Remission scheme fees

In October 2013, the government introduced new restrictions on the remission scheme it introduced earlier in the year. The remission scheme was set up so that people on low-incomes would not have to pay fees of up to £1,200 to make a claim. However, the new restrictions mean that if a person, or their partner, has savings or investments of £3,000 or more they will have to pay the full fee. This new restriction applies to everyone whether they are in or out of work.

A TUC-commissioned analysis of the Family Resources Survey, published by the Office for National Statistics, shows that just one in 20 workers aged 50-60 are now likely to be fully exempt from paying the full tribunal fee when lodging a complaint against their employer at a tribunal. Among households where someone is on the minimum wage, less than one in four of these workers will receive any support and will have to pay full fee of £1,200.

The number of disabled workers exempt from tribunal fees is also likely to halve, says the TUC, with just one in nine likely to be exempt from tribunal fees.

Workers aged 61 years or over will have to pay the tribunal fee if they have savings or investments of £16,000 or more.