Employment tribunal time limit: you now have 6 months, and Scotland catches up on 9 November

The Employment Rights Act 2025 and two sets of rules made in July 2026 doubled the time you have to bring most claims in England, Wales and Scotland. What counts is the date of the problem, not the date you decide to act.

‘Most claims’ includes unfair dismissal, discrimination and unpaid wages (unauthorised deductions). A few claims already had 6 months before October, such as statutory redundancy pay and equal pay: nothing changes for them.

Breach of contract claims at the tribunal (for example unpaid notice pay, or a contractual bonus not paid when you left) are governed by a separate order in each nation. England and Wales moved on 1 October. In Scotland, the Scottish Ministers' order comes into force on Monday 9 November 2026.

• Your contract ended on or after 9 November 2026: you have 6 months minus 1 day.
• It ended before 9 November 2026: you keep the old 3 months minus 1 day, even if you claim later.
• ‘Ended’ means the effective date of termination: the day your notice expired, or the day the dismissal took effect if you got no notice.

1. Find the start date. For unfair dismissal, it is usually the last day of your notice, or the day you were dismissed without notice. For pay, the day you were paid the wrong amount. For discrimination, the most recent incident you include in your claim.
2. Add 6 calendar months, then take off 1 day. Acas gives this example: paid the wrong amount on 1 October 2026, the deadline is 11:59pm on 31 March 2027.
3. Notify Acas before that date. You cannot go to the tribunal without notifying Acas first. Your time limit is paused while early conciliation runs, which can last up to 12 weeks, and you then have at least a month after the Acas certificate to submit your claim.
4. Check the exceptions. If you were dismissed for whistleblowing, trade union activities or acting as a workers' representative, you may be able to apply for interim relief, which has a 7 day limit.

Going through a grievance, a disciplinary hearing or an appeal does not change your time limit. If your employer's procedure drags on, notify Acas anyway before the deadline. A claim made late can still be submitted, but a judge decides whether to accept it, and Acas says time limits are strictly enforced in most cases. For an exact date in a complex case (several incidents, conduct still going on), the Acas helpline or a legal adviser can help.

Northern Ireland has industrial tribunals and the Labour Relations Agency instead of Acas. nidirect still says most claims must be made within three months of the incident: the October 2026 change does not apply there.

Six months, plus conciliation, can mean close to a year before a hearing. In the meantime, you still need an income, and law firms point out that a dismissed employee is expected to take reasonable steps to reduce their loss, in practice by looking for work. If compensation is ever discussed, your job search will be part of it.

• Keep a dated record of every application: the advert, the date you applied, the replies. It is useful for you, and it shows the steps you took.
• Update your CV now, while your results are fresh: dates, job titles and figures you can prove. Your last job stays on it, dispute or not.
• Prepare one calm sentence about why you left. ‘The role ended in October and I'm looking for a position where I can use my stock control experience’ is enough. Interviewers do not need the details of a claim, and criticising a former employer rarely helps.
• Ask about a reference early. If your employer gives references to other leavers, ask what it will say. Our character reference template helps if you need someone else to vouch for you.

If your employer has gone into administration rather than dismissing you, the process is different: see what happens when a company goes into administration. And when the interviews come, our guide on how to prepare for an interview covers the questions you are most likely to face.