🇬🇧 UK · Employment Law · Updated 2026-06-27
What is ACAS early conciliation and do I have to do it?
ACAS early conciliation is a free, mandatory pre-step before bringing most Employment Tribunal claims. You must contact ACAS first — failing to do so means your claim will be rejected.
Before you can start an Employment Tribunal claim (for unfair dismissal, redundancy pay, discrimination, or most other employment rights), you must first notify ACAS and go through early conciliation. This is a legal requirement under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 — the Tribunal will reject your claim form (ET1) if you have not done this first.
Early conciliation is free and voluntary in the sense that you cannot be forced to settle. ACAS will contact your employer and try to help both parties reach an agreement without going to tribunal. The process typically takes up to 6 weeks, though it can be shorter if both parties engage quickly or either party decides not to proceed. If conciliation does not result in a settlement, ACAS issues a certificate that you use to proceed with your tribunal claim.
Critically, contacting ACAS pauses (tolls) the 3-month time limit for your claim. The clock stops when you notify ACAS and resumes one month after the certificate is issued (or sooner if you decide to withdraw). This means you should contact ACAS as early as possible — well before the 3-month deadline — to give conciliation time to work without eating into your time limit. You can contact ACAS at acas.org.uk or by phone.