Guide · updated November 2026

Filling in Form F2

What you'll need

• Your employer's legal name and ABN (check a payslip)
• Your start date and the date the dismissal took effect
• Your pay, and any award or enterprise agreement
• How and why you were dismissed
• Why it was harsh, unjust or unreasonable
• What you want: reinstatement or compensation

Explaining why it was unfair

Use the factors the FWC must consider:

• Was there a valid reason for the dismissal?
• Were you told the reason before the decision was made?
• Did you get a real chance to respond?
• Were you allowed a support person?
• If it was about performance, were you warned first?
• Was the process fair for the size of the business?

Keep it factual and calm. You can give more detail later. The application fee is A$92.70 (from 1 July 2026). You can apply for a waiver if paying it would cause you serious financial hardship.

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

More: 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 · The Small Business Fair Dismissal Code · Was it a genuine redundancy? · Forced to resign: when it counts as dismissal