Identify every proposed complaint
List the decisions, acts or omissions relied on, the persons involved, dates and the proposed legal category. Separate dismissal, wages, discrimination, whistleblowing, working time, redundancy and contractual issues rather than describing the case as general unfair treatment. Record facts that support each required element and facts that may contradict it.
Identify the respondent's correct legal name and address from reliable records. Group structures, trading names and payroll names can differ. A naming error should be addressed before submission, not left for the tribunal to infer.
Build the limitation and Early Conciliation timeline
Record the date of each material act, termination date where relevant, the date ACAS was notified, certificate date and the proposed claim date. Use current official guidance and the legislation relevant to the particular complaint. Do not assume that an internal grievance or appeal extends the tribunal time limit.
Keep the Early Conciliation certificate and check that the number and respondent details are entered accurately. If there are multiple respondents or certificates, map each certificate to the intended claim.
Create a pleaded chronology
The ET1 particulars should explain the material events in a logical order and connect them to the complaints being made. Include enough factual detail for the respondent and tribunal to understand the case, but avoid copying every email or including every workplace disagreement. Dates, words used, decisions, comparators and consequences should be stated where material.
Distinguish direct evidence from inference. If the claimant alleges a discriminatory reason or protected disclosure consequence, identify the facts from which that conclusion is said to follow rather than stating the conclusion alone.
Organise evidence without overloading the form
Create a separate evidence index containing the contract, policies, payslips, dismissal or grievance documents, messages, meeting notes, performance records and medical or adjustment material where relevant. The ET1 ordinarily sets out the case; it is not necessarily the place to upload the complete future hearing bundle.
Preserve original electronic records and record missing documents that may require disclosure. Do not rewrite contemporaneous notes after the event without explaining when the later note was created.
State the remedy carefully
Identify the outcomes sought and prepare a provisional schedule where money is claimed. Separate past and future loss, wages, notice, holiday pay, pension, benefits, injury to feelings or other heads only where legally and factually applicable. Record mitigation steps and income received.
Do not present a provisional figure as guaranteed compensation. The remedy depends on liability, evidence, statutory rules, mitigation and tribunal assessment.
Submit and preserve the record
Use the current official online or permitted submission route. Check every required field, certificate number, claimant and respondent detail, representative information and attached particulars. Save the complete submitted claim and confirmation screen or email.
Monitor acknowledgement, service, response and case-management orders. Calendar every direction and keep later amendments separate from the original pleaded case.
Frequently asked questions
Does a grievance stop the tribunal time limit?
Do not assume so. Calculate the position from the applicable law and current official guidance while the internal process continues.
Must all evidence be attached to the ET1?
Not ordinarily. The claim must plead the material facts; evidence is organised and disclosed according to the tribunal's procedure and orders.
Can one ACAS certificate cover every respondent?
Check the certificate and the intended respondents carefully. Multiple respondents may require separate Early Conciliation treatment or certificates.
Prepare before acting
- List each complaint with its material act, date and responsible person.
- Verify the respondent's legal identity and address.
- Build a limitation and Early Conciliation timeline.
- Check every ACAS certificate number and respondent mapping.
- Draft a concise chronology that pleads facts rather than labels alone.
- Create a separate indexed evidence file.
- Prepare a provisional and transparent remedy schedule where relevant.
- Save the final ET1, attachments and submission confirmation.
Legal and procedural foundation
- ACAS Early Conciliation
- GOV.UK — make a claim to an Employment Tribunal
- GOV.UK — Employment Tribunals
Forms, deadlines, fees, filing and service requirements must be checked against the current official material and the circumstances of the particular matter.
Verify the current position
Links lead to the material used to structure this publication.