Early Conciliation extension: What the new 12-Week Acas window means for you

From 1^st December 2025, the Government extended the Acas early conciliation period from six weeks to twelve weeks. This means that, for anyone starting early conciliation on or after that date, there is now up to 12 weeks for settlement discussions before a claim can be issued in the Employment Tribunal. Notifying Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is a mandatory pre Tribunal claim step. As part of that process the potential claimant indicates whether they would like Acas to engage with the potential respondent to see whether early settlement of the case is possible. If so, during this period, the legal time limit for bringing a claim is paused while Acas attempts to facilitate a resolution between the parties.

The extension from 6 to 12 weeks followed sustained pressure on the system. Acas reported a 26% increase in early conciliation notifications, particularly in discriminations claims, with waits of around five weeks simply for allocation to a conciliator. In practical terms, much of the previous six-week window was being lost before meaningful discussion even began. Doubling the conciliation period was therefore presented as a pragmatic step to give conciliators sufficient time to engage both sides and encourage resolution. The Government’s intention is to reduce the volume of claims progressing to a full hearing by strengthening the pre-claim settlement stage.

This change has already, and will continue, to have a significant knock-on effect on both parties, but particularly employers. A longer conciliation period, during which time limits are paused, means potential claims may now remain “live” for considerably longer before proceedings are issued. When viewed alongside measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 to extend the current limitation period from three to six months, employers could face a scenario where they are unaware of a potential claim for up to nine months, or even longer with tribunal administrative delays.

As a specialist employment law firm, Patch Law regularly advises both employers and employees on navigating the early conciliation process strategically, whether that means achieving a swift commercial settlement or preparing robustly for litigation where resolution is not possible. If you would like to find out about our advice and support, call us on 0117 290 0905 or complete the form on this page and we will be pleased to help.