Industrial Tribunal Claims in Northern Ireland

Who this guide is for

People who work or worked in Northern Ireland and are thinking about a claim to an industrial tribunal or the Fair Employment Tribunal, or want to know if it is too late. It covers:

• Time limits, and the few claims that get 6 months from 1 October 2026.
• Early conciliation through the Labour Relations Agency (LRA), and the certificate number you need.
• Who can claim unfair dismissal, and when no minimum length of service is needed.
• What a tribunal can award, and the limits.
• Making a claim, what it costs, the hearing, settling, and missing the deadline.

What this guide does not cover

• Work in England, Wales or Scotland. The rules there are different: see the England, Wales and Scotland guide.
• Whether your employer broke your rights at work in the first place, such as pay, notice or how you were dismissed: use the employee rights checker.
• Whether you are protected as a whistleblower: use the whistleblowing checker.
• Reasonable adjustments for a disability: use the reasonable adjustments checker.
• Whether a settlement offer is fair: use the settlement agreement checker.
• Pay below the minimum wage: use the minimum wage checker.
• Redundancy pay when your employer is insolvent: use the employer insolvency checker.
• Small claims in court: use the small claims checker.
• The detail of Northern Ireland's discrimination laws, how far back a claim for unpaid wages can go, and appeals against a tribunal decision. This guide does not cover these: ask the LRA, or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland about discrimination.

The questions that decide the answer

• When did the act you are complaining about happen? Most time limits run from that date. Without it, the deadline cannot be worked out.
• What kind of claim is it? Most claims have 3 months less 1 day. Statutory redundancy pay has 6 months from the date the employment ended. Only claims under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 and the Civil Aviation (Working Time) Regulations 2004 get the new 6-month limit.
• Have you told the LRA yet? If not, that comes first for most claims. You need an early conciliation certificate number, or to be exempt, before you can claim.
• For unfair dismissal: how long did you work there? 1 year or more qualifies. With less, you can still claim if the reason was automatically unfair, and a discrimination claim needs no minimum service.
• Is it discrimination because of religious belief or political opinion? Those claims go to the Fair Employment Tribunal. Other claims go to an industrial tribunal.

"I've been dismissed. How long do I have?"

Most claims, including unfair dismissal and discrimination, must be made within 3 months less 1 day.

If you tell the LRA within your time limit, the clock stops while early conciliation runs, so your last day to make a claim will usually be later than your original deadline. Check your exact date with the LRA.

If you worked your notice, or are not sure which date your time limit runs from, check with the LRA straight away rather than guessing.

"Does the new 6-month time limit apply to me?"

For most claims in Northern Ireland, no. Most of the Employment Rights Act 2025 does not apply in Northern Ireland, and most claims stay at 3 months less 1 day.

From 1 October 2026 the 6-month limit applies in Northern Ireland only to industrial tribunal claims brought under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 and the Civil Aviation (Working Time) Regulations 2004, where the act complained of happened on or after 1 October 2026.

If you are not sure which law your claim is brought under, work to 3 months less 1 day and check with the LRA.

"I haven't contacted the LRA yet"

Before most claims you must notify the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). Early conciliation through the LRA is free. You can't go to a tribunal without at least considering it, unless you are exempt.

If you notify the LRA within your time limit, the clock stops for up to 1 calendar month while conciliation takes place, plus up to 14 more days if both sides agree.

The LRA gives you a certificate number, which must go on your claim form. Contact the LRA on 03300 555 300.

"I've missed the deadline"

Tribunals will only extend the time limit in exceptional circumstances. Failing to claim in time may mean your claim is not heard. Get advice straight away.

"Can I claim unfair dismissal? I haven't worked there long"

In Northern Ireland you need at least 1 year of continuous employment to claim ordinary unfair dismissal, so anyone with 1 year or more qualifies. The Great Britain change to 6 months from January 2027 does not apply in Northern Ireland.

No minimum length of service is needed if you were dismissed for an automatically unfair reason, such as whistleblowing, pregnancy, or raising a health and safety concern.

Statutory redundancy pay is separate: it needs at least 2 years of continuous employment, in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK.

"I was dismissed because of my disability, race, sex, age, religion or another protected reason"

That is a discrimination claim under Northern Ireland's own equality laws, not "automatically unfair dismissal". The discrimination claim needs no minimum length of service, but an unfair dismissal claim for the same dismissal still needs the normal qualifying service. Pregnancy and maternity are the exception: a dismissal for those reasons is also automatically unfair.

Claims of discrimination because of religious belief or political opinion go to the Fair Employment Tribunal. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland may be able to help with a discrimination claim.

"What could I get?"

For unfair dismissal, the award is made up of a basic award, worked out from your age and length of service, and a compensatory award, which has a maximum limit (the maximum is rarely awarded). The tribunal can make an additional award if it orders your employer to re-employ you and your employer does not do so.

Compensation has no upper limit for discrimination or for dismissal on health and safety grounds. There is no payment for hurt feelings except in discrimination cases.

Compensation is meant to replace lost earnings, so you have to try to reduce your loss, for example by getting another job or claiming benefit. If you have claimed New Style Jobseeker's Allowance since the dismissal, your employer may have to pay some of the award back to the benefits office instead of to you (recoupment).

"Will it cost me anything?"

There is no charge for making a claim to an industrial tribunal or the Fair Employment Tribunal. Unless you pay a representative, such as a solicitor, making a claim costs nothing.

Tribunals do not usually order either side to pay costs, unless they decide you or your employer acted unreasonably in bringing the case, or a representative behaved unreasonably at the hearing.

If the tribunal thinks your claim is unlikely to succeed, it can order you to pay a deposit to carry on. You do not get the deposit back if you lose.

Depending on your finances, legal aid may help with legal advice and preparing your case, but not with representation at the hearing. If you are in a trade union, it may pay for a solicitor. Some household insurance covers legal costs.

"How do I make a claim?"

You need an early conciliation certificate number from the LRA, or to be able to confirm you are exempt.

The claim form is the ET1 (NI). You can complete it online on the website of the Office of the Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal (OITFET), or get a paper form from a Jobs and Benefits office, Advice NI or OITFET. Send it to OITFET, which sends a copy to your employer. Your employer has to respond within 28 days.

"What happens at the hearing?"

If there is any doubt about whether your claim can go ahead, there will be a preliminary hearing, usually in front of the chairperson. Case management discussions can also be held to clarify the issues.

A hearing is usually heard by a panel of three: a legally qualified chairperson and two lay members, one with an employer background and one with an employee background. It is less formal than a court, but you give evidence on oath.

If you are going to use any documents, you must tell the other side at least 7 days before the hearing. You can bring witnesses, and ask the tribunal to order a witness to attend if they refuse.

"Can I settle instead?"

Yes. The LRA offers free and impartial conciliation to you and your employer. If a settlement does not seem likely, the LRA can tell you about its arbitration scheme, where an independent person decides the dispute without a tribunal, if you and your employer both agree. You can usually withdraw your claim at any time before the hearing.

Deadlines you must meet

• Most claims: 3 months less 1 day, including unfair dismissal and discrimination.
• Claims under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 and the Civil Aviation (Working Time) Regulations 2004: 6 months less 1 day where the act complained of happened on or after 1 October 2026.
• Statutory redundancy pay: 6 months from the date the employment ended.
• Early conciliation: tell the LRA within your time limit. The clock stops for up to 1 calendar month, plus up to 14 more days if both sides agree.
• Your employer's response: within 28 days.
• Documents for the hearing: tell the other side at least 7 days before.

Money figures

For dismissals from 6 April 2026:

• A week's pay is capped at £783.
• The compensatory award for unfair dismissal is capped at £123,785. The Northern Ireland cap is a cash figure only. The Great Britain limit of 52 weeks' pay does not apply.
• The Great Britain removal of the compensatory award cap from January 2027 does not apply in Northern Ireland.
• There is no upper limit for discrimination or for dismissal on health and safety grounds.

Traps

• Do not use Great Britain rules in Northern Ireland: there is no Acas early conciliation, and claims go to OITFET, not to an employment tribunal through GOV.UK.
• Do not assume the October 2026 change to 6 months applies. In Northern Ireland it reaches only claims under the three laws named above. Unfair dismissal and discrimination stay at 3 months less 1 day.
• The 6-month qualifying period and the removal of the compensation cap from January 2027 are Great Britain changes only.
• The Great Britain 52-weeks' pay limit on the compensatory award does not apply in Northern Ireland.
• The Great Britain 2-year limit on how far back a wages claim can go is not part of this guide. Ask the LRA about a Northern Ireland wages claim.
• Religious belief and political opinion claims go to the Fair Employment Tribunal, not an industrial tribunal.