The government has made regulations to extend the maximum period for ACAS early conciliation from six weeks to 12 weeks from 1 December 2025, to ease pressure on ACAS following an increase in caseload.
The EC period is the period within which ACAS has a duty to promote settlement once a claim has been notified to it. If no settlement is achieved within the EC period, ACAS must issue an EC certificate bringing the process to an end. The EC period had previously been increased from one month to six weeks on 1 December 2020.
If conciliation takes the full 12 weeks prospective Claimants will then have an additional month to issue Employment Tribunal proceedings from the date the EC certificate is issued.
John Cook
