From 1 October 2026

Tribunal time limit: six months from October 2026

Updated 1 October 2026

The headline change is straightforward: most employment tribunal claims now run on a six-month clock instead of a three-month one. The practical detail matters more. The new limit applies only to acts or effective dates of termination on or after 1 October 2026, the Acas pause still stops the clock the moment you start early conciliation, and a handful of claim types keep their existing rules. This page walks through what changed, what did not, and what to do if your situation sits close to the boundary.

The headline change: three months becomes six months

From 1 October 2026 the standard time limit for bringing an employment tribunal claim in Great Britain is six months less one day, measured from the date of the act you are complaining about (or from the effective date of termination, for dismissal claims). It replaces the three months less one day rule that applied to most claims under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and to most Equality Act 2010 claims brought in the employment tribunal.

The change is set out in the Employment Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and is being brought into force in stages. ACAS, 30 September 2026: "Time limits for making a claim to an employment tribunal will increase to 6 months. The current time limit for most claims is 3 months. This will change on 1 October 2026." gov.uk, 30 September 2026: "the time limit for bringing a claim to the Employment Tribunal will increase from 3 to 6 months."

What counts as the start date

The clock does not start when you first read about the change. It runs from the date of the act complained of, which for dismissal claims is your effective date of termination (EDT). For other claims it is the date the discrimination happened, the date the deduction from wages was made, or the date of the breach of contract.

A dismissal that takes effect on 30 September 2026 still runs on three months less a day. A dismissal that takes effect on 1 October 2026 or later runs on six months less a day. Our page on the date of dismissal covers how the EDT is fixed.

Which claims run on the six-month clock

Most claims you would actually bring run on six months from 1 October 2026. Unfair dismissal, discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, whistleblowing, TUPE, Working Time Regulations holiday pay, unlawful deduction of wages, redundancy pay, written particulars, itemised pay statement, and most breach of contract claims. Each previously ran on three months less a day for acts before 1 October 2026.

Where a claim previously ran on three months less a day and is brought in the employment tribunal, the new rule applies from 1 October 2026. The deadline calculator accepts the date of the act or EDT and returns the working deadline.

Acas early conciliation still pauses the clock

The longer window does not change the Acas early conciliation rule. You still have to notify Acas before bringing a claim in almost every case. Starting early conciliation pauses the clock on the day you contact Acas, and the clock only starts running again when Acas issues the early conciliation certificate. Since 1 December 2025 the conciliation window itself can run for up to 12 weeks.

You also get at least one month after the certificate date even if almost no time was left when you contacted Acas. Our page on starting early conciliation walks through the practical steps.

Where the limit stays different

Equal pay claims under section 129 of the Equality Act 2010 already run on six months less a day, and that does not change.

For breach of contract claims in Scotland, the change is later than 1 October 2026. The gov.uk timeline confirms the time-limit extension for breach of contract in Scotland takes effect on 9 November 2026. English and Welsh breach of contract claims move on 1 October 2026.

Other limits sit outside the change. The county court time limit for most contract and tort claims is six years. Civil court claims for personal injury run on three years.

When the new rule does not extend your time

The longer window only applies to acts on or after 1 October 2026. If the act or EDT is before that date, the old three months less a day rule still applies. ACAS, 30 September 2026: "This will change on 1 October 2026." gov.uk timeline update, 30 September 2026.

The longer window also does not save a claim that is out of time because the act itself is older. Tribunals can extend time in discrimination claims if it is just and equitable to do so, and in unfair dismissal claims if it was not reasonably practicable to present the claim in time. The test is harder in the unfair dismissal route than in the discrimination route. Plan on meeting the deadline; treat an extension as the fallback, not the plan.

What to do in the meantime

Three things are worth doing now.

First, fix the relevant date. For a dismissal claim, that is the EDT, normally the date your notice expires or the date you were told you were dismissed. For other claims, it is the date of the act complained of.

Second, run the dates through the deadline calculator. It applies the transitional rule, so an EDT before 1 October 2026 returns three months less one day and an EDT on or after that date returns six months less one day.

Third, contact Acas early. Starting early conciliation is the only thing that pauses the clock. Internal grievances and appeals do not. The Employment Rights Act changes, dated page lists the other ERA 2025 reforms that turn on in October 2026 and afterwards.

This page explains the law as it stands on 1 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to Acas, a solicitor, or your union. Scotland's breach of contract rules change on 9 November 2026, not 1 October.