Frequently Asked Questions

The Particulars of Claim is the most important section of your ET1 form (section 8.2). It sets out:

• The facts of your case and what your employer did
• The legal basis for your claim, citing specific legislation
• The remedies (compensation) you are seeking

Employment judges use this to understand your case before the hearing. A well-drafted Particulars of Claim significantly improves your chances of a successful outcome. Most people find it the hardest part of the ET1 form to complete.

No. Many people represent themselves (known as "litigants in person") at the Employment Tribunal. The tribunal process is designed to be accessible to people without legal representation.

However, a well-drafted Particulars of Claim is essential. Solicitors typically charge £500 or more just for this document. Our service generates a professional version for a fraction of the cost, citing the specific legislation and case law relevant to your situation.

For complex cases, you may also wish to seek free advice from Citizens Advice or ACAS.

No. This service generates a draft Particulars of Claim document based on UK employment law. It is not legal advice. We are not solicitors and we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

You are responsible for reviewing the document, checking it is accurate, and deciding whether to submit it with your ET1 form. For complex cases or if you are unsure, you should seek independent legal advice from a qualified solicitor or Citizens Advice.

Before starting, you should have:

• ACAS Early Conciliation certificate number — you must contact ACAS before making a tribunal claim (call 0300 123 1100)
• Your employer's details — name and address
• Employment dates — when you started and, if applicable, when your employment ended
• A description of what happened — the facts of your case

It also helps to have any relevant documents such as your contract, dismissal letter, grievance correspondence, and emails that support your case.

We offer three packages:

• Essentials — £29 — Professional Particulars of Claim PDF citing specific legislation and case law, plus an ET1 Submission Guide PDF and email delivery
• Standard Bundle — £49 — Everything in Essentials, plus a Chronology of Events PDF and Evidence Checklist PDF
• Complete Bundle — £79 — Everything in Standard, plus a Hearing Preparation Guide, Witness Statement Template, Schedule of Loss, and Tribunal Bundle Index

All are one-time payments. No subscriptions. You can preview a blurred version of your document before paying to make sure you're happy with it. Solicitors typically charge £500+ just for the Particulars of Claim.

We support 7 Employment Tribunal claim types:

1. Unfair Dismissal — dismissed without a fair reason or fair procedure (2 years service required)
2. Constructive Dismissal — forced to resign due to employer's fundamental breach of contract (2 years service required)
3. Wrongful Dismissal — dismissed in breach of contract, e.g. without proper notice (no service requirement)
4. Discrimination — less favourable treatment due to a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (no service requirement)
5. Unlawful Deduction from Wages — unpaid wages, holiday pay, notice pay, or unauthorised deductions (no service requirement)
6. Redundancy Pay — unpaid statutory redundancy pay or unfair selection for redundancy (2 years service required)
7. Whistleblowing — detriment or dismissal for making a protected disclosure (no service requirement, no compensation cap)

Before you can submit an ET1 form to the Employment Tribunal, you must first contact ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) for Early Conciliation. This is a legal requirement for most claims.

ACAS will attempt to help you and your employer reach a settlement without going to tribunal. The process is free and usually takes up to 12 weeks. If conciliation fails, ACAS will issue you a certificate with a reference number that you need when submitting your ET1.

Contact ACAS on 0300 123 1100 or visit acas.org.uk/early-conciliation.

Important: The time you spend in ACAS Early Conciliation pauses the clock on your tribunal time limit.

You submit your ET1 form online at gov.uk/employment-tribunals/make-a-claim. The process involves:

1. Complete ACAS Early Conciliation and receive your certificate
2. Use our service to generate your Particulars of Claim
3. Go to gov.uk and fill in the ET1 form online
4. Copy and paste your Particulars of Claim into section 8.2 of the form
5. Submit the form electronically

You will receive a confirmation from the tribunal once your claim has been accepted. There is no fee to submit an ET1 form.

After you submit your ET1 form:

1. The tribunal will send your claim to your employer (the "respondent")
2. Your employer has 28 days to submit their response (ET3 form)
3. An Employment Judge will review both forms and give case management directions
4. There may be a preliminary hearing to discuss the issues in your case
5. Your case will be listed for a full hearing, typically several months later

Many cases settle before reaching a hearing. Your employer or their solicitors may contact you to discuss settlement once they receive your claim.

Time limits are strict. You must contact ACAS within the time limit:

• 3 months less 1 day from the act complained of — this applies to most claims including unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal, discrimination, unlawful deduction from wages, and whistleblowing
• 6 months from the relevant date — this applies to redundancy pay claims

For dismissal claims, the time runs from your effective date of termination. For discrimination, it runs from the last discriminatory act (or last in a series of continuing acts). For wages claims, it runs from the date of the deduction (or last in a series).

Important: Time spent in ACAS Early Conciliation extends your deadline. Contact ACAS as soon as possible to preserve your time limit.

If you are past the time limit, it may still be possible to make a claim, but tribunals are strict about this. The tribunal may accept a late claim if:

• It was "not reasonably practicable" to present the claim in time (for unfair dismissal and wages claims)
• It would be "just and equitable" to extend time (for discrimination claims — this is a broader test)

Reasons that may be accepted include serious illness, being misled by your employer, or not knowing about the time limit. Simply not getting around to it is unlikely to be accepted.

If you are close to or past the time limit, you should contact ACAS immediately and consider seeking legal advice. Time is critical.

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, you have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. A dismissal is unfair if:

• Your employer did not have a potentially fair reason (capability, conduct, redundancy, statutory restriction, or some other substantial reason)
• Your employer did not follow a fair procedure (as set out in the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures)
• The decision to dismiss was not within the range of reasonable responses

You generally need 2 years continuous service to claim unfair dismissal, unless the reason is "automatically unfair" (e.g., pregnancy, whistleblowing, asserting a statutory right).

Compensation includes a basic award (calculated like redundancy pay) and a compensatory award (capped at the lower of 52 weeks' gross pay or the current statutory maximum, which is updated annually each April). Note: Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, this cap will be removed from January 2027.

Constructive dismissal occurs when you resign because your employer's conduct amounts to a fundamental breach of contract. You must show:

1. Your employer committed a fundamental breach of contract (or the implied term of mutual trust and confidence)
2. You resigned in response to that breach
3. You did not delay too long before resigning (which could be seen as affirming the breach)

Examples include a serious pay cut imposed without agreement, bullying or harassment, demotion without justification, or a fundamental change to your working conditions without consent.

You generally need 2 years continuous service. The time limit is 3 months less 1 day from your resignation date.

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for your employer to discriminate against you because of a protected characteristic. The 9 protected characteristics are:

Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Types of discrimination include:

• Direct discrimination — treated less favourably because of your characteristic
• Indirect discrimination — a policy that puts people with your characteristic at a disadvantage
• Harassment — unwanted conduct related to your characteristic that creates an intimidating or hostile environment
• Victimisation — treated badly because you raised or supported a discrimination complaint

There is no service requirement and no cap on compensation for discrimination claims. The time limit is 3 months less 1 day from the discriminatory act.

Wrongful dismissal is a breach of contract claim. It typically arises when your employer dismisses you without giving you the proper notice period set out in your contract or the statutory minimum.

Unlike unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal:

• Has no minimum service requirement
• Focuses on whether the contract was breached, not whether the dismissal was fair
• Is capped at £25,000 in the Employment Tribunal

You may have a wrongful dismissal claim if you were dismissed without notice (or on shorter notice than your contract requires) and were not guilty of gross misconduct. The time limit is 3 months less 1 day from the date of termination.

• Collective redundancy protective award doubled — the maximum protective award for failure to consult on collective redundancies increases from 90 to 180 days' pay
• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reforms — the lower earnings limit is removed (so all employees qualify) and the 3 waiting days before SSP starts are abolished

• Time limits extended to 6 months — the time limit for bringing most Employment Tribunal claims (currently 3 months less 1 day) will be extended to 6 months. This gives claimants significantly more time to start ACAS early conciliation and submit their ET1

• Qualifying period for unfair dismissal reduced — the qualifying period reduces from 2 years to 6 months of continuous service. This means far more employees will be able to claim unfair dismissal
• Unfair dismissal compensation cap removed — the current cap on the compensatory award (the lower of 52 weeks' gross pay or the statutory maximum) will be removed entirely
• Fire and rehire becomes automatically unfair dismissal — dismissal and re-engagement on inferior terms will become automatically unfair dismissal, with no qualifying service period required (ERA 1996 s.104F, inserted by ERA 2025)

If you are making a claim now, the current rules apply. The changes listed above will only take effect from their respective commencement dates. This means:

• The time limit is still 3 months less 1 day (or 6 months for redundancy pay)
• Unfair dismissal still requires 2 years continuous service (unless automatically unfair)
• The compensatory award cap still applies

We will update this site as each change comes into force.