ACAS early conciliation is a legal process whereby an independent conciliator tries to resolve workplace disputes between employees and employers, before the employee issues a full claim in the employment tribunal.

If no settlement is reached during the Early Conciliation period, then ACAS will issue an Early Conciliation Certificate to bring the conciliation period to an end.  Prior to 1 December 2025, the Early Conciliation period was six-weeks. However, in an attempt to reduce the pressure of increased caseloads, the government have increased the Early Conciliation period to a maximum of 12-weeks.

This new 12-week maximum period will apply to all cases that are notified to ACAS on or after 1 December 2025.

This 12-week period will be reviewed in October 2026 to ascertain whether it is still necessary and appropriate.

For more advice, please contact our Employment Team.