Insights · 3 min read · 30 July 2026

Employment tribunal time limits: the three-month clock is stricter than you think.

Short answer: for most claims, unfair dismissal and discrimination included, you must begin Acas early conciliation within three months less one day of the dismissal or the act you are complaining about. Acas conciliation pauses the clock; missing it usually kills the claim, and extensions are rare. If your deadline is close, move this week, not this month. Our tribunal work is fixed fee, with a merits note from £550 that tells you honestly whether to fight.

How the clock actually runs

The clock starts on the effective date of termination for dismissal claims, or the date of the discriminatory act, and continuing acts have their own rules that are argued about constantly. Acas early conciliation is mandatory before any claim and extends the deadline by the conciliation period. The arithmetic is unforgiving, which is why the first thing we do with any enquiry is compute your exact date in writing.

What to do while the clock runs

Start Acas conciliation to stop the clock, gather the paper (contract, dismissal letter, grievance correspondence, pay records), and get a written merits view before spending on a full claim. Where you have been offered a settlement agreement instead, that is its own route, usually employer-funded.

Fixed fees, not a meter

Merits note from £550, ET1 pleadings from £1,750, representation from £4,500, each fixed in writing before it starts. Tribunal fees for claimants: currently none, your costs are your representation, which is exactly why fixed beats hourly here.