From 1 October 2026, the time limits for bringing an employment tribunal claim will increase to six months for all claims (from 3 months) – including unfair dismissal, breach of contract and discrimination claims.
This applies to all employment tribunal claims in England, Wales and Scotland made after the 1st October (although Scotland will make these changes on 9th November 2026). Prior to 1st October 2026, only a small number of claims had a six-month time limit, such as claims for equal pay or a statutory redundancy payment.
The government’s intention behind this change to time limits is to give employers and employees more time to resolve matters internally or explore a Settlement before a claim is brought; and also more time to work on early conciliation with Acas than they previously did.
But it does also mean that employers will often need to wait longer than before to find out if an employee is going to bring a claim against them.
If you have any questions then please let me know!