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Appeal against a dismissal or a disciplinary decision (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English · for employees
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12 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
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For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who has been dismissed, warned or demoted after a disciplinary process: a letter appealing within your employer's time limit, setting out your grounds and what you ask for, and requesting an appeal hearing before a manager not involved in the decision, with a companion, as the Acas Code expects. If you have been dismissed, it asks for the reasons in writing. Hand it in and email it.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- Your employer in England dismissed you after a disciplinary meeting and you want to appeal.
- You were given a final written warning that you think is unfair and want it withdrawn.
- The outcome letter gives you only a few days to appeal and you want to get it in on time.
- You want your appeal heard by a different manager in England, Wales or Scotland, with a colleague beside you.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Town or city
- Employee's postcode
- Date
- Person at your employer you are writing to, as you would greet them (e.g. Priya Patel)
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town on separate lines)
- The decision you are appealing against
- Date of the decision
- Your grounds of appeal (why the decision is wrong)
- What you ask the appeal to decide (e.g. reinstatement, the warning withdrawn)
Common questions
- How long do I have to appeal against a dismissal or a warning?
- The time your employer's procedure or the outcome letter gives; if none is given, appeal without unreasonable delay. Appealing does not stop the tribunal time limit for an unfair dismissal claim, which is six months less one day from the effective date of termination for dismissals from 1 October 2026, with Acas early conciliation first. A tribunal can reduce an award by up to 25% if you unreasonably failed to appeal.
- Do I need two years' service to claim unfair dismissal?
- For a dismissal whose effective date of termination is before 1 January 2027, generally yes. From 1 January 2027 the qualifying period will be six months, and the cap on the compensatory award will be removed (Employment Rights Act 2025). Some dismissals need no qualifying period at all, for example for whistleblowing, pregnancy or asserting a statutory right, and discrimination claims never need one.
- Who should hear my appeal, and what can the appeal decide?
- The Acas Code expects the appeal to be heard without unreasonable delay and, where possible, by a manager who was not involved in the original decision. You may bring a companion. The appeal can confirm the decision, replace it with a lesser sanction, or overturn it — for a dismissal, with reinstatement and back pay. The outcome should be given to you in writing.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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