This page references several compensation limits that are reviewed annually, and one — the unfair dismissal compensatory award cap — that is due to be removed entirely from 1 January 2027 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Figures are correct as of the publication date — always check GOV.UK for the current position.
Introduction
What an Employment Tribunal can actually award depends heavily on the type of claim involved — unfair dismissal, discrimination, unpaid wages, and breach of contract all follow different rules, with different caps, different components, and in some cases no cap at all. Understanding the shape of what’s available is useful whether you’re deciding whether a claim is worth pursuing, or simply trying to understand what a tribunal judgment or settlement offer is actually built from.
This guide gives a broad overview across claim types. If your claim is specifically about unfair dismissal and you want a detailed breakdown of exactly how that figure is calculated, our guide on Unfair Dismissal Compensation: How Much Can You Claim? goes into that in depth — this piece covers where that fits alongside everything else a tribunal can award.
Table of Contents
- Compensation for Unfair Dismissal
- Compensation for Discrimination and Whistleblowing: Injury to Feelings
- Other Types of Award a Tribunal Can Make
- Uplifts and Reductions: How the ACAS Code Affects Compensation
- Is There a Cap on What You Can Recover?
- Contact Us for Employment Tribunal Support
- Final Thoughts
- Frequently Asked Questions
Compensation for Unfair Dismissal
Unfair dismissal compensation is normally made up of two parts. The basic award is calculated using a formula based on your age, length of service, and weekly pay, capped at 20 years’ service and at a maximum weekly pay figure set annually — currently £751, giving a maximum basic award of £22,530. A separate, guaranteed minimum floor applies to the basic award in certain automatically unfair dismissal categories (such as dismissal connected to health and safety, trade union activities, or acting as a pension scheme trustee), which currently ensures a minimum award of £9,157 regardless of your length of service.
The compensatory award, which covers your actual financial losses such as lost earnings and lost benefits, is capped at the lower of a set statutory maximum — currently £123,543 — or 52 weeks’ gross pay. This cap is due to be removed entirely from 1 January 2027 under the Employment Rights Act 2025, meaning tribunals will eventually be able to award the full value of a claimant’s loss without an upper limit. It’s also worth knowing that this cap already doesn’t apply at all to certain automatically unfair dismissal categories — whistleblowing and health and safety dismissals in particular can attract uncapped compensatory awards even under the current rules. Our guide on Automatic Unfair Dismissal Explained covers which categories this applies to.
Compensation for Discrimination and Whistleblowing: Injury to Feelings
Claims under the Equality Act 2010 — covering discrimination on grounds such as sex, race, disability, age, religion, and other protected characteristics — work differently again. Compensation for financial loss in a discrimination claim is uncapped entirely, reflecting the view that discrimination shouldn’t be subject to the same limits as an ordinary dismissal. On top of any financial loss, tribunals can also award compensation for injury to feelings — the distress, humiliation, or anxiety caused by the discrimination itself, assessed separately from financial loss.
These injury to feelings awards are guided by what are known as the Vento bands, updated annually. For claims presented from 6 April 2026, the bands are £1,300 to £12,600 for less serious cases, £12,600 to £37,700 for cases that don’t merit the top band, and £37,700 to £62,900 for the most serious cases, with the most exceptional cases capable of exceeding that upper figure entirely. Where a claim also succeeds in showing the dismissal was automatically unfair for whistleblowing, similar injury to feelings principles can apply there too.
Other Types of Award a Tribunal Can Make
Beyond dismissal and discrimination claims, tribunals handle a range of other disputes with their own remedies. Claims for unpaid wages or unlawful deductions from pay — including unpaid holiday pay or unpaid notice pay — generally result in an award equal to the amount actually owed. Breach of contract claims can also be brought in the tribunal alongside a dismissal claim, though the tribunal’s jurisdiction here is capped at £25,000, a limit that’s remained unchanged for a long time; larger contractual disputes generally need to go to the civil courts instead.
Where a tribunal orders reinstatement or re-engagement following a successful unfair dismissal claim and the employer doesn’t comply, an additional award of between 26 and 52 weeks’ pay can be made on top of the basic and compensatory awards—though this is subject to the statutory weekly pay cap, limiting the maximum additional award to £39,052. And where an employer has failed to properly collectively consult ahead of a larger redundancy round, a protective award of up to 180 days’ pay per affected employee can be ordered — a remedy that sits entirely separate from any individual unfair dismissal claim those employees might also bring. Our guide on Settlement Agreements During Redundancy covers how this risk often factors into redundancy negotiations before a claim ever reaches a tribunal.
Uplifts and Reductions: How the ACAS Code Affects Compensation
Where a claim involves a disciplinary or grievance issue covered by the ACAS Code of Practice, a tribunal has the power to adjust the compensatory award up or down by as much as 25%, depending on whether the employer — or in some cases the employee — unreasonably failed to follow the Code. This can work in either direction: an employer who skipped proper disciplinary steps can see compensation increased, while an employee who unreasonably failed to raise a grievance before resigning or claiming can see it reduced. It’s a meaningful factor in practice, since a 25% swing on a substantial compensatory award is rarely a trivial sum.
Is There a Cap on What You Can Recover?
It depends entirely on the type of claim. Ordinary unfair dismissal compensation is currently capped, as set out above, though that’s changing from 2027. Discrimination and whistleblowing-related compensation is generally uncapped already. Breach of contract claims in the tribunal are capped at £25,000 regardless of claim type. And straightforward wage claims are generally limited only by the amount actually owed, rather than by any separate statutory ceiling.
Because the position varies so much by claim type — and because several of these figures change every April — it’s worth checking the current position specifically for your type of claim rather than assuming one figure applies across the board.
Contact Us for Employment Tribunal Support
Understanding what a claim might realistically be worth is often one of the first questions people want answered, and the honest answer depends heavily on exactly what kind of claim you have — which is rarely as simple as it first appears, particularly where a dismissal overlaps with a discrimination or whistleblowing element.
If you’re weighing up your options, our guide on Do I Need a Solicitor for an Employment Tribunal? covers what kind of support is available, from a one-off case review through to full representation.
Final Thoughts
Employment Tribunal compensation isn’t a single figure or formula — it depends heavily on what kind of claim you’re bringing, and several claim types can overlap within the same case. Understanding which components apply to your situation, and which limits genuinely constrain your claim versus which don’t apply at all, is a useful starting point before deciding how to proceed.Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a maximum amount an Employment Tribunal can award?
It depends on the claim. Unfair dismissal compensation is currently capped, though that cap is being removed from 2027. Discrimination and whistleblowing compensation is generally uncapped already, and tribunal breach of contract claims are capped at £25,000.
What are the Vento bands?
They’re guideline bands tribunals use when assessing injury to feelings awards in discrimination and related claims, split into lower, middle, and upper bands depending on how serious the case is, with figures reviewed annually.
Can I get compensation for unpaid wages through a tribunal?
Yes. Claims for unpaid wages, holiday pay, or unlawful deductions generally result in an award equal to the amount actually owed, without a separate statutory cap.
Does failing to follow the ACAS Code affect compensation?
Yes. A tribunal can adjust a compensatory award up or down by as much as 25% depending on whether the employer or employee unreasonably failed to follow the ACAS Code of Practice.
Is discrimination compensation really unlimited?
Yes, in principle. Unlike unfair dismissal, there’s no statutory cap on compensation for financial loss in a discrimination claim, and injury to feelings is awarded on top of that.
How do I know what my claim might actually be worth?
It depends on the type of claim, your financial losses, and whether any of the higher-value or uncapped categories apply to your situation. Getting advice on the specifics of your case is generally the only reliable way to get a realistic figure.