Redundancy Claims: What the Data Shows

"Redundancy claim" is a phrase that hides three very different things. Understanding which one applies to you is the first and most important step, because the data, the deadlines and the money are different for each. This guide sets out what the figures show across the three routes: statutory redundancy pay, unfair dismissal through an unfair redundancy, and the protective award for a failure to consult.

Data status - last updated 1 July 2026: Statutory figures are from the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order in force from 6 April 2026. Claim-volume figures are from the MoJ's Tribunals statistics quarterly: October to December 2025. There is no single "redundancy" award table, because redundancy disputes are counted under redundancy pay, unfair dismissal, and protective-award jurisdictions separately. Check the linked sources for the latest data.

Route one: statutory redundancy pay (a fixed entitlement)

If you are genuinely made redundant with at least two years' service, you are entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. This is not something you argue for at a hearing - it is a fixed sum your employer must pay, calculated from three things:

• your age across each year of service
• your length of service, capped at 20 years
• a week's pay, capped at £751 for 2026

That gives a maximum statutory redundancy payment of £22,530 (£751 x 20 years x the maximum 1.5 weeks per year for older service). Most payments are well below the maximum. You can work out your own figure with the redundancy pay calculator, and the redundancy pay guide explains the age multipliers and what counts as continuous service.

The tribunal only gets involved here if your employer refuses to pay, underpays, or disputes your length of service. Those claims are usually about arithmetic and dates, not fairness.

Route two: unfair redundancy (an unfair dismissal claim)

Redundancy is one of the five potentially fair reasons for dismissal - but only if it is done properly. Where it is not, the dismissal can be unfair, and the claim runs as an ordinary unfair dismissal claim. Tribunals look at whether:

• there was a genuine redundancy situation (a real reduction in the need for that work), rather than a redundancy label used to remove someone
• the selection pool and criteria were fair and objectively applied
• there was meaningful consultation with you before the decision was finalised
• the employer considered suitable alternative employment

If any of these fails, the "redundancy" can be an unfair dismissal. Because it is an unfair dismissal claim, the outcomes mirror the unfair dismissal data: most claims settle or are withdrawn, and the unfair dismissal award data applies - a median award of £6,746 in the most recent published tables, with a wide range around it. The compensatory award for claims presented on or after 6 April 2026 is generally capped at £123,543 or 52 weeks' gross pay, whichever is lower.

A redundancy payment you have already received is normally set off against the basic award, so being paid statutory redundancy does not stop you claiming unfair dismissal - but it affects the sums.

Route three: the protective award (failure to consult)

Where an employer proposes 20 or more redundancies at one establishment within 90 days, it has extra duties under section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992: it must collectively consult with a recognised trade union or elected employee representatives, for a minimum period, and notify the Secretary of State.

If it fails to consult properly, affected employees can claim a protective award of up to 90 days' gross pay each. This is uncapped by the week's-pay limit - it is based on actual gross pay - which makes it one of the higher-value redundancy outcomes, especially in large-scale or poorly-handled redundancy exercises. It has no two-year qualifying requirement, and it is separate from both statutory redundancy pay and any unfair dismissal claim.

Which route (and deadline) applies to you?

The three routes have different time limits, and mixing them up is a common and costly mistake:

• Unfair dismissal (including unfair redundancy): the deadline is 3 months less 1 day from the dismissal date, after starting Acas Early Conciliation.
• Statutory redundancy pay disputes: generally 6 months from the dismissal, with a further discretionary period in limited cases.
• Protective award: 3 months from the last of the dismissals (or the date they take effect).

Check your own dates with the tribunal deadline calculator and read the deadlines guide - because most routes are barred once the deadline passes.

What the data means for your situation

Identify which claim you actually have. The word "redundancy" is doing a lot of work. If your employer paid the right redundancy sum and ran a genuine, fair process, there may be no claim - just an entitlement that was correctly met. If the process was a sham, the pool was rigged, or you were not consulted, the claim is unfair dismissal. If you were one of many and there was no collective consultation, look at the protective award.

Settlement is common here too. As with unfair dismissal, most contested redundancy claims resolve by negotiation - often through a settlement agreement offered during or after the process - rather than at a hearing.

Automatic unfairness raises the stakes. If you were selected for a reason like pregnancy, whistleblowing or union activity, the two-year qualifying period falls away and the claim is stronger. Discriminatory selection under the Equality Act 2010 carries no cap and no qualifying period.

Key takeaway

There is no single "redundancy claim" and no single redundancy figure. Statutory redundancy pay is a fixed, calculable entitlement worth up to £22,530. An unfair redundancy is an unfair dismissal claim, with the same median and range as any unfair dismissal. And a failure to collectively consult can be worth up to 90 days' pay per employee through a protective award. The most important thing the data shows is that these are three different claims with three different deadlines - so working out which one fits your situation comes first.

_This article is legal information, not legal advice. Figures are drawn from official statutory sources and MoJ publications and are updated periodically; check the linked sources for the most current data._