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Deadline · Workforce · · 1 min read

Employment law: longer tribunal time limit and new harassment duties

Tribunal claim time limits doubled to six months from 1 Oct 2026. From 30 Oct 2026 employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.

  • Deadline
  • Workforce
  • Practice managers
  • PCN leads
  • England
  • Scotland
  • Wales

Deadline

01 / What's changed

  • From 1 Oct 2026, staff have six months rather than three to bring an Employment Tribunal claim. For breach of contract claims in Scotland the change starts on 9 Nov 2026.
  • From 30 Oct 2026, employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment of employees, and must not permit harassment by third parties.
  • From January 2027, the unfair dismissal qualifying period falls to six months and the cap on compensatory awards is removed.

02 / Who it affects

Practices and PCNs as employers in England, Scotland and Wales. The third-party duty is likely to matter most for reception and other patient-facing teams.

03 / What to do

04 / Deadline

The new duty to prevent sexual harassment starts on 30 Oct 2026.