How to Open a Case at CCMA Online

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You open a case at the CCMA online through the Commission’s own case referral platform on ccma.org.za: register a profile, complete the LRA Form 7.11 referral digitally, and submit it with proof that the other party has been served. The referral must reach the CCMA within 30 days of an unfair dismissal, or 90 days for most other disputes. This guide walks through each step, the documents you need, and the mistakes that get referrals rejected.

Opening the case is free for employees. What costs people their cases is not the platform, it is the deadline, the forum and the proof of service.

This article explains when the CCMA is the right forum, how the online referral works step by step, what happens after submission, and when to get an attorney involved.

First Check: Is the CCMA Even the Right Forum?

Not every workplace dispute belongs at the CCMA. If your sector is covered by a bargaining council, a motor industry, metal, chemical or public sector example, your dispute must be referred to that council instead. Referring to the CCMA by mistake does not pause your deadline, and a wrongly-placed referral is simply rejected.

The quick test: check whether your employer is registered with a bargaining council for your industry. If it is, use that council’s referral process. If it is not, the CCMA handles the dispute. Senior managers earning above the earnings threshold and members of the SANDF and intelligence services follow different routes altogether.

The Deadline Comes Before the Website

The online platform is fast, but it cannot save a referral that is already late. The clock runs as follows under section 191 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995:

Dispute type	Refer within	Counted from
Unfair dismissal	30 days	the date of dismissal
Unfair labour practice	90 days	the act or omission complained of
Unfair discrimination	6 months	the discriminatory act

Weekends and public holidays do not extend the 30-day window, although the last day falling on a weekend pushes expiry to the next working day. Condonation, asking the CCMA to accept a late referral, is possible but is an uphill application requiring a good explanation for the delay and prospects of success. Nobody should plan around it.

How to Open the Case Online, Step by Step

The CCMA’s online case referral platform covers the full referral: registration, the 7.11 form, document upload and confirmation.

1. Create your referral. On ccma.org.za, open the case referral section and register a profile with your identity and contact details. Employees and employers both use the same platform.
2. Complete LRA Form 7.11. This is the referral form for conciliation and con-arb. You will need your employer’s registered name and address, your employment dates, a short description of the dispute, and the relief you want.
3. State the dispute correctly. Unfair dismissal referrals must say why the dismissal is unfair, procedural, substantive or both. An unfair labour practice referral must identify which category it falls under, such as promotion, training or suspension.
4. Attach what you have. Upload the dismissal letter, disciplinary records or contract where they exist. Missing attachments do not block a referral, but they slow the first hearing down.
5. Submit and record the reference number. The platform issues a confirmation and reference once the referral is registered. If you do not receive a reference number, the referral did not go through, and you should walk it into the nearest CCMA office before the deadline instead.
6. Serve the other party. The online submission does not notify your employer for you. Deliver a copy of the 7.11 to the employer by fax, registered mail, courier or in person, keep the proof, and file that proof with the CCMA.
7. Wait for the set-down. The CCMA notifies both parties of the date, time and venue of the first hearing, usually a conciliation or con-arb session.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these before opening the online form; the session times out and incomplete referrals are the most common complaint about the platform:

• Your identity number and contact details, including a working email address
• The employer’s full registered name, address and contact person
• Employment dates: start, and for dismissals, the dismissal date
• Your salary and job title
• The dismissal letter or disciplinary documentation, if any
• A one-paragraph summary of what happened and what you are asking for

What Happens After the Referral

The first event is conciliation, a private, without-prejudice meeting with a commissioner trying to settle the dispute. Legal representation is not allowed at conciliation, so employees normally attend alone or with a union representative. Most disputes end here.

If conciliation fails, the commissioner issues a certificate of non-resolution, or, in dismissal matters enrolled for con-arb, the arbitration follows immediately or shortly after on the same set-down. For disputes that need a separate arbitration, you request it with LRA Form 7.13 within three months of the certificate. The commissioner’s arbitration award follows within 14 days of the hearing and is final and binding; an uncomplied award is made an order of the Labour Court.

What It Costs

The CCMA charges employees nothing to refer, conciliate or arbitrate a dispute. Employers pay filing fees for arbitrations in some circumstances. Your real costs are time off work for hearings, and attorney fees if you engage one, which firms typically quote per stage, referral, conciliation and arbitration, rather than as one fee. Ask for the staged fee structure in writing before signing anything.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Referring to the wrong forum. A bargaining council dispute referred to the CCMA is rejected, and the clock keeps running.
• Missing the 30-day window. Dismissal disputes expire fast; the referral, not the grievance, must be inside the deadline.
• No proof of service. A referral without proof that the employer received a copy is incomplete, and hearings cannot be set down properly.
• Vague dispute descriptions. “They treated me badly” cannot be conciliated. State what happened, when, and what you want.
• Using a company email and phone. Once dismissed, your work email dies; use personal contact details or you will never see the set-down notice.
• Relying on the reference number alone. A reference confirms the CCMA has the referral; it does not confirm the deadline was met or service done.

When to Involve an Attorney

Employees can run the referral themselves, and the CCMA is designed for that. An attorney earns their fee where the dismissal is complex, retrenchment or automatically unfair grounds, where condonation is needed for a late referral, or where arbitration will turn on evidence and cross-examination. Otrebski Attorneys handles CCMA referrals, conciliations and arbitrations from its Sandton office, serving employees and employers across Gauteng, and quotes CCMA work per stage in writing.

The CCMA Online Portal, Case Applications and Referrals

People search for the CCMA online process under several names, and they all lead to the same place. The CCMA online case application, the CCMA online referral and the CCMA portal referral are one thing: completing the referral form on the CCMA website so the Commission registers your dispute. The form is sometimes called the LRA 7.11 form or the referral of dispute, and it opens the case.

The CCMA online portal at ccma.org.za is where the referral happens after registration. A referral can also be lodged by email or by handing the form in at a CCMA office, but the online route gives you a reference number immediately and avoids queues. Whatever the route, the same 30-day deadline from the date of dismissal applies, and the employer must be served with a copy once the Commission has registered the case.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I open a case at the CCMA online?

Register on the case referral platform at ccma.org.za, complete the LRA Form 7.11 with your and the employer’s details, upload your documents and submit. Record the reference number the platform issues, then serve a copy of the referral on the employer and file proof of service with the CCMA.

How long do I have to refer a case to the CCMA?

Unfair dismissal disputes must be referred within 30 days of the dismissal, unfair labour practices within 90 days, and unfair discrimination within six months. Late referrals are only accepted if the CCMA grants condonation.

Does submitting online notify my employer?

No. The online referral registers the dispute with the CCMA only. You must separately deliver a copy of the 7.11 referral to the employer and keep proof, such as a fax slip, registered mail receipt or signed acknowledgement, and file that proof with the CCMA.

What if I do not receive a reference number after submitting?

Without a reference number the referral was not registered. Take the completed 7.11 form to the nearest CCMA office before your deadline expires so the referral is date-stamped and accepted.

How much does it cost to open a CCMA case?

Nothing for employees. Referral, conciliation and arbitration at the CCMA are free for workers; employers pay filing fees for certain arbitrations. Private attorney fees, if you use one, are separate and are usually quoted per stage.

Can I still go to the CCMA if my sector has a bargaining council?

No. If your employer falls under a bargaining council for your industry, the dispute must be referred to that council, not the CCMA. The deadlines are similar, so check which forum applies before counting your 30 days.

Facing a dismissal or workplace dispute? Otrebski Attorneys refers and runs CCMA matters from its Sandton office, for employees and employers across Gauteng. Call 060 500 3098 or Book an appointment.