What is the TPS?
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's official register of individuals who have opted out of receiving unsolicited live marketing calls. It is managed by TPS Limited, a not-for-profit company that operates under Ofcom oversight.
Any UK consumer can register their personal phone number, whether it is a mobile or a landline, free of charge. Once registered, a number remains on the TPS indefinitely unless the individual chooses to remove it.
The TPS currently holds over 23 million registered phone numbers. That figure grows every day. New registrations are added to the file and made available to organisations that screen against it, typically within 28 days of the registration being processed.
Under Regulation 21 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), it is unlawful to make unsolicited direct marketing calls to any number on the TPS register unless the called subscriber has given you their specific, prior consent.
For a deeper look at how TPS works, the legal framework behind it, and what it means for your calling operations, see our complete guide to TPS compliance.
What is the CTPS?
The Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) is the equivalent register for businesses. It allows corporate subscribers to opt out of receiving unsolicited direct marketing calls to their business phone numbers.
The CTPS is managed by the Data and Marketing Association (DMA), the UK's trade body for the data and marketing industry. The DMA administers the CTPS on behalf of the regulatory framework established under PECR.
As of late 2025, the CTPS register contains approximately 1.3 million telephone numbers. That is significantly smaller than the TPS, but it is still a substantial list, and every number on it carries the same legal weight.
The rules work in the same way. If a business number is registered on the CTPS, you must not make unsolicited direct marketing calls to that number unless you have the corporate subscriber's specific prior consent.
Who counts as a "corporate subscriber"?
This is where things get more nuanced than most people realise, and where many compliance mistakes begin.
Under PECR, a corporate subscriber is any organisation with separate legal status. That includes:
- Limited companies (Ltd, PLC)
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- Scottish partnerships
- Government bodies
- Any other body corporate with distinct legal personhood
These entities register on the CTPS.
But here is the critical point that trips people up: sole traders and ordinary (non-LLP) partnerships are not corporate subscribers. PECR classifies them as individual subscribers, which means they register on the TPS, not the CTPS.
This has a direct practical consequence. If you are making B2B sales calls, you cannot assume that checking only the CTPS is enough. A significant number of UK businesses are sole traders or non-limited partnerships, and they are protected by the TPS, not the CTPS.
TPS vs CTPS: Key differences at a glance
| TPS | CTPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Telephone Preference Service | Corporate Telephone Preference Service |
| Who can register | Individuals (consumers, sole traders, ordinary partnerships) | Corporate subscribers (limited companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships, government bodies) |
| Who manages it | TPS Limited (Ofcom-overseen not-for-profit) | Data and Marketing Association (DMA) |
| Approximate registrations | Over 23 million numbers | Approximately 1.3 million numbers |
| What calls are covered | Unsolicited live direct marketing calls to individual subscribers | Unsolicited live direct marketing calls to corporate subscribers |
| Legal basis | Regulation 21, PECR 2003 | Regulation 21, PECR 2003 |
| Does consent override it? | Yes, with specific prior consent | Yes, with specific prior consent |
| Applies to | B2C calls, plus B2B calls to sole traders and partnerships | B2B calls to limited companies, LLPs, and other corporate bodies |
| Registration cost | Free | Free |
| Registration duration | Indefinite (until removed by the subscriber) | Indefinite (until removed by the subscriber) |
The legal mechanism is identical for both registers. The difference is purely about who is covered: individuals on TPS, corporate bodies on CTPS.
Common misconceptions
Several misunderstandings about TPS and CTPS persist across the industry. Getting any of these wrong creates compliance risk.
"CTPS only applies to B2B callers"
Not exactly. The CTPS applies to anyone making unsolicited marketing calls to corporate subscribers. That includes B2B companies, but it also includes charities, political organisations, and any other entity making live marketing calls to business numbers. If the number belongs to a corporate subscriber and is on the CTPS, you need consent to call it, regardless of your own organisation type.
"I only need to check one register"
This is the most dangerous misconception. The ICO's own guidance is explicit: before making live B2B marketing calls, you must screen against both the TPS and the CTPS, as well as your own internal do-not-call list.
Why both? Because sole traders and ordinary partnerships register on the TPS, while limited companies register on the CTPS. Unless you know with certainty the legal structure of every business you are calling, and you almost never do, you must check both.
For B2C calling, you technically only need to check the TPS. But if there is any possibility that numbers in your list belong to businesses, checking both registers is the prudent approach.
"Sole traders are covered by CTPS"
They are not. This is one of the most common errors in B2B telemarketing compliance. Sole traders are classified as individual subscribers under PECR. They register on the TPS. If you are calling a list of small businesses and only screening against the CTPS, you are missing every sole trader who has opted out through TPS.
Given that there are millions of sole traders in the UK, this is not a niche edge case. It is a systemic gap.
"A number cannot be on both registers"
In principle, it is possible for a number to appear on both registers, though it is uncommon. A phone number used by both an individual and a business, or where the subscriber status is ambiguous, could end up on both. This is another reason to screen against both registers every time.
"CTPS does not matter because we only call mobiles"
Businesses register landlines and mobiles on both the TPS and CTPS. Mobile numbers are not exempt from either register. If you are calling a business mobile, it could be on the TPS (if the business is a sole trader) or the CTPS (if it is a limited company), or neither. You need to check.
Real-world calling scenarios
To make this concrete, here is how the registers apply in common calling situations.
Scenario 1: Calling consumers from a purchased list
You are running a B2C campaign using a third-party data list. Every number must be screened against the TPS before you dial. If a number is registered and you do not have that person's specific consent, you must not call it.
Check required: TPS
Scenario 2: Calling a list of UK businesses
Your sales team is cold-calling businesses. Some are limited companies. Some are sole traders. Some are partnerships. You do not know the legal structure of each one.
Check required: Both TPS and CTPS
Scenario 3: Calling only known limited companies
You have a curated list of limited companies with verified Companies House data. In theory, you only need to check the CTPS.
In practice, checking both registers adds negligible cost and protects you if any of your data is inaccurate. A company might have given you a director's personal mobile, which could be on the TPS. The safer approach is always to check both.
Check required: CTPS (minimum), both TPS and CTPS (recommended)
Scenario 4: Calling a sole trader who gave you their business card
You met a sole trader at a networking event and they gave you their card. You want to follow up with a marketing call. Because sole traders are individual subscribers, you need to check the TPS. If they are registered and have not given you specific consent to receive marketing calls from your organisation, you must not call.
Check required: TPS
Scenario 5: Calling an existing customer
If a customer has given you specific, informed consent to receive marketing calls, you may call them even if they are on the TPS or CTPS. But the consent must be genuine, specific to your organisation, and documented. "We have an existing business relationship" is not the same as consent under PECR.
Check required: Verify your consent records. If in any doubt, check both registers.
When must you check both registers?
The short answer: almost always, if you are making any kind of B2B call.
The ICO's published guidance on B2B marketing states clearly that organisations must screen against both the TPS and CTPS before making live marketing calls. This is because your calling list will almost certainly contain a mix of corporate subscribers and individual subscribers, and you have no reliable way to distinguish between them without checking both.
Even for organisations that believe they are only calling consumers, checking both registers provides an additional layer of protection. It costs almost nothing, and it eliminates an entire category of compliance risk.
And remember, the obligation does not end with a single check. TPS registrations change daily. The ICO's guidance recommends re-checking your calling lists at least every 28 days. For more on that requirement and how to build it into your process, see our article on the 28-day re-check rule.
The cost of getting it wrong
Since the Data Use and Access Act 2025, maximum fines for PECR breaches have increased to £17.5 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. The ICO does not need to prove harm. It only needs to establish that you made unsolicited marketing calls to registered numbers without consent.
The ICO investigates complaints, and people who have registered with TPS or CTPS are exactly the people most likely to complain when they receive unwanted calls. A single complaint can trigger an investigation. Multiple complaints can lead to enforcement notices and monetary penalties.
For a detailed look at how the ICO enforces TPS rules and what recent fines have looked like, read our article on ICO fines and enforcement action.
How to check both registers in one step
Historically, checking TPS and CTPS meant dealing with two separate systems, two different data providers, and two sets of results to reconcile. That added complexity, cost, and the risk of human error.
TPSCheck eliminates that friction entirely. Every API call checks a phone number against both the TPS and CTPS registers simultaneously and returns a clear result for each.
Here is what a single check looks like:
POST /check
Authorization: Token your_api_key
{
"phone": "02071234567"
}
And the response:
{
"tps": false,
"ctps": true,
"line": {
"type": "landline",
"carrier": "BT",
"location": "London",
"country": "England"
}
}
One request. Both registers. A clear true or false for each. Plus phone intelligence data, including line type, carrier, and location, included free with every check.
For bulk operations, the batch endpoint lets you check up to 100 numbers in a single request, with TPS and CTPS results returned for every number in the batch.
No need to manage two separate screening processes. No need to reconcile results from different providers. No risk of checking one register and forgetting the other.
Get started
- Free plan: 50 checks per month, no credit card required. Start free
- Starter plan: 10,000 checks per month for £29. Scales up to Enterprise volumes.
- Pay-as-you-go: Credit packs from £4 for 1,000 checks. Credits never expire.
Full API documentation is available at TPSCheck documentation, and our product guide walks through every feature.
Summary
TPS and CTPS are two sides of the same legal obligation. TPS protects individuals, including sole traders and ordinary partnerships. CTPS protects corporate bodies like limited companies and LLPs. Both registers exist under PECR, and both carry the same legal weight.
If you make marketing calls in the UK, checking only one register is not enough. The ICO expects you to screen against both, maintain your own do-not-call list, and re-check regularly.
The good news is that compliance does not have to be complicated. With a single API call, TPSCheck gives you TPS status, CTPS status, and phone intelligence for any UK phone number. Start checking both registers today.
