UK SRS 2026 · the year, date by date
UK SRS in 2026: the year’s log
For the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, 2026 is the year the standards were published, on 25 February, and the year the FCA’s final rules put them to work, on 30 September.
In between sat a consultation that closed, a year of commentary, and a set of neighbouring changes to SECR, ESOS, assurance and EU reporting.
This page logs each event on its date, with the owner’s own document beside it, and then lists what is still to come before the rules apply in 2027.
January to September
What happened, in order
Each row is dated from the owner’s own record.
The tag says whether the event is UK SRS itself, the FCA’s rules, or a neighbouring regime.
| Date | Event | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan | DBT writes to the FCA: the time limits on the reliefs will come out of the standards (published on GOV.UK on 8 January) | DBT letter | UK SRS |
| 29 Jan | Evaluation of the SECR regulations published | MCR consultation ¶150 | Beside it |
| 30 Jan | FCA publishes CP26/5, proposing UK SRS for listed companies | CP26/5 | FCA |
| 30 Jan | Government chooses a voluntary, opt-in oversight regime for sustainability assurance providers | DBT response | Beside it |
| 25 Feb | UK SRS S1 and S2 published for voluntary use, with the consultation response and Annex A | DBT publication | UK SRS |
| 20 Mar | CP26/5 closes | CP26/5 | FCA |
| 21–22 Apr | UK advisory committee approves its nature research plan; ISSB decides nature disclosures will be a Practice Statement, not a standard | FRC TAC | Beside it |
| 26 May | Post-implementation review of SECR published: retain, with amendments | DESNZ PIR | Beside it |
| 11 Jun | Government conversion factors 2026 published | DESNZ | Beside it |
| 3 Jul | European Commission adopts revised ESRS | Commission | Beside it |
| 20 Jul | GOV.UK organisation page for the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade first published | GOV.UK | Beside it |
| 21 Jul | ISSB clears its nature exposure draft for balloting, with a 120-day comment period | IFRS Foundation | Beside it |
| 22 Jul | ESOS amendments in SI 2026/701 in force | SI 2026/701 | Beside it |
| Mid-2026 | Target for the FRC’s interim assurance register passes; the register is not live | DBT response ¶1.15 | Beside it |
| 7 Sep | Modernising corporate reporting consultation opens; the government “will consider” how UK SRS sits in the Companies Act | consultation | UK SRS |
| 21 Sep | Revised ESRS and the EU voluntary standard published in the Official Journal | DR (EU) 2026/1563 | Beside it |
| 24 Sep | FCA Board makes the UK Listing Rules (Sustainability Reporting Standards Disclosure) Instrument 2026 | PS26/19 Appendix 1 | FCA |
| 25 Sep | FCA 2026/59 in force: product-level TCFD reporting by asset managers replaced | FCA Handbook Notice 144 | FCA |
| 30 Sep | PS26/19 published: comply or explain across UK SRS for five listing categories from 2027 | PS26/19 | FCA |
Search the year
Filter 2026 by body or by status
The log above is in date order; the panel lets you cut it.
Filter to “FCA” and 2026 reads as the regulator’s year: a consultation in January, an instrument in September, a policy statement, then the guidance consultation and the webinar in October.
Filter to “UK SRS” and it reads as the government’s: the letter in January, the standards in February, and the corporate reporting consultation in September.
Filter to “Beside it” and you see how much else moved in the same year — SECR, ESOS, assurance, conversion factors, the EU’s standards and the ISSB’s nature work.
Search “Scope 3”, “ESOS” or “nature” to follow one thread through the year.
Filter the 2026 log
Showing 28 of 28
| Date | Event | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan | DBT writes to the FCA: the time limits on the reliefs will come out of the standards (published on GOV.UK on 8 January) | DBT letter | Happened |
| 29 Jan | Evaluation of the SECR regulations published | MCR consultation ¶150 | Happened |
| 30 Jan | FCA publishes CP26/5, proposing UK SRS for listed companies | CP26/5 | Happened |
| 30 Jan | Government chooses a voluntary, opt-in oversight regime for sustainability assurance providers | DBT response | Happened |
| 25 Feb | UK SRS S1 and S2 published for voluntary use, with the consultation response and Annex A | DBT publication | Happened |
| 20 Mar | CP26/5 closes | CP26/5 | Happened |
| 21–22 Apr | UK advisory committee approves its nature research plan; ISSB decides nature disclosures will be a Practice Statement, not a standard | FRC TAC | Happened |
| 26 May | Post-implementation review of SECR published: retain, with amendments | DESNZ PIR | Happened |
| 11 Jun | Government conversion factors 2026 published | DESNZ | Happened |
| 3 Jul | European Commission adopts revised ESRS | Commission | Happened |
| 20 Jul | GOV.UK organisation page for the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade first published | GOV.UK | Happened |
| 21 Jul | ISSB clears its nature exposure draft for balloting, with a 120-day comment period | IFRS Foundation | Happened |
| 22 Jul | ESOS amendments in SI 2026/701 in force | SI 2026/701 | Happened |
| Mid-2026 | Target for the FRC’s interim assurance register passes; the register is not live | DBT response ¶1.15 | Happened |
| 7 Sep | Modernising corporate reporting consultation opens; the government “will consider” how UK SRS sits in the Companies Act | consultation | Happened |
| 21 Sep | Revised ESRS and the EU voluntary standard published in the Official Journal | DR (EU) 2026/1563 | Happened |
| 24 Sep | FCA Board makes the UK Listing Rules (Sustainability Reporting Standards Disclosure) Instrument 2026 | PS26/19 Appendix 1 | Happened |
| 25 Sep | FCA 2026/59 in force: product-level TCFD reporting by asset managers replaced | FCA Handbook Notice 144 | Happened |
| 30 Sep | PS26/19 published: comply or explain across UK SRS for five listing categories from 2027 | PS26/19 | Happened |
| 19 Oct | FCA webinar on the final rules | PS26/19 | Still to come |
| 28 Oct | Comments close on draft Technical Note 803.1, how to explain | PS26/19 ¶1.9 | Still to come |
| Oct | ISSB nature exposure draft targeted; it would not apply in the UK without endorsement | FRC FAQs | Still to come |
| 10 Nov | Revised ESRS enter into force in the EU | DR (EU) 2026/1563 | Still to come |
| 30 Nov | Modernising corporate reporting consultation closes | consultation | Still to come |
| 5 Dec | ESOS: second progress update due on Phase 3 action plans | Environment Agency | Still to come |
| 15 Dec | ISSA (UK) 5000 effective for periods beginning on or after this date | ISSA (UK) 5000 ¶15 | Still to come |
| 31 Dec | ESOS Phase 4 qualification date | Environment Agency | Still to come |
| 1 Jan 2027 | FCA instrument in force, for accounting periods beginning on or after this date | PS26/19 ¶3.12 | Still to come |
The same rows as the two logs on this page.
Nothing you type leaves this page.
Start and end
The same questions, January and September
| Question | 1 January 2026 | 30 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Do UK SRS S1 and S2 exist? | Exposure drafts only | Yes, published 25 February for voluntary use |
| Is there an FCA rule? | No; CP26/5 not yet published | Yes: instrument made 24 September, PS26/19 published 30 September |
| Is UK SRS S2 mandatory for listed companies? | Not proposed yet | No: comply or explain across all disclosures |
| Which listing categories? | — | UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22 |
| Scope 3 | Relief in the exposure drafts, with a time limit | One-year relief under the FCA’s rules; untimed in the standard |
| Transition plans | No duty; consultation response awaited | No duty; UKLR 6, 16 and 22 state whether one is published |
| Assurance | No duty | No duty; state whether obtained |
| Private companies | No duty | No duty; the government “will consider” the Companies Act route |
Read down the right-hand column and 2026 changed less than its headlines suggested: the standards arrived, the listing rule arrived, and every “no duty” row stayed a “no duty” row.
The largest single change was in the basis, and it arrived at the end of September: the consultation’s mandatory S2 became comply or explain.
The second was the reach: secondary listings and depositary receipts moved from a signposting statement to the same basis as domestic companies.
The FCA also left the TCFD-aligned rules in place for any period beginning before 1 January 2027, so companies with such periods report under the old rules unless they choose to adopt UK SRS early; the FCA’s reporting requirements page sets out those rules.
January to March
The standards, and the consultation
The year opened with a letter: on 5 January the Department for Business and Trade told the FCA it would remove the time references on the reliefs from the standards and leave their timing to government regulations or FCA rules.
The FCA published CP26/5 on 30 January, before the final standards existed, and consulted on the exposure drafts’ reliefs.
The Department for Business and Trade published UK SRS S1 and S2 on 25 February, with the consultation response and its Annex A — the map of every UK difference from IFRS, which carries no count.
The exposure-draft consultation behind them had received 209 responses.
CP26/5 closed on 20 March, and the CP26/5 tracker followed it to the final rules.
The two standards are explained on UK SRS S1 and S2.
April to August
A quieter middle, with neighbours moving
Nothing changed in UK SRS itself between March and September; the movement was around it.
The SECR post-implementation review, published on 26 May, recommended keeping SECR with amendments.
The 2026 conversion factors arrived on 11 June, for activity data falling mostly within 2026.
The European Commission adopted revised ESRS on 3 July, and on nature the ISSB settled on a non-mandatory Practice Statement, with an exposure draft cleared for balloting on 21 July (IFRS Foundation).
The mid-2026 target for the FRC’s interim assurance register passed without the register opening.
None of these changed who reports under UK SRS or when.
September
The month the rules were made
On 7 September the government opened its Modernising corporate reporting consultation, which says it will consider how UK SRS should be reflected in the Companies Act — no proposal, no date.
On 21 September the EU published the revised ESRS and the voluntary standard in the Official Journal.
On 24 September the FCA Board made the listing-rule instrument, and on 30 September it published PS26/19.
The central change from the consultation is the basis: CP26/5 had proposed a mandatory UK SRS S2, and the final rules adopt comply or explain for every disclosure, UKLR 14 and 15 included.
The FCA’s part is set out limb by limb on the FCA and UK SRS, and what it means in practice on UK SRS compliance.
PS26/19 in four lines
Comply or explain across all UK SRS disclosures.
UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22 in; six categories out.
Accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
One-year Scope 3 relief; two-year relief beyond climate.
October to December
Still to come this year
| Date | Event | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct | FCA webinar on the final rules | PS26/19 | FCA |
| 28 Oct | Comments close on draft Technical Note 803.1, how to explain | PS26/19 ¶1.9 | FCA |
| Oct | ISSB nature exposure draft targeted; it would not apply in the UK without endorsement | FRC FAQs | Beside it |
| 10 Nov | Revised ESRS enter into force in the EU | DR (EU) 2026/1563 | Beside it |
| 30 Nov | Modernising corporate reporting consultation closes | consultation | UK SRS |
| 5 Dec | ESOS: second progress update due on Phase 3 action plans | Environment Agency | Beside it |
| 15 Dec | ISSA (UK) 5000 effective for periods beginning on or after this date | ISSA (UK) 5000 ¶15 | Beside it |
| 31 Dec | ESOS Phase 4 qualification date | Environment Agency | Beside it |
| 1 Jan 2027 | FCA instrument in force, for accounting periods beginning on or after this date | PS26/19 ¶3.12 | FCA |
Two of these are about how to comply: the FCA’s draft guidance on explaining, and ISSA (UK) 5000 becoming effective for any company that chooses assurance.
Two are ESOS dates that sit on their own clock, per the Environment Agency.
Any ISSB nature output would need UK endorsement before it applied here, as the FRC explains.
Every date beyond 2026, to the 2029 relief expiry, is on the dated UK SRS register; every UK regime, on the UK sustainability regulation timeline.
Duties in 2026
What actually applies to UK companies in 2026
“What sustainability reporting requirements apply to UK companies from 2026?” has a shorter answer than most searches expect.
In 2026 no UK SRS disclosure is required of anybody.
The duties that do apply were already in place before the year began.
Listed companies make TCFD-aligned climate disclosures under the listing rules as they stood, for any period beginning before 1 January 2027.
The largest companies make climate-related financial disclosures in their strategic report under section 414CA, as they have since the 2022 regulations.
Quoted and large unquoted companies report energy and emissions under SECR in the directors’ report.
ESOS Phase 4 takes its qualification snapshot on 31 December 2026.
Investment firms have their own FCA regime, and it changed in September: FCA 2026/59 replaced product-level TCFD reporting by asset managers from 25 September.
What 2026 added is the date on which the listing-rule duty switches to UK SRS: periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
| Regime | Who | In 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| TCFD-aligned listing rules | UKLR 6 companies and others under the existing rules | In force for periods beginning before 1 January 2027 |
| Companies Act climate disclosures | More than 500 employees plus a traded, banking, insurance, AIM or £500m-turnover limb | Each strategic report |
| SECR | Quoted companies; large unquoted companies and LLPs | Each directors’ report |
| ESOS Phase 4 | Large undertakings and their groups | Qualification date 31 December 2026 |
| UK SRS | Anyone who chooses | Voluntary |
Test yourself
Six claims about 2026, true or false
Most of what was written about UK SRS in 2026 was written before 30 September, and a good deal of it described the consultation as if it were the rule.
The statements on the panel are the ones that went stale fastest.
Each answer names the document that settles it, so the test doubles as a reading list.
The FCA’s guidance on explanations is the one piece of 2026 still moving: draft TN 803.1, consulted on through Primary Market Bulletin 66, takes comments until 28 October.
UK SRS in 2026: true or false?
UK SRS became mandatory for listed companies in 2026.
The standards were published before the FCA’s consultation closed.
The FCA published its policy statement in autumn 2026, as it had said it would.
The final rules kept CP26/5’s signposting statement for secondary listings.
The FRC’s voluntary assurance register opened in mid-2026.
A consultation published in September proposes a UK SRS threshold for private companies.
0 of 6 answered.
Nothing you choose is stored or sent.
What it means
What 2026 leaves companies with
For a listed company in scope, 2026 ends with fixed rules and a fixed first period: the one beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
The work before then is the materiality test, the emissions data, the scenario assumptions and the wording of any explanation; the readiness assessment and UK SRS reporting checklist cover it.
For everyone else the standards remain voluntary, and the only open question is the Companies Act route the consultation asks about.
Investment firms face a different FCA regime altogether, explained on FCA SDR and anti-greenwashing.
The instruments are gathered on UK SRS legislation, and the wider landscape on UK sustainability reporting.
The official pages are the government’s UK SRS guidance, the FCA, the FRC, and the IFRS Foundation for the ISSB’s international baseline.
Commentary
What others wrote during the year
Law firms and professional bodies published explainers as the year went on; they are reader links, dated to when they were written, and none is the source for anything on this page.
- Hogan Lovells on the exposure drafts
- Global Financial Regulatory Blog on the final standards
- Mishcon de Reya on what boards need to know
- Taylor Wessing on UK SRS
- Slaughter and May on sustainability reporting in 2026
- Linklaters on SDR and the anti-greenwashing rule
Most of it was written before PS26/19 and describes CP26/5’s proposals; read it with the date in mind.
A sister reference takes the compliance angle: srsreport.co.uk on UK SRS compliance.
Frequently asked
UK SRS in 2026, answered
Is UK SRS mandatory in 2026?
No. Throughout 2026 UK SRS is voluntary for every entity.
The FCA’s final rules, published on 30 September 2026, apply to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, on a comply-or-explain basis, for companies listed in UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22.
What happened to UK SRS in 2026?
The FCA published CP26/5 on 30 January, the government published UK SRS S1 and S2 on 25 February, CP26/5 closed on 20 March, the government opened its Modernising corporate reporting consultation on 7 September, and the FCA made its listing-rule instrument on 24 September and published the final rules, PS26/19, on 30 September.
When were the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards published?
On 25 February 2026, by the Department for Business and Trade, as the UK’s endorsed versions of the ISSB’s IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.
They are available for voluntary use by any entity and carry no effective date of their own.
What did the FCA decide in 2026?
In PS26/19 it finalised rules requiring listed companies in five categories to report against UK SRS on a comply-or-explain basis for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, with a one-year Scope 3 relief and a two-year relief for UK SRS S1 beyond climate.
CP26/5 had proposed a mandatory UK SRS S2; the final rules did not adopt it.
What is still to come in 2026?
The FCA’s webinar on 19 October, the close of comments on draft Technical Note 803.1 on 28 October, the close of the Modernising corporate reporting consultation on 30 November, ISSA (UK) 5000 becoming effective on 15 December and the ESOS Phase 4 qualification date on 31 December.
What should a listed company do in the rest of 2026?
Confirm its listing category, run the UK SRS S1 materiality test, build Scope 1 and 2 on the GHG Protocol from existing SECR data, screen Scope 3, agree scenario assumptions with the finance team, and decide how it will word any explanation, ahead of its first period beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
What sustainability reporting requirements apply to UK companies in 2026?
No UK SRS disclosure is required of anybody in 2026.
The duties that apply are the existing ones: TCFD-aligned listing-rule disclosures for periods beginning before 1 January 2027, the Companies Act climate disclosures for the largest companies, SECR for quoted and large unquoted companies, and ESOS Phase 4, whose qualification date is 31 December 2026.
Did the FCA replace the TCFD rules in 2026?
It made the replacement in 2026, but it takes effect later.
PS26/19 says the new rules replace the TCFD-aligned disclosures, for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
For earlier periods a company keeps the TCFD-aligned rules unless it adopts UK SRS early.
Will ESG reporting requirements increase in the UK?
For listed companies the scope of what is asked grows from 2027, because UK SRS asks for more than the TCFD-aligned rules, but on a comply-or-explain basis.
For private companies nothing is proposed: the Modernising corporate reporting consultation says the government will consider how UK SRS should be reflected in the Companies Act, and the government proposes to remove the directors’ report.
What UK SRS news is still to come in 2026?
The FCA’s webinar on 19 October, the 28 October deadline for comments on draft Technical Note 803.1, the close of the Modernising corporate reporting consultation on 30 November, and ISSA (UK) 5000 taking effect for periods beginning on or after 15 December.
The FCA instrument then comes into force on 1 January 2027.
Did anything change for private companies in 2026?
No requirement.
The Modernising corporate reporting consultation, open until 30 November 2026, says the government will consider how UK SRS should be reflected in the Companies Act 2006, with no proposal, figure or date.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19: Aligning listed issuers' sustainability disclosures with international standards
Published 30 September 2026; the webinar date.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 (PDF), ¶¶1.9, 3.12 and Appendix 1
The instrument made 24 September, the 1 January 2027 start and the guidance consultation.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityCP26/5 — consultation page
Published 30 January 2026, closed 20 March 2026.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1 and UK SRS S2 — publication page
Published 25 February 2026.
- Department for Business and TradeLetter to the FCA, 5 January 2026 (PDF)
The relief time limits leave the standards.
- Department for Business and TradeAssurance oversight regime — government response
30 January 2026: a voluntary regime; the interim register targeted for mid-2026.
- Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeModernising corporate reporting — consultation
Open 7 September to 30 November 2026.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)2026 post-implementation review of the SECR regulations
Published 26 May 2026; recommends retaining SECR with amendments.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
Published 11 June 2026.
- European CommissionDelegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1563 — revised ESRS
Official Journal 21 September 2026; in force 10 November 2026.
- Financial Reporting CouncilISSA (UK) 5000 (PDF), ¶15
Effective for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPrimary Market Bulletin 66
The guidance consultation that runs to 28 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.ukCompanies Act 2006, section 414CA
Who makes Companies Act climate disclosures in 2026.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityClimate change and sustainable finance: reporting requirements
The TCFD-aligned rules that apply to periods beginning before 1 January 2027.
- GOV.UK (Environment Agency)Comply with ESOS Phase 4
The 31 December 2026 qualification date.