Guide · updated November 2026
Forced to resign: when it counts as dismissal
If you resigned because your employer's conduct left you no real choice, the FWC can treat it as a dismissal at the employer's initiative.
Examples
- Told to resign or be sacked
- Pay or hours cut without agreement
- Serious bullying or harassment the employer didn't address
- Being demoted with a large pay cut
The 21-day deadline still runs from when your employment ended. Keep evidence of what led to your resignation.
Free help and official information: Fair Work Commission: unfair dismissal · Fair Work Commission: legal help and representation (including the free Workplace Advice Service) · Legal Aid NSW: termination of employment · Fair Work Ombudsman: ending employment
Check your deadline and your case, free
FairGo Work calculates your exact last day to lodge, checks your eligibility and case strength, then builds your Form F2 answers and prepares you for conciliation.
Check my deadline Build my claimMore: The 21-day deadline for unfair dismissal · Who can claim unfair dismissal? · Unfair dismissal or general protections? · How much compensation for unfair dismissal? · Conciliation: what to expect · Filling in Form F2 · The Small Business Fair Dismissal Code · Was it a genuine redundancy?