19/10/2026

Employers with operations in Great Britain should be aware of an important change to Employment Tribunal time limits which took effect on 1 October 2026,.

The time limit for bringing the majority of Employment Tribunal claims has increased from three months to six months. This includes common claims such as unfair dismissal, discrimination and unlawful deductions from wages. The new time limit generally applies where the act, dismissal or other event giving rise to the claim occurred on or after 1 October 2026.

The process for bringing a claim, including the requirement to notify Acas, has not changed. Acas describes the new general limit as six months minus one day and confirms that the previous time limits continue to apply where the relevant workplace problem occurred before 1 October 2026.

What does this mean for employers?

The change effectively means that potential employment claims may remain live for considerably longer.

Employers should therefore be particularly mindful of record-keeping and document retention. Where a claim is not received until several months after an employee has left, relevant managers may have moved roles and recollections of events may be less clear. Maintaining appropriate records of disciplinary, grievance, performance and dismissal processes will therefore continue to be important.

The change may, however, also provide additional time to resolve disputes before litigation. The Government has expressly stated that one purpose of the extended time limit is to allow employees and employers more time to try to resolve matters internally or through conciliation.

Employers with GB employees should review any policies, handbooks or guidance which continue to refer to a three-month Tribunal time limit. Government guidance specifically recommends updating policy documents and employee handbooks to reflect the change.

What is the position in Northern Ireland?

The position in Northern Ireland is different. The usual time limit for bringing a claim before an Industrial Tribunal remains three months. Unlike in Great Britain, this means three months from the relevant date, rather than three months less one day.

A general extension of tribunal time limits was not part of the proposals in the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill Consultation and is not believed to be part of the Department for the Economy’s Good Jobs agenda. Until the Employment Rights Bill is published, should it proceed, the position in Northern Ireland is expected to remain unchanged.

Practical points for employers

Employers with employees in Great Britain should now:

• update relevant policies and guidance referring to Tribunal time limits;
• ensure disciplinary, grievance, performance and dismissal decisions are appropriately documented;
• review document-retention arrangements in light of the longer period during which a claim may arise; and
• ensure HR teams understand the transitional arrangements for matters arising before and after 1 October 2026.

For employers operating across Northern Ireland and Great Britain, particular care should be taken not to assume that the same Tribunal time limits apply in both jurisdictions.

We will continue to keep members updated on developments in Northern Ireland and, in particular, the progress of the proposed Employment Rights Bill.