What Will Happen in My Unpaid Wages Claim? 2,460 Claims Per Quarter
This article applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
Important: This guide provides information about UK employment law. It is not legal advice. Every situation is different. If you are dealing with a workplace dispute, consider speaking to a solicitor for advice specific to your circumstances.
In brief: Unauthorised deductions from wages is the third most common tribunal complaint, with 2,460 filed in Q2 2025/26, up 53% year-on-year. Of disposed claims, 25% settled through ACAS conciliation, 9% succeeded at a full hearing (among the highest win rates of any claim type), and 13% resulted in default judgment where the employer failed to respond. The average case takes just 26 weeks to clear, the joint fastest of any claim type.
Last updated: February 2026
If your employer has not paid you what you are owed, whether that is unpaid wages, withheld holiday pay, missing overtime, or unexplained deductions from your payslip, you have a lot of company. Wages claims are one of the most common reasons people go to an employment tribunal, and the data suggests they resolve faster and more successfully than most other claim types.
The figures in this article come from the Ministry of Justice's Employment Tribunal Statistics (Reform system data), covering Q2 2024/25 through Q2 2025/26. Wages claims are formally classified as "unauthorised deductions from wages" under Part II of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
How many people are in your position?
Unauthorised deductions from wages is the third most common tribunal complaint after unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. In Q2 2025/26 (July to September 2025), 2,460 complaints were filed, representing 27% of all single claims.
| Quarter | Unauthorised deductions complaints | Share of all claims |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024/25 (Jul-Sep 2024) | 1,608 | 28% |
| Q3 2024/25 (Oct-Dec 2024) | 1,723 | 27% |
| Q4 2024/25 (Jan-Mar 2025) | 2,011 | 27% |
| Q1 2025/26 (Apr-Jun 2025) | 2,265 | 25% |
| Q2 2025/26 (Jul-Sep 2025) | 2,460 | 27% |
That is a 53% increase compared to Q2 2024/25. The growth has been steady, though the share of total claims has remained stable at around 27% because other claim types have also been rising.
Wages claims cover a range of issues: unpaid salary, withheld bonuses, missing overtime payments, deductions without consent, unpaid holiday entitlement, and commission disputes. Many are filed alongside other complaints, particularly unfair dismissal or breach of contract, where a dismissal is followed by unpaid final salary or withheld notice pay.
How will your case most likely end?
The tribunal disposed of 1,101 unauthorised deductions complaints in Q2 2025/26. Here is how they were resolved:
| Outcome | Percentage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ACAS conciliated settlement | 25% | Settled through ACAS before hearing |
| Withdrawn or dismissed | 33% | Claim withdrawn by claimant or dismissed by tribunal |
| Default judgment | 13% | Employer failed to respond, claimant won by default |
| Successful at hearing | 9% | Went to full hearing, claimant won |
| Unsuccessful at hearing | 4% | Went to full hearing, employer won |
| Struck out | 3% | Tribunal removed the claim |
| Other | 13% | Includes various procedural outcomes |
Two figures stand out. The 9% hearing success rate is among the highest of any claim type, behind working time (11%) and redundancy pay (10%). And the 13% default judgment rate is among the highest, meaning a significant number of employers simply do not respond to wages claims.
If you imagine 100 wages claims filed today, roughly 25 would settle through ACAS, 13 would win by default because the employer did not engage, and only 13 would reach a full contested hearing, where 9 would win and 4 would lose. The remaining 49 would be withdrawn, struck out, or resolved through other procedural routes.
How long will it take?
Wages claims are among the fastest to resolve:
| Percentile | Unauthorised deductions | All claims |
|---|---|---|
| 25th (fastest quarter) | 14 weeks | 14 weeks |
| Median (middle case) | 23 weeks | 25 weeks |
| 75th (slower cases) | 37 weeks | 40 weeks |
| Mean (average) | 26 weeks | 28 weeks |
The average wages case takes 26 weeks, two weeks faster than the all-claims average of 28 weeks. The median is 23 weeks, and the fastest quarter of cases clear within 14 weeks.
Wages claims resolve faster because they typically involve clearer factual questions. Either the money was paid or it was not. There is usually a paper trail (payslips, contracts, bank statements), and the legal test is simpler than for discrimination or unfair dismissal.
For a detailed breakdown of timelines across all claim types, see our full waiting times analysis.
The backlog: what is waiting ahead of you
The open caseload for unauthorised deductions stands at 6,504 complaints as of Q2 2025/26, up from 2,020 a year earlier. That is a 222% increase in twelve months.
| Period | Open wages cases | Total open caseload | Share of backlog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024/25 | 2,020 | 7,571 | 27% |
| Q2 2025/26 | 6,504 | 25,267 | 26% |
Despite being one of the faster claim types to resolve, the wages backlog has still grown substantially because receipts have outpaced disposals. The practical impact is that even simple wages claims may face longer waiting times than the historical average suggests.
What this means for you
The data paints a more positive picture for wages claims than for most other types of tribunal complaint.
Your chances at a hearing are among the best. At 9%, wages claims have one of the highest success rates at a full hearing. The factual nature of these disputes, where documentary evidence often clearly shows what was or was not paid, makes them easier to prove than subjective claims like discrimination.
Many employers do not engage. The 13% default judgment rate is significant. Some employers, particularly smaller businesses facing clear-cut wages claims, choose not to respond to the tribunal process. If your employer does not file a response within 28 days, you may win by default.
Settlement is realistic but less common. At 25%, the ACAS settlement rate for wages claims is lower than for discrimination or unfair dismissal. This is partly because the amounts at stake are often smaller and more clearly defined, which can make employers less motivated to negotiate and more likely to either pay up or contest the claim outright.
Time limits are strict. You need to start ACAS early conciliation within three months minus one day of the unauthorised deduction (or the last in a series of deductions). The backlog does not extend your filing deadline. Once the Employment Rights Act 2025 changes take effect (expected October 2026), this may extend to six months.
Keep your evidence together. Wages claims turn on documentation. Payslips, your contract, bank statements showing what was received, any correspondence about the deduction, and records of hours worked are all critical. The sooner you compile this, the stronger your position whether you settle or go to a hearing.
For guidance on your specific situation, including eligibility and next steps, try our free assessment. Learn more about our claims packages, or create a free account to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unpaid wages claims are filed each year?
In Q2 2025/26, 2,460 unauthorised deductions complaints were filed, a 53% increase on the same quarter the previous year. Wages claims account for around 27% of all tribunal claims.
What percentage of wages claims succeed?
Around 9% succeed at a full hearing, among the highest rates of any claim type. Another 13% result in default judgment where the employer fails to respond. In total, 25% settle through ACAS conciliation.
How long does an unpaid wages tribunal case take?
The average is 26 weeks, two weeks faster than the all-claims average. The fastest 25% of cases clear within 14 weeks, while 25% take 37 weeks or more. Wages claims resolve faster because the factual issues are typically simpler.
What counts as an unauthorised deduction from wages?
An unauthorised deduction is any reduction in your pay that your employer was not legally entitled to make. This includes unpaid wages, withheld holiday pay, missing overtime or commission, deductions without written consent, and underpayment below the agreed contractual rate. The rules are set out in Part II of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
What happens if my employer does not respond to my claim?
If your employer fails to file a response within 28 days of receiving the claim, the tribunal may enter a default judgment in your favour. This happens in 13% of wages cases, one of the highest rates of any claim type.
Sources
- "Employment Tribunal Statistics, Tables ET_1_R, ET_2_R, ET_4_R, T_3", Ministry of Justice / HM Courts & Tribunals Service, 2025 - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics
- "Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2025", Ministry of Justice, 2025 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2025/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2025
- Employment Rights Act 1996, Part II (Protection of Wages) - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/part/II
- "Check if your employer can make deductions from your wages", ACAS - https://www.acas.org.uk/check-if-your-employer-can-make-deductions-from-your-wages