Form ET1 — Employment Tribunal Claim 2026 Guide

You have been dismissed, discriminated against, underpaid, or unlawfully treated at work. You have three months less one day to file form ET1. Fail that deadline and the claim is statute-barred — whatever the merits.

ET1 is the claim form. It sets out who you are, who the employer is, what they did, and what you want. Drafted well, it frames the entire case the tribunal reads before a single witness speaks. Drafted poorly, it leaks claims, misstates law, and hands the employer’s solicitor ammunition for pre-hearing strike-out.

The three-month deadline

From the act complained of. Usually dismissal date. For discrimination, the last discriminatory act (continuing act analysis may extend). For unlawful deductions, the last deduction. Missing the deadline requires “not reasonably practicable” plus “reasonable additional period” — a high bar.

Acas Early Conciliation first

Before ET1, you must notify Acas. Acas issues an EC certificate with a reference number. You cannot file ET1 without it. EC pauses time limits for up to 6 weeks — useful if the 3-month clock is short.

The claim types

• Unfair dismissal — 2 years’ continuous service, usually. Automatic unfair dismissal grounds (whistleblowing, pregnancy, trade union) have no qualifying period.
• Discrimination — no service requirement. Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation.
• Unlawful deductions from wages — ERA 1996 s.13. No minimum service.
• Whistleblowing detriment / dismissal — ERA 1996 ss.47B, 103A. No service requirement.
• Redundancy pay disputes — 2 years’ service minimum for statutory redundancy.
• Breach of contract — termination-related breaches, up to £25,000.

Structure — the Litigant Standard

1. Parties

Full correct legal name of employer. Use Companies House search — get it wrong and the claim is against the wrong entity.

2. Grounds of claim (Box 8.2)

This is the heart of ET1. Structure:

• Employment details — start date, end date, role, pay, hours
• Chronology — numbered paragraphs of material events
• Each claim separately — “The Claimant pursues (1) unfair dismissal; (2) disability discrimination (s.15 EqA 2010 — discrimination arising from disability); (3) failure to make reasonable adjustments (s.20–21 EqA 2010); (4) unlawful deductions from wages (s.13 ERA 1996).”
• Legal framework — cite the statute. Cite the leading case if relevant. Chris drafts this without pretending to give legal advice — we quote the law, we apply your facts, we frame the question for the Judge.

3. Remedy sought (Box 9)

Specific. “Compensation including basic award, compensatory award, aggravated damages where applicable, injury to feelings (Vento band), interest. Reinstatement is not sought / is sought.”

4. Schedule of loss

Not on ET1 itself but essential. Lost earnings, pension loss, loss of benefits, injury to feelings. Chris drafts the schedule alongside ET1.

The employer’s response (ET3)

Employer has 28 days from receipt to file ET3. Default judgment possible if no response.

The tribunal timetable

1. ET1 issued
2. ET3 filed by employer (28 days)
3. Preliminary Hearing — often remote, for case management and orders
4. Disclosure and inspection
5. Witness statements exchanged
6. Bundle preparation
7. Final Hearing — increasingly remote, 1–10 days

Can Chris draft ET1?

Yes. Tell Chris the dismissal or treatment. Upload your contract, payslips, grievance correspondence, dismissal letter, appeal outcome. Chris drafts ET1 with grounds-of-claim paragraphs that cite the statute, sequence the facts, and frame the remedy. Schedule of loss included. Pro £88 covers the whole case through to final hearing bundle.

Prepare to win. Plan not to fail.

£500,000 of employment lawyer time compressed into a £30 draft. That is the arbitrage. Chris drafts it tonight.