Could employment disputes remain live for longer? New tribunal claim deadlines from 1 October 2026 

From 1 October 2026, employees will have longer to bring most employment tribunal claims, with the usual deadline increasing from three months minus one day to six months minus one day. 

For employers, this means workplace disputes may remain live for longer, making good record-keeping and early resolution increasingly important. 

What's changing?

The longer time limit will apply across a wide range of employment claims, including unfair dismissal, unlawful deductions from wages and workplace discrimination. 

In most cases, the new six-month deadline will apply where the relevant time limit starts on or after 1 October 2026. Where the relevant time limit starts before that date, the existing three-month limit will generally continue to apply. Some claims, including equal pay and statutory redundancy pay claims, already have six-month time limits. 

What about Acas early conciliation?

The requirement on a claimant to notify Acas before bringing most employment tribunal claims is not changing. Acas early conciliation gives employers and employees an opportunity to try to resolve a dispute without tribunal proceedings. Importantly, notifying Acas within the applicable time limit pauses the clock while early conciliation takes place. Early conciliation can last for up to 12 weeks and, once it ends, the claimant will generally have at least one month from receiving their Acas certificate to submit a tribunal claim. This means a potential claim could remain live beyond the six-month period. 

Internal grievance, disciplinary or appeal procedures do not pause the tribunal time limit, so an employee may still notify Acas while an internal process is ongoing. 

What does the change mean for employers?

Employers will need to keep potential disputes on their radar for longer. 

For example, where the effective date of termination falls on or after 1 October, an employee could have almost six months, rather than three, to notify Acas about a potential claim. By that stage, managers involved in the decision may have moved roles or left the business, and relevant emails, messages or notes may be harder to locate. 

The change makes it particularly important to keep clear records explaining how significant employment decisions were reached. 

This could include records relating to: 

• disciplinary and grievance processes 

• probation and performance management 

• dismissals and redundancies 

• complaints about discrimination or harassment 

• pay, deductions and working arrangements 

• discussions and correspondence with departing employees 

The extension does not give employers longer to respond once a tribunal claim has been made. An employer will normally still have 28 days from the date the tribunal sends the employer a copy of the claim to submit its response. 

If your business is facing a claim, our employment tribunal advice for employers guide explains the tribunal process and the practical steps employers should take. You can also read our guide to understanding employment tribunal costs for more on the potential financial implications of defending a claim. 

What should businesses do before 1 October?

Employers don’t need to make a formal change to implement the new deadline, but it is worth reviewing how employment disputes and records are managed. 

Businesses should consider: 

• making sure managers document concerns and significant employment decisions clearly 

• checking that relevant grievance, disciplinary, performance, dismissal and pay records are stored securely and can be retrieved if a dispute arises months later 

• preserving relevant documents when an employee leaves or a dispute arises 

• reviewing document-retention arrangements so relevant evidence is preserved where a dispute is anticipated, while continuing to comply with data protection requirements 

• making sure concerns and potential claims are escalated early to HR or legal advisers where appropriate 

Employers may therefore need to deal with claims relating to issues that arose months earlier. Reviewing your processes now can help ensure the evidence needed to understand and defend a potential claim is still available. 

If you would like reassurance that your employment processes and record-keeping are ready for the new tribunal deadlines, our employment law experts can review your current approach and help identify any areas that may need attention before 1 October.