A grievance raised in November may be about a September shift. Another may concern something that happened in October. Those two matters can now sit under different employment tribunal time limits, even if they look similar in the manager's inbox.

That boundary is the important part of the change that took effect on 1 October. The longer window gives more time for many claims, but it does not turn every employment dispute into a simple six-month calculation.

What changed, and when?

On 1 October 2026, the normal time limit for the majority of employment tribunal claims increased from three months to six months. The government's employment tribunal time-limit guidance was updated on the same date and confirms that the change is already in force.

Acas describes the new limit as six months minus one day for most claims where the workplace problem happened on or after 1 October. For most problems that happened before that date, the old limit of three months minus one day continues to apply. Acas gives worked examples for both sides of the boundary.

The commencement regulations were made on 1 September and brought the relevant parts of the Employment Rights Act 2025 into force on 1 October. Their transitional provision says the extended limits do not apply where the relevant date was before 1 October.

This is a change in force, not a consultation or a future proposal.

Who does it affect?

The Great Britain change applies across employers generally, including pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and event venues. It can be relevant when a current or former employee is considering claims connected with dismissal, discrimination, pay, working time or other workplace rights.

The exact starting point depends on the claim. Acas says it may be the dismissal date, the date of an incorrect payment or the most recent incident included in a discrimination claim. Where several incidents or claim types are involved, working out the deadline can be more complex.

For breach-of-contract claims in England and Wales, the six-month limit also started on 1 October. In Scotland, that particular change starts on 9 November 2026. Northern Ireland has a separate industrial tribunal framework; the government page says the change reaches only certain claim types there, so Northern Ireland operators should check local guidance rather than assume the Great Britain position applies in full.

What has not changed?

The first formal step for most prospective claimants remains notifying Acas. If Acas is notified within the applicable limit, early conciliation can pause the clock while conciliation takes place.

An internal grievance, disciplinary process or appeal does not pause or extend the statutory deadline. A business should therefore keep handling the workplace process promptly and should not tell someone that an internal meeting changes the time available to approach Acas.

There are also exceptions. Acas highlights that some urgent applications, including certain interim-relief claims, can carry a seven-day limit. It would be unsafe to replace every reference to three months with a blanket statement that all claims now have six months.

What a hospitality business should check now

  • Update old deadline wording. Check handbooks, grievance and disciplinary documents, manager guides and template letters for statements that most claims must be brought within three months. Replace fixed wording with a current, qualified reference and link to Acas where appropriate.
  • Record the event dates. A grievance date is not necessarily the date from which a tribunal limit runs. Keep a clear chronology of the shift, decision, payment, dismissal or series of incidents involved.
  • Preserve relevant records. Once a complaint or dispute is raised, make sure authorised people can secure relevant rotas, clock records, payroll information, shift-change history, messages, meeting notes and witness details under the business's approved retention and access process.
  • Make the handover reliable. Venue managers move roles and employees leave. Record who owns the case, where the approved file sits and who should be told if new information arrives.
  • Keep the internal process moving. A six-month external window is not a reason to let an investigation drift. Prompt fact-finding is usually more reliable than reconstructing a Saturday night months later.
  • Brief managers on what not to promise. Managers can explain the business's own process. They should not calculate a worker's legal deadline, discourage contact with Acas or suggest that an appeal stops the tribunal clock.
  • Review retention with the right advice. Do not respond by keeping every staff record indefinitely. Check that HR, payroll, scheduling and communications retention rules can preserve material needed for a live issue while still meeting data-protection obligations.

What remains uncertain?

The general change and its start date are settled. The uncertainty lies in individual cases: the relevant event, whether incidents form a continuing series, which claim types may apply, the effect of early conciliation and whether an exception is available.

Those are legal questions, not rota or handbook judgements. An operator can keep a reliable timeline and records without deciding the legal deadline itself.

The practical point: update any document that still presents three months as the universal rule, but do not replace it with an equally misleading promise of six months for everything. For live disputes, record the dates, preserve the evidence and use current Acas guidance or specialist advice.

Topics: Employment tribunals, employment law, grievances, disciplinaries and workplace records.

General information only: This briefing is not legal advice. Employment tribunal limits are fact-specific and strictly applied. Check current Acas and government guidance and obtain advice on individual circumstances.