Form ET1 is the approved form used to start an individual claim in the Employment Tribunal in England, Wales and Scotland. Completing it well is not a matter of filling every box with as much text as possible. The important work is to identify the correct respondent, protect the applicable time limit, use the correct Acas early conciliation information, state the claim clearly enough for the respondent and tribunal to understand it, and make sure the submission is actually received in time.
Before completing ET1: check the time limit first
Employment Tribunal claims are subject to strict time limits. GOV.UK states that a claim will usually need to be made within 3 months of the employment ending or the problem happening, although the precise limit depends on the type of claim. Do not wait until the narrative has been perfected before checking the deadline. Record the event relied on, the date it occurred, the type of claim being considered and the date by which the ET1 must be presented.
Acas early conciliation affects the calculation. The current T420 guidance explains that notifying Acas can stop the limitation clock and that the clock starts again after the early conciliation certificate is received or deemed received. The calculation can therefore depend on the original limitation period and the Acas dates. Preserve the certificate and the dates used in the calculation. If the deadline is close, treat deadline control as a separate task from drafting the factual narrative.
ET1, ET1A and more than one claimant
ET1 is the form for a claimant making their own Employment Tribunal claim. GOV.UK provides a separate ET1A schedule where a claim is being brought with other claimants in circumstances where that form applies. Do not add unrelated people to one ET1 merely because the facts are similar. Check the current tribunal guidance on multiple claims and use the approved form or online route that matches the filing being made.
If a representative is acting, the form can contain the representative’s details, but the underlying claimant and respondent information still needs to be accurate. A representative does not cure a wrong respondent name, a missed limitation date or an incorrect Acas certificate number.
Identify the correct respondent
Use primary employment records to identify the legal employer: contract, written statement of employment particulars, offer letter, payslips, P45 or P60, Companies House information where relevant, and correspondence showing the employing entity. Trading names, group names and workplace brands can differ from the legal entity that employed the claimant.
The current tribunal guidance emphasises consistency with Acas early conciliation. The respondent name on the ET1 should correspond with the name used for the relevant Acas early conciliation certificate, subject to the rules governing exemptions and corrections. Where there is more than one respondent, separate Acas certificate requirements may arise. Check each proposed respondent individually and keep the certificate number beside the exact respondent name used in the form.
Acas early conciliation certificate numbers and exemptions
In most cases a claimant must notify Acas before presenting the claim and obtain an early conciliation certificate. GOV.UK asks claimants preparing an online claim to have the Acas early conciliation certificate number for each respondent. If an exemption is relied on, the basis for the exemption must match the current rules and the form must be completed accordingly.
Copy certificate numbers rather than typing them from memory. Check every character against the certificate. T420 warns that an incorrect certificate number, a mismatch in respondent details or a failure to establish a valid exemption can lead to rejection. Do not include what was said during Acas conciliation in the factual account merely to show that conciliation occurred; the certificate and the required form information deal with that procedural step.
Claimant and contact information
Complete the claimant’s name and contact details exactly and keep the tribunal informed if they change. Check whether correspondence should go to the claimant or the named representative. An address error can cause important tribunal documents to be missed even where the ET1 itself was accepted.
Where the form asks for employment details, use the actual dates and figures supported by records. If the exact figure is not available, do not invent one. Identify what is known and preserve the document from which the figure can later be verified. The same approach applies to pay, notice, job title and employment dates.
How to write the details of the claim
The claim narrative should make the case understandable without forcing the reader to reconstruct it from a document bundle. Start with a short identification of the employment relationship and the complaint. Then give the material events in chronological order. For each important event identify the date or period, the person involved, what happened and why it matters to the claim being advanced.
Separate factual allegations from labels. Instead of writing only that treatment was “unfair”, “discriminatory” or “a breach”, identify the act relied on: dismissal, non-payment, deduction, refusal, statement, decision, comparison, complaint, protected act or other event. Then identify the legal complaint being made in terms that correspond to the facts. A tribunal claim does not become clearer because the same allegation is repeated under several headings.
Include enough detail to identify the case the respondent must answer, but do not turn the ET1 into an evidence bundle. Witness statements, screenshots, contracts and correspondence may later prove the allegations; the ET1 should explain the material case. If a document is central, identify it by date and description rather than pasting pages of it into the narrative.
Multiple complaints and continuing events
If more than one type of complaint is being made, organise the narrative so the factual basis of each can be identified. A dismissal claim, wages complaint and discrimination complaint may involve overlapping facts but have different legal elements and potentially different limitation questions. Do not assume that one event automatically extends the time limit for another.
Where the case relies on a series or continuing course of conduct, state the relevant dates and events rather than using the phrase “continuing act” as a substitute for facts. Limitation can be legally complex. The ET1 should preserve the factual chronology from which the tribunal can determine the issue, while the claimant separately checks the applicable rule for each complaint.
Remedy and financial information
State the remedy sought in terms that fit the claim. Depending on the jurisdiction, this may involve compensation, unpaid sums, notice or holiday pay, reinstatement, re-engagement, a declaration, recommendation or another remedy available under the relevant legislation. Do not ask for remedies that have no connection with the pleaded complaint simply because they appeared in another template.
Where financial loss is still developing, preserve the information needed for a later schedule of loss: gross and net pay, benefits, pension contributions, notice, mitigation steps, new earnings and relevant expenses. The ET1 does not need to disguise uncertainty as a false precise total. It should make clear the material remedy being pursued and keep the supporting calculation capable of later verification.
Disability and reasonable adjustments for the tribunal process
If an adjustment is needed to use the tribunal process or attend a hearing, identify the practical need through the appropriate part of the form or the tribunal’s current procedure. Examples can include communication support, accessible format or arrangements at a hearing. This procedural request is distinct from whether disability discrimination is itself part of the legal claim.
Describe the adjustment needed clearly enough for the tribunal to act on it. Do not insert unnecessary medical detail into the public-facing narrative of the claim where it is not required to identify the legal complaint or procedural need.
Final checks before submission
- Recalculate the applicable limitation date and record the Acas dates used in that calculation.
- Check the legal name and full address of every respondent against employment records and the relevant Acas certificate.
- Check each Acas early conciliation certificate number character by character, or verify the precise exemption relied on.
- Confirm the claimant’s contact details and any representative details.
- Read the factual narrative once only for chronology: every material allegation should have a date or identifiable period where possible.
- Read it again for legal clarity: each complaint should be connected to the facts relied on rather than merely named.
- Remove duplicated boilerplate, commentary about the drafting process and material copied from unrelated claims.
- Check that mandatory fields in the current approved form or online service have been completed.
- Keep a complete copy of what was submitted and evidence of the date and time the tribunal service received it.
Submitting the ET1
GOV.UK provides an online Employment Tribunal claim service and the approved ET1 form. The current T420 guidance states that the online route is the quickest method. A claim can also be presented using the approved paper form in accordance with the current tribunal rules and official instructions. Using an improvised letter instead of the approved process risks rejection.
There is currently no fee to make an Employment Tribunal claim. Submission is not the end of deadline control: retain the confirmation or receipt showing presentation. T420 makes clear that the claimant is responsible for ensuring the claim is received within the applicable time limit.
What happens after presentation
The tribunal checks whether the claim can be accepted. If it is accepted, the claim is sent to the respondent and the process moves to the response and case-management stages. Acceptance does not mean that the allegations have been proved. It means the claim has passed the relevant presentation checks and will proceed subject to the tribunal’s directions.
Preserve the submitted ET1 as the baseline pleading. Later witness statements and evidence should support the pleaded case rather than silently replace it with a different case. If a material amendment becomes necessary, the correct course is to consider the tribunal procedure for amendment rather than editing a private copy of the ET1 and treating it as though the filed claim had changed.
Official sources checked
Employment Tribunal time limits vary by type of claim and can be affected by Acas early conciliation. This guide was checked against current GOV.UK and HMCTS material on 26 September 2026; calculate the deadline for the particular claim rather than relying on a generic three-month statement.
Prepare and check an ET1 claim from your chronology, Acas certificate and employment records