The ET1 Claim Form

A tribunal claim is made by completing a claim form known as a form ET1. It must be accompanied by:

• a tribunal fee or completed application form for fee remission (see page 28); and

• an Acas Early Conciliation Certificate (see page 26).

Use of form ET1 is compulsory. If the claim is not submitted on the correct form, or if some of the required information is missing, it will not be admitted. It is therefore vital to make sure the form is correctly and accurately filled in, and that if completed in manuscript, that the writing is clear and legible. It is also vital to make sure that all the claims you plan to make are included on the form. If a claim, such as disability discrimination, unfair dismissal or unlawful deduction of wages, is not included on the form, it will not be part of the claim and adding it at a later date will be very difficult.

A paper copy of the ET1 claim form can be obtained from Jobcentres, most advice agencies, the Citizens Advice Bureau and benefit offices, or it can be downloaded, together with guidance, from the GOV.UK webpage: Take your employer to an employment tribunal at: www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals/apply-to-the-tribunal

There is an employment tribunal public inquiry telephone number: 0845 7959775 for copies in alternative formats, such as large print or Braille. Do not leave your request to the last minute, as there have been reports of the line being constantly busy.

The government wants to encourage most claimants to submit their claim online. The weblink for online applications is: www.employmenttribunals.service.gov.uk/employment-tribunals

The advantage of an online application is that an immediate email acknowledgement is provided, so that there is no argument about whether a claim was issued in time. However, as already indicated, fee remission cannot be applied for online. Instead, claimants submitting their ET1 form online who are also applying for remission must tick a box as part of the online application process to confirm this and then post the remission application separately, enclosing the original supporting documents. This should be done as soon as possible, and preferably on the same day.

If the ET1 claim is to be filed by post, it should be sent to the Employment Tribunal Central Office (England and Wales) PO Box 10218, Leicester LE1 8EG, or in Scotland to the Employment Tribunals Central Office (Scotland) PO Box 27105 Glasgow G2 9JR.