← All guides

FCA Handbook Changes: How the Rulebook Is Amended and How to Follow It

What the FCA Handbook is

The FCA Handbook is the definitive rulebook for authorised firms, organised into sourcebooks such as CONC (consumer credit), COBS (conduct of business), ICOBS (insurance), MCOB (mortgages) and SYSC (systems and controls). Your permissions determine which sourcebooks apply.

How the Handbook is amended

Changes are made through instruments that follow a consultation. The FCA consults via a Consultation Paper, confirms rules in a Policy Statement, and records the exact amendments in a Handbook Notice with effective dates.

Where to see exactly what changed

Handbook Notices list the specific instruments and rule references amended. Reading the Notice alongside the relevant Policy Statement tells you both what changed and the date it takes effect — the two facts a compliance team needs to plan implementation.

Turning a change into an action plan

For each relevant amendment, identify the affected process, the owner, the deadline and the evidence you will keep. A Handbook change with an effective date is a project with a due date, not just a document to file.