Extension of Employment Tribunal Time Limits: What Employers Need to Know

From 1 October 2026, there will be an extension to Employment tribunal time limits, giving employees longer to bring most claims.

From 1 October 2026, the time limit for most employment tribunal claims will increase from 3 months minus 1 day to 6 months minus 1 day.

The change will apply to claims where the time limit starts on or after 1 October 2026. In Scotland, the change will take effect from 9 November 2026. It does not apply in Northern Ireland.

There has also been a change to the ACAS Early Conciliation period. Since 1 December 2025, the period has increased from 6 weeks to 12 weeks.

For employers, this makes it even more important to keep HR records organised and ensure managers follow clear and consistent processes. With a longer period available for an employee to make a claim, employers may need to provide evidence of how and why decisions from months ago were made.

How can employers prepare?

With employees having longer to bring a claim, employers should make sure important HR information is easy to access and kept up to date.

Keep accurate employee records

Record key employee information and documentation consistently, including contracts, performance information, absence records, disciplinary or grievance records and relevant correspondence. Where appropriate, use e-signatures to record when documents have been issued, received and acknowledged by employees, providing a clear record of what was agreed and when.

Using HR software can keep this information together rather than relying on separate spreadsheets, documents or email trails, making it easier to access when needed and maintain a clear record of key HR activity.

Keep documents accessible

Important HR documents should be easy to find when they are needed. This could include contracts, policies, letters, meeting notes and other employee documentation.

With oneHR, businesses can store key employee documents alongside their employee records, helping managers and HR teams access the information they need. Keep contracts, policies and other important documents in one accessible place.

Record HR activity as it happens

Don’t rely on trying to piece together what happened months later. Record important conversations, decisions, actions and follow-ups as part of your normal HR processes.

Features such as HR actions and tasks can help managers keep track of what needs to be done and record when actions have been completed.

Keep managers informed

Managers play an important role in managing employee issues, so they should understand the processes they need to follow and when to involve HR.

Having relevant employee information and outstanding actions visible through your HR system can also help managers stay on top of ongoing HR activity.

Review your records regularly

Regularly checking your HR records can help identify missing information or areas that need updating.

This is also an opportunity to check that employee documents, absence information, actions and other key records are being kept up to date.

Is your HR information ready?

As employment law continues to change, having clear and accessible HR records is becoming increasingly important.

oneHR brings employee records, documents, absence, actions, training and other HR information together in one place, helping businesses manage their people processes more efficiently and maintain a clear record of key HR activity.

Book a demo to see how oneHR can help you manage your HR information.

Call: 0330 107 1037

Email: contact@onehrsoftware.com

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