Workers will have longer to bring most employment tribunal claims from today, 1 October 2026. But the change does not automatically extend the deadline for a workplace event that happened before that date.
Acas says the usual time limit for most claims will increase from three months minus one day to six months minus one day, applying where the time limit starts on or after 1 October. That distinction is central for anyone already considering a claim.
What changes on 1 October
The government’s implementation timetable, updated on 25 September, lists the extension among the reforms taking effect on 1 October. The commencement regulations bring the relevant Employment Rights Act 2025 provisions into force and set out the transition.
What to check
- The type of claim and the event that starts its time limit.
- Whether that relevant date falls before or on or after 1 October 2026.
- Whether Acas early conciliation affects the calculation.
- Whether a separate, shorter deadline applies to a particular application.
The date of the workplace event matters
The regulations say the amendments do not apply where the relevant date occurred before 1 October. For unfair dismissal, the relevant date is the effective date of termination. Wage-deduction complaints and discrimination claims have their own rules, including provisions concerning a series of deductions or conduct extending over a period.
Starting a claim after 1 October is therefore not enough, by itself, to obtain the longer period. The claimant needs to establish the relevant event and date under the rules governing that claim.
A simple transition example
For an ordinary unfair-dismissal claim, an effective termination date of 30 September falls before the change. An effective termination date of 1 October falls within it. This illustrates the transition only; early conciliation and any other applicable rules still need to be considered before calculating the filing deadline.
A grievance does not stop the tribunal clock
Acas warns that grievance, disciplinary and appeal procedures do not alter the time limit. A worker waiting for an employer’s internal response may still need to notify Acas in time.
Early conciliation is different. Acas explains that timely notification can pause the tribunal time limit while conciliation takes place. The eventual deadline needs to be calculated using the applicable rules, rather than simply counting months from the date an employer answers a grievance.
Do not assume an older claim has been rescued
The new period is not a general reopening of claims whose deadlines have already passed. A tribunal decides whether a late claim can be accepted under the rules for that claim.
The extension is not universal
Some claims already have a six-month period. Acas identifies statutory redundancy pay and equal pay among them. Applications for interim relief in certain unfair-dismissal cases have a much shorter deadline, normally seven days.
The government also identifies a separate implementation date of 9 November 2026 for the extension affecting breach-of-employment-contract claims in Scotland. Readers should check the rule governing their particular claim and jurisdiction.
More time to prepare, with deadlines still to protect
The reforms are being introduced in stages. The timetable separately lists stronger employer duties concerning sexual harassment for 30 October, and a reduction in the ordinary unfair-dismissal qualifying period for January 2027. Those measures should not be confused with tomorrow’s extension of claim time limits.
For someone assessing a workplace dispute, the immediate task is to identify the claim, record the relevant dates and check the applicable deadline. Evidence such as payslips, dismissal letters and correspondence can help establish the chronology.
ConsumerWise’s view is that the longer period may give workers useful time to organise a case, but the transition needs equal prominence. A headline promising six months to everyone could leave people with older disputes relying on a deadline that does not apply to them.
Sources and further reading
- Acas: employment tribunal time limitsExplains the October change, the transition, internal procedures, early conciliation and shorter deadlines.
- Government: Plan to Make Work Pay implementation timetableUpdated 25 September 2026. Sets out phased reforms, including the separate Scottish contract-claim date.
- Employment Rights Act 2025 commencement and transitional regulations, SI 2026/954Regulations 3 and 4 and the Schedule set commencement and the relevant dates for transitional purposes.
- Employment Tribunal extension regulations, SI 2026/758Related amendments and transitional provisions for additional tribunal jurisdictions.
- Acas: what early conciliation isExplains early conciliation and why approaching an employer does not change tribunal time limits.
