The Employment Tribunals (Early Conciliation: Exemptions and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 were laid yesterday to extend the Acas Early Conciliation period from six weeks to twelve weeks with effect from 1 December 2025.  

What is early conciliation (EC)? 

Prospective claimants must contact Acas before lodging a claim with the Employment Tribunals. Acas will offer the parties the chance to try and settle the dispute through their EC process. If resolution isn’t possible within the EC period (currently set at six weeks), Acas will issue the claimant with an EC certificate. The claimant will then have at least one month from the date of the EC certificate to submit their claim. For further information on the process, click here. 

The impact of the change 

Demand for EC has been rising over the past year alongside an increase in the complexity of cases, placing Acas under significant pressure. The government hopes that extending the EC period from six to twelve weeks will ease the pressure on Acas and better enable parties to take full advantage of the chance to settle disputes.  

The key impact for employers is that the time period between the relevant event and receipt of a claim will extend further. Taking into account the time it takes for Employment Tribunals to process claims, it can be many months between the event and the claim form arriving. Employers will need to be mindful of that time lag and ensure, for example, that relevant documents are retained for a longer period where potential litigation is anticipated.  

Not all employers choose to engage with EC and, if they do, settlement may not be a realistic prospect (either in the EC period or at all). Increasing the EC period will not have any impact on these cases. Instead, an EC certificate can be issued immediately, and the claimant can proceed to the Employment Tribunal, which is also struggling to cope with demand; currently, it is usual for parties to have to wait one to two years for their case to be heard.  

Looking further ahead, the Employment Rights Bill will introduce additional employment rights and increase Employment Tribunal time limits in October 2026 from three to six months for all claims. All of this, combined with the extended EC period, may well increase the burden on Acas and the Employment Tribunals service long term, making it more difficult, time consuming, and costly to bring and defend employment related claims.  

How Capsticks can help 

Capsticks has significant experience of supporting employers to navigate changes in employment law and policy, from reviewing current policies, contracts, practice and implementing change, to delivering training to employees at all levels. We also address any complaints or specific issues that may arise in individual cases by conducting investigations, supporting decision makers and HR, and defending any employment tribunal claims.  

For further information on how we can assist your organisation, please contact Alistair Kernohan, Jonathan Lewis or Rachel Luddem.