From 1 October 2026
Tribunal time limit: six months from October 2026
Updated 8 November 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 where the relevant date (for a dismissal, the effective date of termination) is 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 comes from section 152 of, and Schedule 12 to, the Employment Rights Act 2025, brought into force on 1 October 2026 by SI 2026/954. Regulation 4 of that instrument says the longer limits do not apply where the relevant date is before 1 October 2026, and its Schedule sets out the relevant date for each type of claim. A separate instrument, SI 2026/758, made the same change to seven sets of regulations that carry their own tribunal rights. The government's Employment Rights Act timeline lists the change as having taken effect on 1 October 2026.
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, written particulars, itemised pay statement, and most breach of contract claims. For every claim in the table below, the limit is six months less one day if the relevant date is on or after 1 October 2026, and three months less one day if it is earlier.
| Claim type | Relevant date (the clock starts here) |
|---|---|
| Unfair dismissal, including constructive and whistleblowing dismissal | The effective date of termination |
| Discrimination (Equality Act 2010) | The date of the act; for conduct over a period, the end of the period; for a failure to do something, the date it was decided on |
| Whistleblowing detriment | The date of the act or failure, or the last one in a series |
| Unlawful deduction from wages | The payday of the short payment, or the last one in a series |
| Working Time Regulations (holiday, rest breaks) | The date the right should have been allowed or the payment made |
| TUPE failure to inform or consult | The date the transfer is completed |
| Breach of contract on leaving | The effective date of termination (in Scotland the six-month limit applies only from 9 November 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 where the relevant date is on or after 1 October 2026. If it is before that date, three months less a day still applies, even if you only start your claim now.
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, use the table above: for most, it is the date of the act complained of, or the last act in a series.
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.
Quick answers
- When does the six-month employment tribunal time limit start?
- 1 October 2026. It applies where the relevant date, such as the effective date of termination in a dismissal claim, is on or after that day. Earlier cases stay on three months less a day.
- Does Acas early conciliation still pause the clock?
- Yes. Contacting Acas to start early conciliation pauses the clock on the day you make contact. It resumes when Acas issues the early conciliation certificate, and you get at least one month after the certificate even if almost no time was left when you started.
- Does equal pay also change to six months?
- Equal pay claims under section 129 of the Equality Act 2010 already run on six months less a day. The 1 October 2026 change does not move that limit. The change affects claims that previously ran on three months less a day.
This page explains the law as it stands on 8 November 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.