Employment Tribunal: How to Bring a Claim

You do not have to pay a fee to make a claim to an employment tribunal. You may have to pay other costs, for example witness expenses, and the costs of the people or organisations you are claiming against if the tribunal decides you have acted unreasonably.

You can get a refund if you paid fees at an employment tribunal or employment appeals tribunal between 29 July 2013 and 26 July 2017.

There are strict time limits for making a claim to an employment tribunal. The law on time limits changed on 1 October 2026, and how long you have depends on when the problem happened.

Acas also lists certain claims made against a trade union and certain claims if you are a member of the armed forces among the few claims with 6 months minus 1 day for problems before 1 October 2026.

When the time limit starts

• Unfair dismissal: in most cases from either the last day of your notice period, or the date you were dismissed if your employer did not give you notice
• Pay and wages: from the date you were not paid correctly
• Discrimination: from the most recent date of discrimination you are including in your claim

If you notified Acas within your time limit, you will have at least 1 month from the date you received the certificate to make your claim. If your time limit has passed, you can still make a claim, but it is up to the judge to decide whether they will accept it, and in most cases time limits are strictly enforced.

If you are claiming unfair dismissal and want to apply for interim relief, you must make your claim within 7 days of being dismissed. GOV.UK says you can apply for interim relief only in a few situations, including if you were dismissed for trade union activities, acting as a workers' representation or whistleblowing.

Before you make a claim to an employment tribunal, you must tell Acas that you are planning to make a claim. Acas says early conciliation should not be your first step, because it is usually easier and quicker to try to solve things informally.

You do not have to notify Acas that you intend to make a claim if:

• ✓Yes: you are making the claim with another person who has already been through early conciliation
• ✓Yes: the respondent has already notified Acas, and you will need to provide evidence of this
• ✓Yes: you are only claiming for unfair dismissal and applying for interim relief as part of that claim, though you will need to go through early conciliation for any other claims you make at the same time
• ✓Yes: Acas does not have the power to conciliate on some or all of your claim

You usually have to make a claim to the tribunal within 6 months of your employment ending or the problem happening. You can make a claim online, or download and fill in a claim form and send it by post. Before you start an online claim, you will need:

• ✓Yes: the names and addresses of all the people making the claim
• ✓Yes: the names and addresses of the respondents, which you can find in your job offer letter, your employment contract or your payslips
• ✓Yes: your Acas early conciliation certificate numbers

If you have a disability or health condition that could affect you taking part in a hearing, you can let the tribunal know you will need reasonable adjustments. The respondent usually has to reply to your claim in writing within 28 days of getting your claim form. Once they have replied, the tribunal will decide whether there will be a full hearing to decide your case, and if they do not reply, the tribunal may decide your case without you having to go to a hearing.

If you win your case, the tribunal can order the losing party to do certain things depending on the type of case. Examples include:

• ✓Yes: paying you compensation
• ✓Yes: paying you any witness expenses you have paid
• ✓Yes: taking steps to reduce the effects of discrimination against you
• ✓Yes: giving you your job back, if appropriate

If you get compensation, the amount can depend on the type of case, how much money you have lost because of the respondent's actions, and your age, length of service and salary. GOV.UK says there are limits on certain cases.

• Unfair dismissal basic award: subject to the other provisions of the Act, section 119 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 works it out from your years of continuous employment, counting back from the effective date of termination, with one and a half weeks' pay for a year in which you were 41 or over, one week's pay for any other year in which you were 22 or over, and half a week's pay for any other year, and no year earlier than the last twenty is counted
• Unfair dismissal compensatory award: capped at the lower of £123,543 and 52 weeks' pay, except where you are regarded as unfairly dismissed by virtue of section 100, 103A, 105(3) or 105(6A) of the 1996 Act
• Discrimination: the tribunal can make a declaration as to the rights of the complainant and the respondent, order the respondent to pay compensation, or make an appropriate recommendation
• Unlawful deduction from wages: where the tribunal finds your complaint well-founded, it shall make a declaration and order the employer to pay you the amount of any deduction made in contravention of section 13

Acas says that from 1 January 2027 the limit on compensation for unfair dismissal will be removed. For discrimination claims presented on or after 6 April 2026, the Vento bands for injury to feelings are a lower band of £1,300 to £12,600, a middle band of £12,600 to £37,700, and an upper band of £37,700 to £62,900, with the most exceptional cases capable of exceeding £62,900.

If you do not get your payment, contact the respondent to find out why. If they still do not pay, you can ask the Fair Work Agency to contact them, and you can also ask a court to force them to pay. You cannot do these things if the respondent has appealed, or is about to. They have 42 days to appeal.