UK employment tribunal statistics 2026

The Employment Tribunal received 50,434 single claims in 2025/26, up from 36,171 the year before, and cleared 25,669, so the queue of open single claims rose to 64,157 by the end of March 2026. Claims are also taking longer: the mean time to clear a single claim was 30 weeks in 2025/26 and 40 weeks in April to June 2026. Every figure on this page comes from Ministry of Justice (MoJ) official statistics and is dated.

How many employment tribunal claims were made in 2025/26?

The Ministry of Justice recorded 50,434 single claims received by the Employment Tribunal in 2025/26 (provisional), up from 36,171 in 2024/25. Separately there were 2,406 lead multiple cases covering 44,470 multiple claims. Source: MoJ Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2026, table S_1.

How long does an employment tribunal claim take in 2026?

For single claims on the new Reform case management system, the mean time from receipt to clearance was 30 weeks in 2025/26, up from 20 weeks in 2024/25. In April to June 2026 the mean was 40 weeks and the median 35 weeks. These figures measure time to clearance, which includes claims that settle or are withdrawn early, so a claim that goes to a final hearing usually takes longer. Source: MoJ tables T_1 and T_2.

What percentage of employment tribunal claims succeed at a hearing?

Of all unfair dismissal complaints disposed of in 2025/26 on the Reform system, 2.8% were successful at a hearing and 5.5% were unsuccessful at a hearing. Most complaints ended another way: 30.3% through an Acas conciliated settlement, 25.0% withdrawn and 23.9% dismissed on withdrawal. A withdrawal can follow a private settlement, so these figures do not tell you how many claimants recovered money. Source: MoJ table ET_3_R (provisional).

What is the average unfair dismissal award?

The most recent published figures are for 2023/24 (provisional): 646 unfair dismissal claims were awarded compensation, with a median award of £6,746 and a mean of £13,749. The MoJ has not published award figures for 2024/25 or 2025/26 because of the move to a new case management system, and it asks users to treat the 2023/24 award figures with caution. Source: MoJ Employment Tribunal annual tables, table E_2.

Do most people have a solicitor at the employment tribunal?

Many do not. Depending on the data source, 31–59% of UK employment tribunal claimants have no solicitor at the hearing (MoJ hearing survey 2018; HMCTS case records 2023–25). The MoJ's 2025/26 annual tables note that representation data is not currently published while data from the new system is quality assured.

Employment tribunal statistics

Employment Tribunal · Figures

UK employment tribunal statistics 2026

Figures checked 25 September 2026 against MoJ publications of 11 June 2026 and 10 September 2026. 2025/26 figures are provisional.

How many employment tribunal claims are there each year?

Single claims are claims brought by one person. The table shows single claims received and disposed of each financial year (April to March), and the open caseload at 31 March.

The latest quarter shows the same direction. In April to June 2026 the tribunal received about 14,000 single claims and disposed of about 6,100, and the single claim open caseload reached about 70,000 at the end of June, the highest in the MoJ time series (MoJ Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, April to June 2026).

Multiple claims, where many people bring claims against one employer, are counted separately. In 2025/26 there were 2,406 lead multiple cases covering 44,470 multiple claims. They swing sharply from year to year, so they say little about an individual claim.

How long does an employment tribunal claim take?

The MoJ measures time to clearance: from the date a claim is accepted to the date every complaint in it has been closed. That includes claims that settle or are withdrawn within weeks, so it is shorter than the wait for a final hearing in a contested case.

The practical point: a quarter of claims cleared in April to June 2026 had been open for more than 56 weeks. If your claim is defended and heads for a hearing, plan for a long wait, and use it to organise your evidence.

How do employment tribunal claims end?

One claim can contain several complaints (for example unfair dismissal and unpaid wages). The MoJ reports outcomes per complaint, which it calls a jurisdictional complaint. The table shows how complaints disposed of in 2025/26 ended.

Read these figures with care. Only a small share of complaints are decided at a hearing either way. An Acas conciliated settlement means the parties agreed terms through Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. A withdrawal can follow a private settlement, and the statistics do not record whether money changed hands. So the “successful at hearing” line is not a success rate for claimants in general.

The mix of claims is shifting too. In January to March 2026, unfair dismissal made up 23% of complaints received, disability discrimination 16% and unauthorised deductions from wages 13% (MoJ Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2026).

What is the average employment tribunal award?

The last year with published award figures is 2023/24. The MoJ’s 2025/26 annual tables state that representation, compensation and costs data (tables E_1 to E_10) are not currently published while data from the new case management system is extracted and quality assured.

The mean is well above the median because a few large awards pull it up, and the numbers of discrimination awards are small. Your own award depends on your pay, your losses and the facts found. For the statutory limits that apply from April 2026, see unfair dismissal compensation.

How many appeals go to the Employment Appeal Tribunal?

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) received 1,762 appeals in 2025/26 (provisional) and disposed of 1,453. Of those disposed of, 1,160 were rejected as having no reasonable prospect of success and 108 were decided at a full hearing (MoJ Employment Tribunal and EAT annual tables 2025/26, table E_11). An appeal is only possible on a point of law, not because you disagree with the facts found.

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