Extended Tribunal Deadlines Strengthen Access to Workplace Justice

By Bernie Wentworth, Head of Employment Rights

Workers bringing claims in employment tribunals will soon have significantly longer to enforce their workplace rights, following a raft of regulations implementing the next stage of the Employment Rights Act 2025. From 1 October 2026, time limits for a wide range of employment tribunal claims will increase from three months to six months, marking one of the most substantial procedural changes in employment law for many years. 

The changes will apply to many of the most common employment claims, including unfair dismissal, unlawful deduction from wages, discrimination, working time breaches, collective redundancy consultation complaints, trade union rights cases and a range of claims under employment protection regulations. The extended deadlines will only apply where the relevant act, dismissal, detriment or other event giving rise to the complaint occurs on or after 1 October 2026. 

Separate regulations also extend the time limit for contractual claims brought in employment tribunals in England and Wales from three months to six months. These claims, often used by workers seeking unpaid notice pay, wages or other contractual entitlements after employment ends, will benefit from the same longer window where the effective date of termination falls on or after 1 October 2026. 

The Government says the reforms are intended to give workers more time to understand their rights, seek advice and pursue claims. For trade unions and employee representatives, the changes are likely to be particularly significant in collective disputes, consultation failures and cases involving detriment for union-related activities. 

The extension of tribunal time limits forms part of the wider programme of employment law reforms introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which brings section 152 and Schedule 12 of the Act into force on 1 October 2026. 

For workers, the longer deadlines should increase the opportunity for them to resolve disputes before they are forced to make a tribunal claim. However, workers should seek early advice on their case and the application of the time limits from their trade union as soon as a workplace dispute arises.