’s nuisance-call reporting service. |
| Silent or abandoned calls | Use Ofcom’s complaint guidance. |
| A suspected scam call received on your mobile | Text the caller’s number to 7726 to alert your provider. See Ofcom’s reporting instructions. |
| Suspected fraud or money lost to a scam | Report to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101. |
Keep a note of the date and time, the number displayed, the organisation the caller claimed to represent, what the call concerned, and whether you had already asked it to stop.
If you have sent money or disclosed financial information during a suspected scam, contact your bank or card provider immediately through a trusted channel. For threatening calls, contact your provider’s nuisance-call team and the police. Call 999 if you are in immediate danger. See Ofcom’s advice on urgent action.
A report will not necessarily stop the next call, but it gives regulators and providers information they can use to investigate patterns and act against those responsible.
For a business, the aim is not to make your phone harder to reach. It is to make sure the right calls receive the right attention.
A telephone answering service puts a professional first point of contact between your team and incoming callers. At Answer4u, our Virtual Receptionist Service answers in your business name and captures the caller’s details and reason for calling.
When discussing call screening, agree how you would like unwanted sales approaches handled, which calls need a message, and which matters should reach your team. Do not assume that every unfamiliar caller is unwanted, or that every service package offers the same handling options.
An answering service is not guaranteed fraud detection or prevention, and it does not replace TPS or CTPS registration or your own security checks. Its practical value is in providing a consistent first response and helping you decide what needs your attention.
For less disruption without closing the door on genuine enquiries, speak to Answer4u about your call-handling requirements.