Who can make an armed forces service complaint, the 3-month and 6-month time limits, how to make one, admissibility, decisions and appeals, the Armed Forces Commissioner, and how a service complaint links to an employment tribunal claim.
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Check My Service Complaint →Serving and former members of the UK armed forces (the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force) who think they have been wronged in a matter relating to their service, and want to know how to make a service complaint, the time limits, what happens next and how to challenge a decision. The service complaints process is the same across the UK. The part about employment tribunal claims is for England, Wales and Scotland.
If you are subject to service law and think you have been wronged in any matter relating to your service, you can make a service complaint about it.
If you have left and are no longer subject to service law, you can still make a service complaint about a wrong relating to your service that happened while you were subject to service law.
GOV.UK says a service complaint can be about bullying, harassment, discrimination, and biased, improper or dishonest behaviour.
Some matters cannot be the subject of a service complaint at all: they are listed in regulations. This guide does not list them: see JSP 831 or ask your unit HR team.
If you are a reservist, whether you can complain depends on whether you were subject to service law at the time. This guide does not cover when a reservist is subject to service law: ask your unit HR team.
A service complaint is made by one person. Other people can make their own service complaints about the same or similar matters.
GOV.UK says that, if possible, you should try to settle the matter informally first. You can speak or write to the person responsible, ask the chain of command or a colleague to look into it, or ask for mediation. JSP 763 on GOV.UK explains informal resolution.
This guide does not cover whether informal steps change the time limit for a formal complaint. If you are close to the time limit, make your formal complaint in time.
For some kinds of complaint, a special-to-type procedure must be followed before the service complaints process starts. GOV.UK gives housing, pay and allowances, and healthcare and medical treatment as examples, and says this is not a full list.
If the specified officer thinks you are expected to use another formal procedure first, they can put all or part of your service complaint on hold until you have finished that procedure.
You must normally make a service complaint within 3 months beginning with the day the matter happened, or the last day if it happened over a period of time.
If you were expected to use another formal procedure first, the 3 months begin with the day that procedure ended.
If the matter is or has been capable of being an Equality Act 2010 claim to an employment tribunal about work, such as discrimination, harassment or victimisation, the limit is 6 months instead of 3.
If the matter could be an equal pay claim under the Equality Act 2010, the time limit follows the time limit for that claim. This guide does not cover it: ask a solicitor.
A complaint made after the time limit can still go ahead if the specified officer thinks it is just and equitable to allow it in all the circumstances. It is not automatic. Your statement of complaint must say why you did not complain in time.
A service complaint must be made in writing. Fill in a service complaint form on the My Complaint app (through Defence Gateway), or fill in the form at Annex F of JSP 831 and send it to your Single Service Secretariat. Your unit HR team can tell you who to send it to.
The person your complaint goes to is called the specified officer.
Your statement of complaint must say:
If you raise a new matter after the decision on whether your complaint is admissible, it is dealt with as a new service complaint.
The specified officer decides whether your complaint is admissible, which means whether it can go forward as a formal complaint. They may contact you to discuss it, and may get legal advice first. They can decide that all of it, part of it or none of it is admissible.
A complaint is not admissible if:
The specified officer must tell you the decision in writing. If they decide your complaint is not admissible, they must give you the reasons and tell you that you can ask the Armed Forces Commissioner to review the decision.
You can ask the Armed Forces Commissioner to review a decision that your complaint is not admissible within 4 weeks beginning with the day you received that decision.
The Commissioner can accept a later request only if they think it is just and equitable. The Commissioner's decision on admissibility is binding on you and on the specified officer.
If your complaint is admissible, the Single Service Secretariat appoints a decision body. The decision body usually chooses a person or people to investigate and tells you who they are. You can give them more information and suggest witnesses. The decision body decides how the investigation is done, and other evidence or witnesses are only considered if it agrees.
The decision body sends you a copy of the investigation report, with the evidence, and you can comment on it before the decision is made. The decision is sent to you in writing with the reasons and any action to be taken.
A decision body or appeal body can hold a hearing to speak to you, the people you complained about and witnesses.
You can appeal within 2 weeks beginning with the day you received the decision.
Use the appeal form on the My Complaint app, or the form at Annex G of JSP 831, and send it to your Single Service Secretariat. Your appeal must set out its grounds. There are 3 grounds:
A late appeal must say why it is late. It can go ahead only if it is allowed as just and equitable.
The Single Service Secretariat decides whether your appeal can be considered. If it decides your appeal cannot be considered, you can ask the Armed Forces Commissioner to review that decision within 4 weeks beginning with the day you received it. The Commissioner's decision is binding.
If your complaint involves bullying, harassment, discrimination, dishonesty or biased behaviour, the appeal body includes an external independent member. The appeal body looks at your whole complaint and decides whether more investigation is needed.
If the decision on your complaint was made by the Defence Council itself, there is no appeal: you can ask the Armed Forces Commissioner to investigate instead.
From 1 April 2026 the Armed Forces Commissioner took over the service complaint work of the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces.
You can contact the Commissioner at any time during the service complaints process. You can ask the Commissioner to:
After the decision on your appeal, or a decision by the Defence Council, you can ask the Commissioner to investigate. This guide does not cover the time limit for that: ask the Armed Forces Commissioner.
An assisting officer can help you set out your complaint, go to interviews and meetings with you, and help you prepare responses to the decision body or appeal body.
You can choose your own assisting officer, or your unit HR team can find one. The assisting officer should be at least SNCO rank or equivalent, know the service complaints process, and have no personal interest in the matter.
The employment tribunal can only hear an Equality Act 2010 claim about something done while you were serving if you have made a service complaint about the matter and have not withdrawn it.
Your service complaint does not have to be finished before you make a tribunal claim. Making a tribunal claim does not stop the service complaints process carrying on.
A tribunal claim about something done while you were serving must be made within 6 months starting with the date of the act complained of.
If the act went on over a period of time, the tribunal time limit runs from the end of that period. The tribunal can accept a later claim only if it thinks that is just and equitable, and it does not have to.
The tribunal time limit runs from the act, not from the end of your service complaint. Waiting for your service complaint to finish can mean missing it.
Before most employment tribunal claims you must contact Acas for early conciliation. Do not count on early conciliation giving you extra time: contact Acas well before the 6 months end, and ask Acas or a solicitor to check your date.
The Equality Act 2010 work rules on age and disability do not apply to service in the armed forces, so an employment tribunal cannot hear an age or disability discrimination claim about your service.
The law can treat a service complaint as withdrawn in some situations. This guide does not cover when, or how to make a tribunal claim: see the employment tribunal checker, or ask Acas or a solicitor.
The service complaints process in this guide applies in Northern Ireland too: making a complaint, admissibility, decisions, appeals and the Armed Forces Commissioner.
The Equality Act 2010 rules on employment tribunal claims by members of the armed forces extend to England, Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, claims of discrimination at work go to an industrial tribunal, or to the Fair Employment Tribunal for discrimination because of religious belief or political opinion.
This guide does not cover whether a member of the armed forces can bring such a claim in Northern Ireland, its time limit, or which service complaint time limit applies to a discrimination complaint in Northern Ireland: ask the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland or a solicitor. If you are not sure, make your service complaint within 3 months.
Your unit HR team: can explain how the matter might be resolved informally or how to make a formal complaint, tell you where to send it, and help you find an assisting officer. Your equality and diversity adviser can also help.
Your Single Service Secretariat (Naval Service, Army or Royal Air Force): receives service complaints and appeals. Its contact details are on the GOV.UK page Armed Forces Service Complaints process.
Armed Forces Commissioner: afcommissioner.org.uk, email contact@afcommissioner.org.uk. Referrals, reviews and investigations about service complaints.
Acas: 0300 123 1100 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), acas.org.uk. Early conciliation before an employment tribunal claim.
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: 028 9050 0600. Enquiries about equality or discrimination at work.
Citizens Advice (England): 0800 144 8848
Citizens Advice (Wales): 0800 702 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland: 0800 028 1456
Advice NI: 0800 915 4604
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