UK / Employment rights

Employment tribunal timetable moves to a six-month claim window

The government schedules the extension for 1 October, with a later date for breach-of-contract claims in Scotland.

1 OCT 2026 · 1 min read

Commuters at London Bridge in September 2005 — archive illustration, not people involved in tribunal proceedings — Archive · Will Fox · Commuters at London Bridge · September 2005 · Public domain · Licence · Cropped for display. Context image, not a photograph of this event.

The government’s implementation timetable sets 1 October as the date for extending the employment tribunal claim limit from three to six months. The change forms part of the staged introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

A separate Scottish date

Breach-of-employment-contract claims in Scotland have a different commencement date: 9 November. The timetable therefore does not put every category of claim on the same schedule. Its headline dates should not be used on their own to calculate the deadline in an individual case.

Further measures later this month

The government lists 30 October for further trade union measures and stronger duties concerning workplace sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties. Those measures are distinct from today’s tribunal deadline change.

A phased programme

Other reforms remain scheduled for 2027. The official timetable says future dates remain subject to parliamentary processes. For employees and employers, the immediate point is to identify the particular reform and its commencement date, rather than assume that the whole Act takes effect at once.