Vento Guidelines
Judicial guidelines setting the range of compensation for injury to feelings in discrimination cases: lower band (less serious), middle band, and upper band (most serious). Updated periodically by the Presidents of the Employment Tribunals.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
The Vento bands, first set out in Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [2002], give employment tribunals a structured range within which to assess compensation for injury to feelings in discrimination claims. The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals for England & Wales and for Scotland reissue the bands each year, uprated for inflation, by presidential guidance and addenda.
The current addendum sets the figures for claims presented on or after 6 April 2026: a lower band of £1,300 to £12,600 for less serious cases, such as isolated or one-off acts of discrimination; a middle band of £12,600 to £37,700 for serious cases that do not merit an award in the upper band; and an upper band of £37,700 to £62,900 for the most serious cases, with the most exceptional cases capable of exceeding £62,900.
Related terms
Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.