How to fill in the ET1 employment tribunal claim form 

Before you start

GOV.UK says you will usually need an early conciliation certificate for each respondent before you make a claim. Check the deadline first, because the form is only as useful as the time left to send it.

• Your Acas early conciliation certificate number, one for each respondent
• The names and addresses of everyone making the claim
• The name and address of each respondent, which you can usually find in your job offer letter, contract or payslips
• Your dates: when the problem happened, and when your employment ended if it did
• Your key documents: contract, payslips, letters, emails and meeting notes

Who can make the claim

GOV.UK says you can make a claim for yourself, as the only person claiming; for yourself and others who have been treated in the same way; or for someone else, if you are acting as their representative.

Online or on paper

You can claim online using the government's claim service, and return to an existing claim to continue or view it. You can also download the claim form, fill it in and post it to the employment tribunal central office for England and Wales in Loughborough, or deliver it in person to a main Employment Tribunal office. The exact addresses are on the GOV.UK page.

If you have a disability or health condition that could affect how you take part in a hearing, tell the tribunal when you make your claim or at any time during the process so that reasonable adjustments can be considered.

Writing the details of your claim

The form asks what happened and what you want. These habits make a claim easier for the tribunal and the employer to follow:

• Set out the facts in date order, one short paragraph per event
• Name the people involved and say what each did or said
• Say which complaints you are bringing, such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, breach of contract or unlawful deductions from pay, so that none is left out
• Say what you are asking for. GOV.UK explains that a tribunal can order compensation, witness expenses, steps to reduce the effects of discrimination, or reinstatement where appropriate
• Keep opinions and argument to a minimum; the evidence comes later

What it costs

GOV.UK says you do not have to pay a fee to make a claim to an employment tribunal. You may have to pay other costs, such as witness expenses, and the respondent's costs if the tribunal decides you have acted unreasonably.

After you submit

The respondent usually has to reply in writing within 28 days of getting your claim form. The tribunal then decides whether there will be a full hearing, and you may be asked to attend a preliminary hearing by phone, video or in person. You will have to share relevant documents with the respondent and the tribunal, even documents that do not help your case.