Situation before reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025
Employees can only claim ordinary unfair dismissal if they have at least two years of continuous service with their employer.
There are exceptions for certain dismissals; if the reason why the employee was dismissed falls within one of the categories of dismissal that are automatically unfair (see Automatically unfair dismissals in our HR & Legal Resources), then the employee will usually have the right to claim unfair dismissal regardless of their length of service.
If a tribunal upholds a claim of unfair dismissal, it may award the employee compensation, made up of:
- a basic award (calculated by reference to the employee's age, length of service and a ‘week's pay’, capped as at 6 April 2026 at £751 and reviewed annually); and
- a compensatory award (capped as at 6 April 2026 at the lower of £123,543 or 52 weeks' actual pay and reviewed annually).
On request, employers must give written reasons for dismissal to employees with two years’ service (except where the dismissal takes place during pregnancy, or statutory maternity leave or adoption leave, in which case employees must be given a written statement of reasons without having to request it, regardless of their length of service).
The statutory Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (‘the Acas Code’) is taken into account by employment tribunals considering ordinary unfair dismissal claims relating to misconduct and performance management, i,e whether the employer acted reasonably in dismissing, including following fair procedure. Any unreasonable failure to comply with the Acas Code may lead a tribunal to award either an uplift in, or reduction to, compensation in relevant claims by up to 25%, where it considers it just and equitable to do so.
So what’s changing and when?
The two-year qualifying period is being reduced to six months, meaning that employees will be able to claim ordinary unfair dismissal once they have been employed for six months.
If requested, employers will need to give written reasons for dismissal to employees with six months’ service.
In addition, the Government is removing the cap on the compensatory award.
The reforms are expected to take effect on 1 January 2027. Note that it is expected that employees who already have six months’ service will gain unfair dismissal protection from 1 January 2027 onwards, with others gaining it once they reach six months’ service.
As outlined in our HR and Employment Law FAQs September 2026, Acas has published a new draft Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (the ‘revised Code’) and consulted on it between July and September 2026. It will take time for Acas to finalise the revised Code following the consultation (publication is expected during 2027). However, it seems likely that informal resolution of workplace issues will take greater precedence in the revised Code, and that an employer’s failure to engage with this before instigating formal procedures will in certain cases be taken into account by the employment tribunal.
Acas will also review and update its non-statutory guidance on disciplinary and grievance procedures in due course.
What you need to do
- Review your recruitment procedures to ensure that new hires are well-suited to your organisation and the role you have employed them to do. Tighten up your application, interview and pre-employment screening process to ensure thorough due diligence on incoming employees. The costs of getting it wrong will become higher.
- Review the template contract you use for new hires to make it as robust as possible.
- Consider your current use of contractual probationary periods. Consider in particular:
- their length
- which roles you use them for
- their purpose (for example: ensuring compatibility of a new hire with their role; disapplying certain HR policies; applying a shorter notice period; access to benefits etc.)
- how effective they are currently. Do your managers proactively engage with probationary periods, for example properly managing performance/conduct/attendance during them?
- Review your probationary policy or, if you do not currently have such a policy, consider introducing one. Make UK’s HR & Legal Resources include a template policy and accompanying guidance.
- Review your performance management and disciplinary policies and processes, including how they interact with your probationary policy, and train your managers. The changes will make it harder for you to dismiss employees once they have worked for you for six months (and the potential costs of unfair dismissal claims are rising), so you may want to consider your approach to performance and conduct within that timeframe. It is important to ensure that your various HR policies interact effectively, and that your managers know how to apply them in practice. Do your managers need upskilling for this?
How we can help
The reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period will increase risk much earlier in the employment relationship. Employers will need stronger recruitment decisions, tighter probation management, and more consistent people processes from day one.
Our HR and legal experts can help you put the right structures in place, so issues are identified early and handled correctly. We can support you with:
- Recruitment process review: Reviewing your recruitment and pre-employment processes to help you make better hiring decisions and reduce the risk of early-stage dismissal claims.
- Contract and probationary clause review: Strengthening template contracts and probationary clauses so they are clear, robust and aligned with the new six-month qualifying period.
- Probationary period design and use: Helping you review or introduce probationary policies, considering in particular probation length and purpose, notice provisions and how they are applied in practice.
- Manager capability and confidence: Supporting managers to actively manage performance, conduct and attendance during probation and early employment, delivered through one-to-one coaching with our HR consultants to build fair and robust decision-making or through targeted training such as:
- Performance and conduct process support: Reviewing and improving performance, conduct and attendance procedures so concerns are addressed promptly and fairly within the first six months.
- Early risk identification: Helping HR teams spot issues sooner and take proportionate action before problems escalate into claims.
Additional support and resources
Stay informed and prepared by signing up to our email updates, where we’ll share confirmed changes and key dates as they come into force. Subscribers can access up-to-date guidance, template policies and letters in our HR & Legal Resources section, and our expert team is on hand to answer questions or provide practical support, whether or not you are a Make UK member. You can also contact our ERA enquiry line.
To see the planned changes at a glance, download our free Employment Rights Act planner for clear timelines and practical next steps. If you’d like a deeper insight, ask about our Audit and Impact Assessment - a structured review to help you understand your levels of risk, prioritise actions and plan with confidence.