{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-act-1996/section-120",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-act-1996/section-120.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1996/18",
  "legislation_title": "Employment Rights Act 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-act-1996",
  "path": "section/120",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "120",
  "heading": "Basic award: minimum in certain cases.",
  "text": "(1) The amount of the basic award (before any reduction under section 122) shall not be less than £9,157 where the reason (or, if more than one, the principal reason)—\n(a) in a redundancy case, for selecting the employee for dismissal, or\n(b) otherwise, for the dismissal,\nis one of those specified in section 100(1)(a) and (b), 101A(d), 102(1) or 103.\n(1A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(1B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(1C) Where an employee is regarded as unfairly dismissed by virtue of section 104F (blacklists) (whether or not the dismissal is unfair or regarded as unfair for any other reason), the amount of the basic award of compensation (before any reduction is made under section 122) shall not be less than £5,000.\n(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Sum in s. 120(1) substituted (6.4.2026) by The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/310), art. 1(2), Sch. (with art. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 120(1) substituted (1.10.1998) by S.I. 1998/1833, reg. 32(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 120(1A)(1B) omitted (6.4.2011) by virtue of The Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/1069), reg. 3(7) (with regs. 5-7, 9)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 120(1C) inserted (2.3.2010) by The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/493), reg. 12(6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 120(2) repealed (17.12.1999) by 1999 c. 26, ss. 36(1)(a)(3), 44, Sch. 9(10); S.I. 1999/3374, art. 2(b)(c), Sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 117-127A applied (with modifications) (2.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1548, reg. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 120(1): power to amend conferred (17.12.1999) by 1999 c. 26, s. 34(1)(b); S.I. 1999/3374, art. 2(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/120",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-05T03:34:50.937818+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}