How long do
tribunal cases take?
There isn’t one number. Contested claims share a path — waiting to be listed is usually where the calendar stretches.
There isn’t one number. Waiting to be listed is usually where the calendar stretches.
From published decided cases and official HMCTS figures — past patterns, not a forecast for any one claim.
Some stages are fixed by statute. One — waiting to be listed — is set by tribunal capacity. Most claims settle or withdraw before that long wait, which is why all-disposals averages and “fought to a hearing” answers diverge.
Some stages are fixed by statute. Waiting to be listed depends on tribunal capacity, and most claims settle or withdraw before it.
From Acas through to judgment, most contested claims move through the same sequence — even when individual decisions along the way differ.
Most contested claims move through the same sequence, from Acas to judgment.
- 01Acas early conciliationUp to 12 weeks
- 02Claim filed, employer responds28 days
- 03Case managementVaries
- 04Waiting to be listedVaries
- 05Final hearing and judgmentSame day, or later
Acas early conciliation and the employer’s response window are capped by law. Case management, waiting to be listed, and when judgment arrives are not — those stretch with complexity and tribunal capacity.
Acas early conciliation
You must notify Acas and get a certificate before filing. Conciliation is voluntary; the notification step is not. The claim deadline pauses while this runs.
Claim filed, employer responds
Once the ET1 is accepted, the employer has a set period to file their ET3. An admitted dismissal and a fully disputed discrimination claim take different routes from here.
Case management
A judge sets disclosure, witness-statement deadlines, and hearing length. Some claims get a preliminary hearing first — for example on time limits or employee status.
Waiting to be listed
The case is waiting for a slot long enough, with the right panel, in a region with its own queue. This is usually the longest stretch in contested claims — and the one that varies most.
Final hearing and judgment
Judgment may be given at the hearing or reserved and sent later. If compensation is disputed, remedy can be a separate hearing — so the hearing date is not always the end date.
Acas and the employer’s response are capped by law. Case management, listing and judgment stretch with complexity and tribunal capacity.
Time until a hearing, for example, depends on claim type, region and complexity. We help you see how long it took in similar published cases — pick a factor to see where it usually bites.
Time to a hearing depends on claim type, region and complexity. Pick a factor to see where it usually adds time.
Discrimination claims run longer than dismissal claims
A straightforward unfair dismissal claim turns on a narrower set of facts and usually needs a shorter hearing. A discrimination claim often involves a course of conduct over months or years, more witnesses, and more documents — so it needs a longer listing, and long listings are harder to find space for.
The mechanism
Length of hearing is decided at case management. Once a case needs several days rather than one, it joins a slower queue.
Most published cases never reach a full merits hearing. When a second decision is published, the gap between the two is often measured in weeks or months.
Most published cases never reach a full merits hearing.
Published cases
What commonly happens
Share of published cases by journey type · rounded · remaining paths grouped
Multi-decision cases
If there is a second decision, how long until it?
Preliminary issue then full decision
411 cases
213d
Full decision then reconsideration
785 cases
82d
Judgment without a defence then full decision
289 cases
93d
Cases with more than one published decision · time runs between the two decisions, not from when the claim was made · box ≈ middle half · bar = middle case
06
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Unfair dismissalEngland2022–24 - 03Timing
See how timing played out
Read stage patterns from decided cases — where time went, and how often claims reached each stage.
Stage timing
Acas → ET1ResponseWaiting to list
Illustrative filters and stage bars · not a live case
Illustrative filters and stage bars · not a live case