Whistleblowing at Work in England, Wales and Scotland

Who this guide is for

Workers in England, Wales or Scotland who have reported wrongdoing at work, or want to, and anyone treated badly or dismissed because they did. It covers:

• What counts as whistleblowing, including sexual harassment from 6 April 2026.
• Who you can tell, and when telling the media or police can be protected.
• Who is protected by the law.
• Being treated badly or dismissed for whistleblowing, and the time limits.
• Confidentiality clauses and settlement agreements.

What this guide does not cover

• Work in Northern Ireland. The law there is different: see the Northern Ireland guide.
• Personal complaints about your own treatment, such as bullying or discrimination, that are not in the public interest. Use your employer's grievance policy and ask Acas.
• Tribunal time limits in detail and how to make a claim: see our tribunal deadline guide.
• Whether a settlement agreement offer is fair: see our settlement agreement guide.
• Refusing to do unsafe work: see our health and safety guide.
• Your other rights at work: see our employee rights guide.

What the rules depend on

1. What did you report? It must be one of the kinds of wrongdoing the law lists (below). A personal grievance about your own treatment is not covered unless your case is in the public interest.
2. Who did you tell? Telling your employer, a legal adviser or the right prescribed body is protected. Telling anyone else, such as the media, is protected only if there is a good reason or it is about an exceptionally serious failure.
3. Are you protected by the law? Most workers are, including employees and agency workers. Genuinely self-employed people and volunteers with no enforceable contract are not usually protected.
4. What happened to you, and on what date? Being treated worse and being dismissed are different claims. The date decides your time limit.

"Does what I reported count as whistleblowing?"

You can whistleblow about these ("qualifying disclosures"):

• a criminal offence, for example bribery or fraud;
• an organisation breaking a legal obligation;
• a miscarriage of justice;
• someone's health and safety being in danger;
• sexual harassment (from 6 April 2026);
• damage to the environment;
• someone trying to cover up any of these.

It can be about something that has happened, is happening or is likely to happen. It can also be about something that takes place overseas.

You must reasonably believe what you are reporting, and that reporting it is in the public interest. Personal grievances, for example bullying, harassment or discrimination, are not covered unless your particular case is in the public interest. Report those under your employer's grievance policy.

Deciding whether a disclosure is protected can be complicated, and only an employment tribunal can make that decision.

"Who should I tell?"

By law, you can make a whistleblowing disclosure to:

• your employer, or another person responsible for the wrongdoing;
• a legal adviser;
• a government minister, but only if you work for a statutory body;
• a prescribed person or body;
• any other person or body, for example the police or the media, but only if there is a good reason to, or it is about an "exceptionally serious failure".

It is good practice to consider these in order, but you do not have to go to your employer first.

A prescribed person or body is an official body with responsibility for the matter, such as a regulator. It is easier to be protected if you tell one, but you must pick the right one. For example, breaches of health and safety rules can go to the Health and Safety Executive or the right local authority, and breaches of equality or human rights law to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The full list is on GOV.UK ("Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies"). Follow the body's instructions on how to report.

"Am I protected?"

Most people are protected, including workers, employees, agency workers, apprentices, student nurses and student midwives, the police, office holders, and self-employed doctors, dentists, ophthalmologists and pharmacists working in the NHS.

Protection starts from the beginning of employment. You are still protected after you leave, for example if a former employer gives you a bad reference because you made a disclosure.

People not usually protected are: the genuinely self-employed, volunteers with no enforceable contract, non-executive directors, members of the armed forces, and crown employees dealing with national security.

An employer's whistleblowing policy can let other people raise concerns, but it does not make them protected by law.

"I've been treated badly since I reported it"

You are protected from detriment. That means being treated worse than before, or having your situation made worse, because you blew the whistle. Examples include bullying, harassment, training requests turned down without good reason, or being overlooked for promotion.

You can make a claim to an employment tribunal. Before most claims you must notify Acas to start early conciliation. It is free. Your time limit is paused while conciliation runs, but only if you notify Acas within your time limit.

"I've been sacked for whistleblowing"

If you are an employee and you were dismissed for whistleblowing, it is an automatically unfair dismissal. No minimum length of service is needed.

There is no cap on the compensatory award if you were dismissed for whistleblowing.

Some unfair dismissal claims can ask the tribunal for "interim relief". That has a time limit of 7 days, and you might not need to notify Acas first.

"I signed a confidentiality agreement or a settlement agreement"

A confidentiality or "gagging" clause, for example in an employment contract or a settlement agreement, is not valid if it tries to stop a worker making a whistleblowing disclosure. That includes a disclosure to a lawyer, your employer or a prescribed person or body.

The clause can still be valid if it tries to stop another kind of disclosure. Talk to a legal adviser before you sign an agreement with a confidentiality clause if you want to tell someone about wrongdoing.

Why the employer acted matters

Being treated badly after blowing the whistle is not enough on its own: the disclosure has to be the reason. For bad treatment short of dismissal, the disclosure must have had more than a trivial influence on what the employer did, and it is for the employer to show why it acted. For dismissal, the disclosure must be the reason, or the main reason if there was more than one; if it was only a side reason, this claim fails.

If you do not have enough service for an ordinary unfair dismissal claim, it is for you to show the disclosure was the main reason for the dismissal.

Deadlines you must meet

• Most tribunal claims: 3 months less 1 day from the act you are complaining about, or 6 months less 1 day where that act (or the last act in a series) happened on or after 1 October 2026.
• Interim relief after a dismissal: 7 days.
• Notify Acas within your time limit, so that the clock is paused.
• Your exact date depends on your facts: see our tribunal deadline guide.

Traps

• A personal grievance is not whistleblowing unless your case is in the public interest.
• Sexual harassment has counted as a qualifying disclosure only since 6 April 2026.
• Going to the media or social media is protected only if there is a good reason or an exceptionally serious failure. Telling your employer or the right prescribed body is the safer route.
• Telling the wrong prescribed body can cost you protection. Check it deals with your issue.
• Workers who are not employees cannot claim unfair dismissal, but are still protected from detriment.
• Do not use Northern Ireland law here. Northern Ireland has its own whistleblowing law.