Employment Tribunal Deadline Calculator UK

For most employment tribunal claims in the UK, you have 3 months minus 1 day (under rule 4 of the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure 2013) from the date of the act you are complaining about. For unfair dismissal, this typically runs from your last day of employment. For discrimination claims, it runs from the last act of discrimination. Before filing your ET1 claim form, you must first notify ACAS for Early Conciliation (as required under section 18A Employment Tribunals Act 1996), which can add time to your deadline.

ACAS Early Conciliation is a mandatory step before you can submit an employment tribunal claim. You must contact ACAS and allow them to attempt to help you and your employer reach a settlement before the case goes to tribunal. The process can last up to 6 weeks. Once ACAS issues your Early Conciliation Certificate, your tribunal deadline is automatically extended by the time spent in conciliation.

Employment tribunals have very limited discretion to extend time limits. For unfair dismissal, the test is whether it was "not reasonably practicable" to submit the claim in time. For discrimination claims, the test is whether it is "just and equitable" to extend time. Extensions are not automatically granted, and tribunals apply these tests strictly. You should always aim to meet your original deadline rather than rely on an extension being granted.

If you miss your employment tribunal deadline, your claim will almost certainly be rejected. You would need to make a formal application to the tribunal explaining why you missed it, and the tribunal has discretion — rarely exercised — to accept late claims. It is absolutely critical that you take action well before your deadline. If you are close to your deadline, contact ACAS immediately or seek urgent legal advice.

Yes. When you contact ACAS for Early Conciliation, the clock stops on your tribunal deadline. This is called "stopping the clock" and the time spent in Early Conciliation is added onto your deadline once ACAS issues your A Certificate. This means your final ET1 deadline can be extended beyond the original 3-month deadline, depending on how long the conciliation period lasts.