How long do I have to bring an employment tribunal claim?

Employment Tribunal time limits are strict and courts rarely extend them. For most claims, including unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, and unlawful deduction from wages, the time limit is three months minus one day from the relevant act.

For dismissal claims, the clock starts on the effective date of termination — the last day of employment (or last day of notice if you were paid in lieu). For discrimination claims, time runs from the date of the discriminatory act, or the last act in a continuing series.

Before lodging a tribunal claim, you must first contact ACAS to start the early conciliation process. ACAS will attempt to facilitate a settlement. The time limit is paused (frozen) from the day you contact ACAS and does not restart until ACAS issues a certificate confirming conciliation has ended. This can add valuable extra time.

If you miss the limitation period, the Tribunal will not accept your claim unless you can show it was "not reasonably practicable" (for most claims) to bring the claim in time, or that it is "just and equitable" to extend time (for discrimination claims, where the threshold is lower). These extensions are not routinely granted.

The bottom line is: act quickly. Even if you are unsure about your claim, contact ACAS as soon as possible after the relevant act. This preserves your options while you seek advice. Do not wait until the deadline approaches to start the process.