Time limit (limitation period)
Plain-English definitions for England and Wales. General information, not legal advice. Laws and figures change - always check the current position on GOV.UK.
Time limit (limitation period) The deadline for bringing a claim. For most employment tribunal claims it is 3 months less 1 day from the event you are complaining about, and you must notify ACAS to start Early Conciliation within that window. Statutory redundancy pay and equal pay claims have a 6-month limit.
Also known as: limitation period, tribunal deadline, 3 months less 1 day
Related terms
- ACAS Early Conciliation
- A free, confidential service from ACAS that you must notify before you can bring most employment tribunal claims. A conciliator contacts both sides to see whether the dispute can be settled without a hearing. Notifying ACAS also pauses the tribunal time-limit clock while conciliation runs.
- Effective date of termination (EDT)
- The date your employment legally ends - normally your last day of employment or the day notice expires. It is the usual trigger date for the unfair dismissal time limit and for calculating length of service.
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