Employment Tribunals Act 1996, section 13

Costs and expenses

PART I Employment Tribunals

[F104 (1)Procedure Rules may make provision for regulating matters relating to—

(a)costs or expenses;

(b)allowances payable under section 5(2)(c) or (3).F104]

[F105 (1A)[F106 Procedure Rules may, in particular,F106] include provision authorising an employment tribunal to have regard to a person’s ability to pay when considering the making of an award against him F107....

(1B)[F108 Procedure Rules may, in particular,F108] include provision for authorising an employment tribunal—

(a)to disallow all or part of the costs or expenses of a representative of a party to proceedings before it by reason of that representative’s conduct of the proceedings;

(b)to order a representative of a party to proceedings before it to meet all or part of the costs or expenses incurred by a party by reason of the representative’s conduct of the proceedings;

(c)to order a representative of a party to proceedings before it to meet all or part of any allowances payable by the Secretary of State under section 5(2)(c) or (3) by reason of the representative’s conduct of the proceedings.

(1C)[F109 Procedure Rules may, in particular,F109] include provision for taxing or otherwise settling the costs or expenses referred to in subsection (1)(a) or (1B)(b) (and, in particular in England and Wales, for enabling the amount of such costs to be assessed by way of detailed assessment in [F110 the county courtF110] ).F105]

(2)M9In relation to proceedings under section 111 of the Employment Rights Act 1996—

(a)F111where the employee has expressed a wish to be reinstated or re-engaged which has been communicated to the employer at least seven days before the hearing of the complaint, ...

F112(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F111[F113 Procedure Rules mustF113] include provision for requiring the employer to pay the costs or expenses of any postponement or adjournment of the hearing caused by his failure, without a special reason, to adduce reasonable evidence as to the availability of the job from which the complainant was dismissed ... or of comparable or suitable employment.

[F114 (3)[F115 If Procedure Rules make provision of the kind mentioned in subsection (1)(a), Procedure Rules must alsoF115] include provision for requiring an employment tribunal, in any proceedings in which a late postponement application has been granted, to consider whether to make an award against the party who made the application in respect of any costs or expenses connected with the postponement, except in circumstances specified in the [F116 RulesF116] .

(4)For the purposes of subsection (3)—

(a)a late postponement application is an application for the postponement of a hearing in the proceedings which is made after a time determined in accordance with [F117 Procedure RulesF117] (whether before or after the hearing has begun), and

(b) “postponement” includes adjournment. F114]

Definitions used in section 13 5

Procedure Rules

“Procedure Rules” is to be read in accordance with section 37QA(2), and—

(a)

in Part 1, means Procedure Rules in respect of employment tribunals;

(b)

in Part 2, means Procedure Rules in respect of the Appeal Tribunal,

Defined in s.42(1) · see it in the full Act
employment

“employment” means employment under a contract of employment and “employed” shall be construed accordingly,

Defined in s.42(1) · see it in the full Act
representative

“representative” shall be construed in accordance with section 6(1) (in Part 1) or section 29(1) (in Part 2) ,

Defined in s.42(1) · see it in the full Act
employee

“employee” means an individual who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, worked under) a contract of employment,

Defined in s.42(1) · see it in the full Act
employer

“employer”, in relation to an employee, means the person by whom the employee is (or, where the employment has ceased, was) employed,

Defined in s.42(1) · see it in the full Act

Cases considering section 13 3

Secretary of State for the Home Department, R (on the application of) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission

[2025] EWHC 2019 (Admin) · 31 July 2025

Provides an example of express primary legislation conferring costs-related rule-making or jurisdictional powers on a tribunal. It supports the inference that a costs power for SIAC would require clear legislative language (see para [46]).

S Fox v South Essex Academy Trust

[2024] EAT 199 · 20 December 2024

The Tribunal’s costs jurisdiction under this section formed part of the proceedings and supported characterising the costs application as part of a claim. (see para [57])

1 more judgment, and what each says about section 13, are in the case-law panel in the full Act.

Amendments and notes

15 notes from legislation.gov.uk

Amendments

  1. F104S. 13(1) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(2); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  2. F105S. 13(1)-(1C) substituted (9.7.2004) for s. 13(1) by 2002 c. 22, ss. 22(1), 55(2); S.I. 2004/1717, art. 2(1)
  3. F106Words in s. 13(1A) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(3)(a); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  4. F107Words in s. 13(1A) omitted (25.4.2024) by virtue of Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(3)(b); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  5. F108Words in s. 13(1B) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(4); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  6. F109Words in s. 13(1C) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(5); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  7. F110Words in s. 13(1C) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 52; S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)
  8. F111Words in s. 13(2)(a)(c) repealed (15.12.1999) by 1999 c. 26, ss. 9, 44, Sch. 4 Pt. III para. 4(a), Sch. 9(2); S.I. 1999/2830, art. 2, Sch. 1 Pt. II, Sch. 2 Pt. II
  9. F112S. 13(2)(b) repealed (15.12.1999) by 1999 c. 26, ss. 9, 44, Sch. 4 Pt. III para. 4, Sch. 9(2); S.I. 1999/2830, art. 2, Sch. 1 Pt. II, Sch. 2 Pt. II
  10. F113Words in s. 13(2) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(6); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  11. F114S. 13(3)(4) inserted (26.3.2015) by Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (c. 26), ss. 151(3), 164(2)(d)
  12. F115Words in s. 13(3) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(7)(a); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  13. F116Word in s. 13(3) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(7)(b); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)
  14. F117Words in s. 13(4)(a) substituted (25.4.2024) by Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35), s. 51(4), Sch. 5 para. 11(8); S.I. 2024/568, reg. 2(b)(ii)

Marginal citations

  1. M91996 c. 18.