ACAS early conciliation: what changes on 26 November 2026

Before you can make most employment tribunal claims, you must first notify ACAS and take part in early conciliation. New regulations change the information you must give ACAS when you start that process. They were laid before Parliament on Wednesday 4 November 2026 and come into force on Thursday 26 November 2026.

Below, we explain what early conciliation is, what information you will need to give from Thursday 26 November 2026, and what changes in how ACAS contacts you and your employer.

What early conciliation is

Under section 18A of the Employment Tribunals Act 1996, a person who wants to bring most types of employment tribunal claim must notify ACAS before making the claim. ACAS then offers conciliation, a free service in which a conciliator talks to both sides to see whether the dispute can be settled without a tribunal hearing.

At the end of early conciliation, ACAS issues a certificate with a unique reference number. You need that number to complete the ET1 claim form. Without it, the tribunal will reject most claims.

Early conciliation can also affect your deadline. The time spent in early conciliation may extend the time limit for making your claim.

The new regulations

The Employment Tribunals (Early Conciliation: Exemptions and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 were made on Tuesday 27 October 2026 and laid before Parliament on Wednesday 4 November 2026. They come into force on Thursday 26 November 2026.

The regulations apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements for employment disputes, and these regulations do not change them.

Information every notification must give

From Thursday 26 November 2026, every early conciliation notification must include:

• your name and an address at which you can be contacted
• your telephone number and email address, if you have them
• the name of your employer, or of the other person or organisation the claim is against, and an address at which that party can be contacted
• whether you wish to reach a settlement

Extra information where you want a settlement

If you confirm that you wish to reach a settlement, the notification must also include:

• the telephone number and email address of your employer or the other party, where you know them
• whether you agree to ACAS contacting that party about the matter
• an indication of what the matter is about
• whether the matter is ongoing, or alleged to be ongoing, and if it is not, how long ago it happened or ended
• whether you raised the matter with your employer or the other party
• whether you are or were employed by that party, or say that you are or were employed by them

The description of the matter is part of the record ACAS holds about your dispute. Take care to describe each issue clearly and accurately, with the dates on which it happened.

Notifying ACAS by telephone

You can still start early conciliation by telephone. From Thursday 26 November 2026, a person who notifies ACAS by telephone must give the same information as a person who completes the form, including the extra information where they want a settlement.

More than one matter or more than one employer

The regulations allow you to notify ACAS of more than one matter in one notification, either through the early conciliation form or by telephone.

The regulations also remove the separate rule for claims against more than one prospective respondent. The revised rule on notification now covers that situation.

When ACAS does not contact your employer

From Thursday 26 November 2026, ACAS does not need to contact your employer or the other party where it concludes that a settlement is not possible.

How you receive your certificate

Where you have given ACAS an email address, ACAS must send your early conciliation certificate to you by email. If you have not given an email address, ACAS sends the certificate by post. The same applies to the certificate sent to your employer or the other party.

Check your email, including your junk folder, once early conciliation ends. Keep the certificate and its reference number safe, as you will need the number for your claim form.

If you have already contacted ACAS

The new requirements apply to notifications made from Thursday 26 November 2026. A notification made before that date is handled under the rules that applied when it was made.

Two examples

A retail supervisor was dismissed in November 2026. When she contacted ACAS after Thursday 26 November 2026, she said she wanted to reach a settlement. Under the new rules, she had to give her contact details, her former employer's name and address, the employer's telephone number and email address if she knew them, an indication of what the dispute was about, how long ago her dismissal took place, whether she raised her concerns with the employer and whether she was employed by them.

A care worker had two separate complaints against his employer: unpaid holiday pay, and a grievance about his manager's conduct that his employer did not investigate. Under the new rules, he notified ACAS of both matters in one notification.

These are illustrative scenarios. They are not real Belonge clients or decided cases.

Time limits

For most claims where the act complained about happened on or after Thursday 1 October 2026, the time limit is six months less one day. Where the act happened before Thursday 1 October 2026, the time limit is three months less one day. Check the date of the event before relying on the longer limit. ACAS early conciliation may extend the time limit.