During an employment tribunal, you may have to: provide documents or other evidence answer questions about what happened attend a hearing explain how you calculated any compensation you’re asking for A tribunal cannot guarantee that you will win your case or receive compensation. If you have a health condition that could affect you taking part in a hearing, you can tell the tribunal at any time during the process that you may need reasonable adjustments . What a tribunal costs You do not have to pay a fee to make a claim to an employment tribunal. You may have to pay other costs, such as: witness expenses legal fees the respondent’s costs, if the tribunal decides you’ve acted unreasonably You can find guidance about what it might cost to make a claim to an employment tribunal on Citizens Advice . What you could get from a tribunal If you win your case at the employment tribunal , they may order the respondent to pay you compensation. A tribunal does not usually order an employer to apologise. If you lose your case at the employment tribunal , you can appeal or ask the tribunal to reconsider the decision. How long a tribunal takes There is no fixed length of time for an employment tribunal claim. How long it takes depends on: the type and complexity of the case how many hearings are needed After your final hearing, you’ll receive the decision within a few weeks.

You can make a claim: for yourself, as the only person claiming for yourself and others who’ve been treated in the same way for someone else, if you’re acting as their representative There’s a different way to make a claim to an employment tribunal in Northern Ireland . Before you start You must tell Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) that you’re planning to make a claim . They will offer to try to settle the dispute without going through a tribunal, through Acas ’s free early conciliation service Early conciliation is when Acas talks to both you and the respondent about your dispute. It gives you the chance to come to an agreement without having to go to an employment tribunal. If the service has not worked or you choose not to take part, Acas will send you an early conciliation certificate. To make a claim to an employment tribunal, you’ll need your early conciliation certificate number. Find out if and when you can claim Before you make a claim: check that you’re eligible to make a claim to an employment tribunal find out when you need to claim by, by checking Acas ’s guidance on deadlines for employment tribunal claims learn what to expect at an employment tribunal , including how much it might cost What you’ll need To use this service, you’ll need: the names and addresses of all the people making the claim (the ‘claimants’) the names and addresses of the employer or organisation you’re claiming against (the ‘respondents’) your Acas early conciliation certificate number Make a claim online You can use this service to: start a new claim continue an existing employment tribunal claim view claims you’ve submitted Claim online Make a claim by post You can also download an employment tribunal claim form . If the respondent is based in England or Wales, send your completed form to: Employment tribunal central office (England and Wales) PO Box 11225 Crown House Loughborough LE11 9PX If the respondent is based in Scotland, send your completed form to: Employment tribunal central office (Scotland) PO Box 27105 Glasgow G2 9JR You can also deliver it in person to an employment tribunal office .

After you make a claim

The respondent usually has to reply to your claim in writing within 28 days of getting your claim form. They will give their side of the case. Once they have replied, the tribunal will decide whether there will be a full hearing to decide your case. If they do not reply, the tribunal may decide your case without you having to go to a hearing. Attend a preliminary hearing You may be asked to go to an initial hearing (called a preliminary hearing) in person, or by phone or video. After hearing from both sides, the judge will decide on things like: whether part or all of your claim can go ahead the date and time of a hearing how long the hearing should take how you and the respondent will need to prepare for the full hearing Share documents You’ll have to share any relevant documents with the respondent and the tribunal, even if they do not help your case. The respondent will have to do the same. Examples of relevant documents could include: a contract of employment pay slips details of your pension scheme notes from relevant meetings you attended at work If you think the respondent has not shared all their relevant documents with you and the tribunal, you can ask the tribunal to order them to share the documents. Usually the tribunal will issue an order setting out a timetable for when you should share documents before the hearing. You’ll also get a letter telling you how many copies of each document to bring to the hearing. Organise witnesses You can bring witnesses to the hearing if they can give evidence directly relevant to your case. If you ask a witness to attend and they do not want to, you can ask the tribunal dealing with your case to order them to come. Contact the tribunal in writing, giving: the name and address of the witness details of what the witness may be able to say and how it will help your case the reason the witness has refused to attend (if they gave you one) If your witness is outside the UK and wants to give live video or audio evidence, contact the tribunal dealing with your case as soon as possible to request it. Tell the tribunal what country they’re in and what type of evidence they’re giving. You’ll most likely be responsible for paying the witness’s expenses. If you settle your dispute If you reach an agreement through Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service), they will usually tell the tribunal. The Acas conciliator will explain if you need to do anything. If you settle your dispute privately, you must contact the tribunal dealing with your case to tell them. If you want to withdraw all or part of your claim You must contact the tribunal in writing.

Going to a tribunal hearing

You’ll normally get at least 14 days’ notice of the date and time of your hearing. Cases are normally held at the employment tribunal office closest to where you worked. The tribunal will contact you and tell you if your hearing will take place by phone, video or in person. You must have all the documents you’re using to support your case with you. If your hearing is in person, you can take a colleague or someone else with you if you want. You can also have someone support you during a remote hearing . If you or your witness or representative is outside the UK and wants to give live video or audio evidence, contact the tribunal to request it. Tell the tribunal what country you, the witness or representative is in and what type of evidence is being given. You must do this as soon as possible. The tribunal does not pay your expenses for travelling to the hearing. What happens at the hearing You’ll present your case to the tribunal - someone else can do this for you, for example a lawyer , friend or family member. The respondent will present their case against you. You’ll normally give evidence first, unless your case is about unfair dismissal. You can also call witnesses to give evidence. You will usually be asked questions by: the judge the respondent two other tribunal members (only in certain cases) Get a decision You’ll be sent the decision a few days or weeks after the hearing. The decision will be published on GOV.UK . In certain cases you may also be given the decision at the 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: paying you compensation paying you any witness expenses you’ve paid taking steps to reduce the effects of discrimination against you giving you your job back, if appropriate If you get compensation, the amount can depend on: the type of case - there are limits on certain cases how much money you’ve lost because of the respondent’s actions your age, length of service and salary For discrimination claims, there’s generally no limit on the amount a tribunal can award. There are limits for other types of claim. You can check what you could get from an employment tribunal on Citizens Advice . If the respondent does not pay If you do not get your payment, contact them to find out why. If they still do not pay, you can ask the Fair Work Agency to contact them. 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. If the respondent is ‘insolvent’ (for example, they’re in administration, liquidation or receivership) you can make a claim for money they owe you , including redundancy payments. Ask the Fair Work Agency to tell the respondent to pay You can ask the Fair Work Agency to contact the respondent and tell them to pay your employment tribunal award. The respondent will get a warning notice telling them to pay. If they do not respond to the notice within 28 days, they may have to pay a fine. You can still get a court to force them to pay. Forcing them to pay if you’re in England or Wales You can use the Fast Track scheme to send a high court enforcement officer (similar to a bailiff) to demand payment from the respondent. It costs £71, which is added to the debt the respondent owes you. Fill in the Fast Track Enforcement form (or an application to enforce an award form if your case was settled before a hearing) and send it to the address on the form. You can also ask the local County Court to get the money from the respondent. Fill in an application to enforce an award form and send it with a copy of the tribunal’s decision to your local County Court . They will review your application and register a County Court Judgment for debt . The respondent will get an email or letter that explains the debt they owe and when they must pay it by. If they do not respond by the deadline, fill in an application for a warrant form and send it to your local County Court . They will send a county court bailiff to get the money from the respondent. This costs £83, which is added to the debt the respondent owes you. Forcing them to pay if you’re in Scotland Write to the office that heard your case and ask for an ‘extract of the judgment’. A sheriff officer can use this to force the respondent to pay.

If you lose your case

You can ask the tribunal to reconsider the decision (or ‘judgment’) if you lose your case. You must write to the tribunal office within 14 days of the written decision being sent to you, saying why you want it to be reconsidered. You also need to give good reasons, for example: the tribunal made a mistake in the way it reached its decision you were not told about the hearing, or were not at the hearing there’s new evidence Send your letter to the tribunal office that dealt with your case. Appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal You can also appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal if you think the employment tribunal made a legal mistake.

Get a refund for tribunal fees

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. How to apply You can apply online if: you have not changed your name since you made the claim to the tribunal your claim was against one employer you have a UK bank account Otherwise, you can apply by post or email. You’ll need to include how much you paid in tribunal fees. Apply online Use the service to apply for a refund online . Apply by email or post The form you use depends on why you paid the fees. Use form 1/2-CR if: you made the claim on your own and paid the fees a claim was brought against you and you were ordered to pay someone’s fees, or if you paid any other fees to the tribunal you were the ‘lead claimant’ in a joint (‘multiple’) claim for less than 11 people Use form 3-S if: you paid the fees for someone else to make the claim you were the ‘lead claimant’ in a joint (‘multiple’) claim for over 10 people Send your completed form by post or email to HM Courts and Tribunals Service ( HMCTS ). HM Courts and Tribunals Service - England and Wales etrefunds@justice.gov.uk Employment tribunal - England and Wales PO Box 11225 Crown House Loughborough LE11 9PX HM Courts and Tribunals Service - Scotland glasgowet@justice.gov.uk Employment tribunal - Scotland Customer contact centre PO Box 27105 Glasgow G2 9JR Get help applying Contact HMCTS if you need help applying or have questions about refunds. HMCTS - England and Wales Telephone: 0300 323 0196 HMCTS - Welsh language Telephone: 0300 303 5176 HMCTS - Scotland Telephone: 0300 790 6234 Find out about call charges . What happens next If you’re entitled to a refund it’ll be transferred to your bank account (plus 0.5% interest). You’ll get a letter confirming the amount.

Get support and legal advice

Get technical support If you’re having technical issues or need further guidance, call the employment tribunal customer contact centre: England or Wales employment tribunal customer contact centre Telephone: 0300 323 0196 Welsh language: 0300 303 5176 Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0300 323 0196 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Find out about call charges Scotland employment tribunal customer contact centre Telephone: 0300 790 6234 Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0300 790 6234 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Find out about call charges If you do not have access to the internet or do not feel confident using it, call We Are Group. We Are Group support@wearegroup.com Telephone: 03300 160 051 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Closed on bank holidays Text FORM to 60777 and someone will call you back Find out about call charges Get legal help Before you start your claim, you may want to get legal help or advice. Your trade union may be able to pay for a solicitor. If you’re in England or Wales You could get legal advice from: The Law Society, which can help you find a solicitor Citizens Advice, for help finding free or affordable legal advice Law Centres Network, for help finding a local Law Centre Law Works, which can connect you with a volunteer lawyer If you’re in Scotland You could get legal advice from: The Law Society of Scotland, which can help you find a solicitor Citizens Advice Scotland, for help finding free or affordable legal advice If your claim is about discrimination You may be able to: get free legal advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service get legal aid to pay for legal advice

Make a claim to an employment tribunal

Check if you can make a claim

You can make a claim to an employment tribunal if you think someone has treated you unlawfully, such as your employer, a potential employer or a trade union.

Being treated unlawfully means specific legal rights have not been met. You’ll need evidence that supports your case, such as emails or witness statements.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

An employment tribunal is impartial and independent of government. It will listen to you (‘the claimant’) and the employer or organisation you’re claiming against (‘the respondent’) before making a decision.

Before making a claim, try to resolve the dispute directly first. If you cannot resolve the dispute, you may be able to take your case to an employment tribunal.

There’s a different way to make a claim to an employment tribunal in Northern Ireland.

When you can make a claim

You can make a claim if you believe:

you’ve been discriminated against at work based on a protected characteristic
you’ve been unfairly dismissed
the terms of your contract have been broken
money has been taken from your pay for no reason

Before you make a claim

You can see if there’s another way to solve the dispute, such as:

speaking to your employer or HR representative
following your employer’s grievance procedure
getting help from a third-party to solve the dispute between you and your employer

If you cannot resolve the dispute, you may be able to take your case to an employment tribunal.

How long you have to make a claim

How long you have depends on when the problem happened.

You usually have:

6 months, if the problem happened on or after 1 October 2026
3 months, if the problem happened before 1 October 2026

If you think you’ve lost your job unfairly, the period begins from the date your employment ended.

If your claim is about discrimination, the period begins from the date the most recent incident in your claim happened.

If your claim is about unauthorised deductions from your pay, the period begins from the date you were not paid correctly.

To find the deadline for your claim, check the employment tribunal time limits guidance on the Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) website.

You may not be able to claim through an employment tribunal if you miss the deadline - even if it’s because you’ve been trying to resolve the dispute directly.

If you’re claiming for unfair dismissal

You may be able to get help while you’re waiting for your case to be decided. This is known as ‘interim relief’.

If you’re awarded interim relief, you could be given:

your old job back
a job in another equivalent role
payments equivalent to your full pay

You must apply for interim relief alongside your main employment tribunal claim within 7 days of being dismissed.

Find out more about applying for interim relief on the Acas website.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Make a claim to an employment tribunal

Check if you can make a claim

When you can make a claim

Before you make a claim

How long you have to make a claim

If you’re claiming for unfair dismissal

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Make a claim to an employment tribunal

Check if you can make a claim

When you can make a claim

Before you make a claim

How long you have to make a claim

If you’re claiming for unfair dismissal

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