URGENT! EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE
At the stroke of midnight on 1 October 2026, the employment tribunal time limit doubled.
From 1 October 2026 , anyone wishing to bring a claim for unfair dismissal, discrimination, detriments, wages, working time, TUPE, which occurred on or after 1 October 2026 have six months.
A dismissal act or omission that took effect on or before 30 September 2026 is still subject to the old three-month rule.
Where claims rely on a series of acts, it’s the last one that counts. A complaint whose most recent incident is next month gets six months, and can rely on years of history before 1 October 2026.
For employers six months is extended further:
Acas early conciliation adds up to twelve weeks, taking you to nine months from dismissal, and an employee then gets a further month to lodge a claim after the acas certificate is issued. So, ten months. Add to this the time the tribunal takes to serve the claim and we’re pushing a year.
Previously, if no claim arrived within five months, employers could close the file. From 1 October 2026, the claim may not get to you until a year or more after the event.
If you need any help on any of this, please do not hesitate or call or come in and speak to one of our employment solicitors.
