Settlement agreement help in Edinburgh

Free settlement calculator and introductions to independent employment solicitors for Edinburgh. We are a referral service, not a law firm. Your employer often pays legal fees in most cases when you instruct a solicitor.

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Independent SRA-regulated solicitors

Serving Edinburgh & surrounding areas

Same-Day Response Available

Employer Often Pays Solicitor Fees

Local map — Edinburgh

Approximate map for local context — we are a referral service, not a law firm.

Key facts — settlement agreements in Edinburgh

Your jurisdiction is Scotland. A settlement agreement here is governed by section 203 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and a claim you did not settle would be heard by the Employment Tribunals (Scotland).
Independent legal advice is required before you sign. The agreement does not bind you until a relevant independent adviser has advised you on its terms and effect — that is usually a solicitor, but a certified trade union official or advice centre worker also qualifies.
Free to you. Employers customarily contribute towards that adviser's fee — commonly around £500 plus VAT, sometimes higher — and the contribution is normally negotiated as part of the agreement. It is customary practice, not a legal obligation, so check what has been offered in writing.
Scotland is administered separately. The Employment Rights Act 1996 applies as it does in England and Wales, but Scottish employment tribunals have their own President and administration, and Acas early conciliation still applies before most claims.
Handled remotely. Independent solicitors we introduce act for employees across Edinburgh and the wider City of Edinburgh region by phone and email — no office visit needed in most cases.
We are not a law firm. This is a referral service; the adviser you instruct gives the legal advice.

Settlement agreements in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the four staffed Employment Tribunal hearing centres in Scotland, and the Employment Tribunals (Scotland) are administered separately from those in England and Wales. If a claim were ever lodged it would sit in that Scottish jurisdiction, under its own President.

The law on the agreement itself is the same. Under section 203 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, a settlement agreement is not binding on you until you have received advice from a relevant independent adviser on its terms and their effect on your ability to bring a tribunal claim. That adviser is usually a solicitor, though a certified trade union official or advice centre worker also qualifies.

Before you sign anything in Edinburgh

A settlement agreement in the financial and public sector employment that dominates the city often involves more than a termination payment: notice, bonus and commission treatment, restrictive covenants, and the wording of the reference you will be given. Those are the clauses that decide what your next job looks like, and they are the ones most often accepted unread.

The first £30,000 of a qualifying termination payment is generally exempt from income tax and National Insurance. Contractual pay — salary, notice, accrued holiday — remains taxable, and how the agreement labels each element affects what actually reaches you.

The Acas Code of Practice recommends you be given at least 10 calendar days to consider a proposed agreement. That is guidance rather than a statutory minimum, but a tribunal can take it into account.

Find out what your settlement is worth in Edinburgh

Our free calculator gives you an instant personalised estimate — based on your salary, service, and situation.

Settlement agreement advice near Edinburgh

The same law and the same tribunal apply across Scotland. See nearby areas below, or the full list of areas we cover.