What Evidence Do I Need for My Employment Tribunal Claim? A Practical Guide

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding exactly what evidence you need for your employment tribunal claim is crucial—clear and well-organised proof serves as the foundation for a strong case.
2. Essential evidence for employment tribunal claims includes emails, salary records, employment contracts, performance reviews, grievance letters, and detailed diary notes.
3. Organise supporting documents in chronological order using a digital bundle, with clear file names, so you can present your evidence confidently.
4. A strong witness statement for an employment tribunal claim should set out precisely what the witness saw, heard, or experienced, and explain how this supports your case.
5. Submitting incomplete or disorganised tribunal evidence can weaken your claim or result in it being dismissed entirely.
6. For discrimination or unfair dismissal claims, evidence such as electronic communications and HR correspondence is especially important to demonstrate unfair treatment.
7. If documents are missing, request them from your employer through the correct document disclosure process to safeguard your rights.
8. Originals are not always required—good-quality digital copies of emails, texts, or scanned documents are generally acceptable for employment tribunals in the UK.
9. Go-Legal AI is rated Excellent on Trustpilot with over 170 five-star reviews from UK users.
10. Use Go-Legal AI’s guided evidence tools and downloadable checklists to organise your documents and avoid the common mistakes that lead to lost claims.

What Evidence Do I Need for My Employment Tribunal Claim?

If you’re worried about how to prove your side at an employment tribunal, you’re not alone. Many employees and small business owners in England & Wales find themselves unsure what evidence is actually needed—often risking their claim with missing, irrelevant, or poorly organised documents. Whether you’re facing dismissal, discrimination, or an unresolved pay dispute, presenting clear, relevant proof is essential for success.

In every employment tribunal claim, you need evidence that is directly relevant and supports your version of events. The tribunal does not presuppose guilt or innocence. Instead, it makes decisions on the “balance of probabilities”—meaning you must show it’s more likely than not that your account is true.

Direct Answer:
For an employment tribunal claim, you need evidence that directly supports the facts you’re alleging. This typically includes:

• Written documents: Your employment contract, staff handbook, workplace policies, payslips, meeting notes, and disciplinary records.
• Communication records: Emails, letters, text messages, and relevant internal chat logs.
• Financial evidence: Bank statements, payslips, overtime or bonus confirmations.
• Witness statements: Testimony from colleagues, former co-workers, or others who observed relevant events.
• Digital evidence: CCTV, audio files, logs from attendance or computer systems, and electronic records.

A thoughtful, complete bundle composed of these items shows the employment tribunal judge a clear picture of your case.

What Types of Evidence Are Accepted in Employment Tribunal Claims?

Employment tribunals in England & Wales accept a wide range of evidence types—each one serving a different role in your claim. Knowing what tribunal evidence is most persuasive can focus your efforts and increase your chances.

• Documentary Evidence: This includes any physical or digital document, such as contracts of employment, staff handbooks, disciplinary policies, invoices, performance appraisals, or medical notes. These are the foundation of most claims.
• Digital Evidence: Emails, text messages, WhatsApp chats, screenshots, audio files, digital photos, CCTV, and computer logs all play a vital role, especially where workplace events are documented electronically.
• Witness Evidence: Statements from people who directly witnessed events. Witnesses may be colleagues, managers, or even external parties whose first-hand accounts support your claim.
• Financial Records: Anything that verifies payments or losses, such as payslips, bonus letters, bank statements, or expense claims.
• Communications Evidence: This covers formal letters, written grievances, disciplinary outcomes, or HR responses—often key in disputes over procedure.

If you’re unsure which category a piece of evidence falls under, our AI-powered upload tool can sort and label your tribunal documents in seconds.

Which Documents Should I Collect for My Employment Tribunal Case?

Your claim’s strength often depends on the quality and relevance of your documents. Start by identifying the facts you need to prove, then gather every record that supports each one. Having the right documents, in the right format, is crucial when submitting the ET1 (claim) or ET3 (response) forms.

Here’s an Essential Documents Checklist for Tribunal Evidence:

How Do I Prepare and Organise My Employment Tribunal Evidence Effectively?

The way you organise your tribunal documents matters as much as their content. Confused or jumbled bundles can frustrate a judge or lead to vital evidence being overlooked.

Follow these key steps to prepare a winning evidence bundle:

1. Chronological Order: Arrange everything by date, from job offer to final communication. This helps the tribunal follow your story.
2. Digital Copies: Turn all papers into clear, legible PDF scans. Name every file with its date and content—such as “2023-06-12_Appraisal.pdf”.
3. Group by Category: Keep contracts, payslips, correspondence, and meeting notes together. This allows quick reference during the hearing.
4. Bundle and Index: Combine files into one bookmarked PDF (for digital submission) or a ring binder (for paper). Always include a cover page and a full index.
5. Label Clearly: Write short explanations on or next to each file—summarise what it shows and why it’s important.
6. Completeness Check: Review your bundle to ensure every allegation you’ve made is supported by evidence.

If you need help with formatting or automating your bundle, our platform offers step-by-step templates and digital organisers to keep every document in the right place.

What Evidence Do I Need for Different Types of Tribunal Claims?

Success at tribunal depends on matching your claim to the correct supporting evidence. Here are the types of evidence you should gather for the most common claim types:

Unfair Dismissal

• Contract of employment: Shows job terms and conditions.
• Dismissal letter: States why and when you were let go.
• Disciplinary hearing notes: Demonstrate whether fair process was followed.
• Emails relating to dismissal: Reveal discussions and rationale.
• Appraisals or performance reviews: Show if performance concerns were genuine.

Discrimination Claims (Race, Sex, Disability, etc.)

• Equality policy and training records
• Grievance and complaint correspondence
• Witness statements from colleagues
• Emails or texts referring to discriminatory language or conduct
• Medical or occupational health reports (in disability claims)

Unpaid Wages or Benefits

• Payslips for disputed period
• Bank statements
• Employment contract terms on pay or bonuses
• Letters or emails requesting payment and responses from employer

How Do I Request Missing Evidence from My Employer?

The process of “disclosure” in employment tribunals makes sure both sides share all relevant documents. If your employer holds vital evidence you can’t access, you are entitled to request it.

Steps to Request Disclosure:

1. Identify Specific Documents: List exactly what you need (e.g., absence logs, CCTV footage, HR investigation files).
2. Draft a Formal Disclosure Request: Make your request in writing, giving reasons for each document.
3. Allow Reasonable Time to Respond: Employers should cooperate and provide documents unless there is a legitimate reason not to.
4. Escalate if Needed: If documents aren’t provided, apply to the tribunal for a disclosure order. The tribunal can compel employers to submit evidence if justified.

Our compliance tool can create formal, tribunal-compliant disclosure requests and store every communication—making compliance straightforward.

How to Prepare a Witness Statement for an Employment Tribunal

A robust witness statement details exactly what a witness saw, heard, or experienced. In the UK, witness statements follow a set format and play a vital role in clarifying the facts for the judge.

Key Components of a Tribunal Witness Statement

Practical Tips:

• Keep your language simple and avoid speculation.
• Attach exhibits (documents or screenshots) and number them consistently.
• Double-check spelling, dates, and any references.
• The statement should not include the witness’s opinions—just facts.

Our AI-powered witness statement tool creates tribunal-compliant drafts in minutes, helping you save time and ensure accuracy.

Can I Use Digital Copies, Emails, or Texts as Tribunal Evidence?

Yes—UK employment tribunals accept electronic evidence, provided it’s relevant, authentic, legible, and not obviously altered. Most cases now involve digital submissions rather than paper bundles.

Accepted Digital Formats:

• PDFs (for documents and scans)
• JPEG/PNG (for photos)
• .eml or PDF (for emails)
• Screenshots (with visible date and origin)

Practical Requirements:

• Make sure all information is readable and shows who sent or received each item, and on which date.
• For chats or texts, combine all relevant messages into a single document for ease of reference.
• Never alter the content of messages—screenshots and direct exports are best.

If you want to streamline all this, our upload tool automatically converts, labels, and bundles your digital evidence so you don’t miss a detail.

Common Mistakes When Submitting Employment Tribunal Evidence (and How to Avoid Them)

How Go-Legal AI Simplifies Organising Your Employment Tribunal Evidence

Go-Legal AI makes the employment tribunal process far less daunting by offering digital tools that take the guesswork and manual labour out of preparing your case. Our AI-powered evidence checklist generators tailor everything to your specific claim—from unfair dismissal to redundancy or discrimination—so no critical document or message is missed.

What Our Platform Offers:

• Custom Checklists: Instantly generated based on your circumstances.
• Automated Doc Sorting: AI reviews, groups, and flags missing documents before your deadline.
• Instant Tribunal Templates: Create compliant witness statements and disclosure requests in minutes.
• Secure, Compliant Digital Storage: All evidence is GDPR-compliant and ready to share with the tribunal if needed.
• User Ratings: Benefit from digital best practices and real user feedback, built for UK regulations.

Let our technology handle the admin, so you can focus on presenting a compelling case.

Organise Your Employment Tribunal Evidence with Confidence

Using the right evidence, in the correct format, is the difference between a successful claim and a missed opportunity. Scattered or incomplete records will frustrate both you and the tribunal, while a well-structured bundle demonstrates not only the merits of your case but your commitment to fairness and transparency.

Go-Legal AI helps you prepare for every step—tailored checklists, smart upload and labelling tools, and automatic template generators remove the hassle and risk. When you’re ready, build your evidence bundle and upload it in just a few clicks.

Put your case on the strongest possible footing. Start for free today and let our platform guide you through every evidence step with confidence.