Tribunal process
Employment tribunal process
What happens after you file: from et1 form login to tribunal claim time limit and final hearing.
Last updated 17 August 2026
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Check your likely tribunal deadline
Enter the relevant dates to estimate your limitation deadline and understand how ACAS Early Conciliation may affect it.
Before preparing your ET1, use our Employment Tribunal Deadline Calculator to check the three- or six-month limit for your event date and see how your ACAS notification and certificate dates affect it. Some claims have different time limits.
On what grounds can you take your employer to a tribunal?
You can take your employer to a tribunal for various reasons, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, unpaid wages, or a breach of contract.
Before filing, you must usually complete 'Early Conciliation' via ACAS. This is a mandatory first step to see if a settlement can be reached.
Is it worth taking your employer to a tribunal? This depends on your potential payout and the strength of your evidence.
WorkDisputes Pro · Watch it in action
Find relevant decisions. See how they compare with your case.
Watch AI Case Research in action, from searching and saving Tribunal judgments to using AI analysis and the Argument Map to compare a fictional situation.
- Search published Employment Tribunal judgments
- Save decisions and explore AI-assisted analysis
- Compare similarities and differences with the Argument Map
AI Case Research walkthrough — press play to watch the example.
What is the average employment tribunal payout? (And your chances of winning)
There is no reliable average employment tribunal payout that you can safely plan around. Awards vary heavily by claim type, pay, service, mitigation, medical evidence, and the documents available to prove loss.
Ordinary unfair dismissal awards remain capped, while discrimination compensation can include uncapped financial loss plus a separate injury to feelings award.
What are the chances of winning a tribunal? Success rates vary, but cases with strong documentation and clear legal grounds perform significantly better.
How much can you claim at a tribunal? You can claim for your actual financial loss and, in discrimination cases, injury to feelings awards.
Compensation Questions
How much money can I get for unfair dismissal?
The amount you can get depends on your pay and age (the basic award) plus your financial losses (the compensatory award), subject to the statutory cap.
What are the stages of an employment tribunal?
- 01
ET1 filed
Your claim is submitted to the tribunal.
- 02
ET3 response
The employer files their response.
- 03
Case management
The tribunal issues orders and sets deadlines.
- 04
Disclosure
Both sides exchange relevant documents.
- 05
Witness statements
Each side prepares written evidence.
- 06
Final hearing
The tribunal hears evidence and makes a decision.
Which tribunal time limit applies?
- The employment tribunal time limits are strict; missing one can lead to your claim being dismissed immediately.
- For most claims, the starting limit is three months minus one day for events before 1 October 2026 and six months minus one day for events on or after that date. Scottish employment-contract claims change on 9 November 2026. Equal pay, statutory redundancy pay and interim relief have separate limits.
- While called a 'time limit', exceptions (like 'just and equitable' extensions) are very rare in the employment tribunal uk.
- Use our tribunal time limit calculator or employment tribunal out of time calculator to find the exact tribunal time period for your specific situation.
- A court time limit for breach of contract (6 years) is much longer, but the tribunal claim deadline remains the priority.
Out of time tribunal claims
If you are filing out of time employment tribunal claims, you must provide a very strong reason. Cases are rarely heard if submitted late.
For out of time court application or tribunal matters, the burden of proof is on you to show why the deadline was missed.
For unfair dismissal, use the effective date of termination: events before 1 October 2026 retain three months minus one day; events on or after that date use six months minus one day. Timely ACAS notification and certificate receipt can adjust the filing deadline. Internal appeals do not pause it.
Hearing and Decisions
- The employment tribunal decisions are usually sent to both parties in the weeks after the hearing.
- Public records of employment tribunal judgments are searchable online in the official register.
- Remedies can include compensation and recommendations based on the employment tribunal cases findings.
Common questions
Can you cancel a tribunal claim once filed?
Yes, you can withdrawal (cancel) a tribunal claim at any stage before the final judgment. This is common if you reach a settlement or decide not to proceed.
How do I use a tribunal time limit calculator?
An employment tribunal time limit calculator takes your dismissal date and any time spent in ACAS Early Conciliation to provide a precise deadline.
Are there any employment tribunal time limit exceptions?
Yes, but employment tribunal time limit exceptions are rare. They usually only apply if it was 'not reasonably practicable' to file on time or if an extension is 'just and equitable'.
What is the tribunal appeal time limit?
The tribunal appeal time limit is usually 42 days from the date the full written reasons for the decision were sent to you.
Who sets the acas tribunal time limits?
The ACAS stop-the-clock rules come from tribunal legislation and depend on when you started and ended Early Conciliation.
Prepare for an Employment Tribunal claim
- Check the earliest possible deadline before drafting the claim.
- Use Acas Early Conciliation timing records to calculate how the limitation clock may be affected.
- Build a dated chronology and preserve the source documents behind each material allegation.
- Separate the facts for the ET1 from the losses that belong in a Schedule of Loss.
- Research published decisions for legal context, not as a guaranteed prediction of your outcome.
Key guidance
Next steps
Keep your facts organised and protect your time limits with the tools below.
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