U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
                A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
                A **lock** (
              A locked padlock
              ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive
                information only on official, secure websites.  Home
                    *U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission*

      search
      Menu
      Any of these words (optional)
Search

    close
            About EEOC
          
                        
  
    **About EEOC**
                        Overview
                                  The Commission and The General Counsel
                                  Commission Votes
                                  Meetings of the Commission
                                  EEOC History
                                  **News and Information**
                        Newsroom
                                  What You Should Know
                                  Legislative Affairs
                                  Publications
                                  Outreach and Education
                                  FOIA
              **Laws and Enforcement**
                        Laws, Regulations, Guidance and MOUs
                                  Discrimination by Type
                                  Mediation
                                  Litigation
                                  Systemic Enforcement
                                  Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations
              **Programs and Performance**
                        Budget and Performance
                                  Initiatives
                                  Interagency Programs
                                  State and Local Programs
                                  Task Forces
                                  Tribal Programs
              **Data and Analytics**
                        Overview
                                  Data Governance
                                  EEO Data Collections
                                  Data and Statistics
                                  Data Tools and Products
                                  No FEAR Act Data
                                  **Inside EEOC**
                        Careers
                                  Office for Civil Rights, Diversity and Inclusion
                                  Doing Business with EEOC
                                  Privacy
                                  Office of Inspector General
          
                                            
  
      
                  
                        Employees & Job Applicants
          
                        
  
    **Employees & Applicants**
                        Overview
                                  Coverage
                                  Timeliness
                                  Prohibited Practices
              **Filing a Charge of Discrimination**
                        Filing a Charge
                                  How to File
                                  After You File a Charge
                                  Confidentiality
                                  Mediation
                                  Remedies
                                  Existing Charges
                                  Filing a Lawsuit
              **Discrimination by Type**
                        Age
                                  Disability
                                  Equal Pay
                                  Genetic Information
                                  Harassment
                                  National Origin Discrimination
                                  Pregnancy Discrimination
                                  Race/Color Discrimination
                                  Religious Discrimination
                                  Retaliation
                                  Sex
                                  Sexual Harassment
                                  Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
          
                                  
  
      
                  
                        Employers / Small Business
          
                        
  
    **Employers / Small Business**
                        Overview
                                  Coverage
                                  After a Charge is Filed
                                  Resolving a Charge
                                  Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations
                                  Remedies
              **Small Business Resource Center**
                        Small Business Home
                                  Small Business Requirements
                                  Frequently Asked Questions
                                  Tips for Small Businesses
                                  Making an Employment Decision?
                                  EEOC Resources
                                  Small Business Assistance
                                  Small Business Fact Sheet
                                  Small Business Videos
                                  EEOC Glossary
                                  Contact Us
              **Discrimination by Type**
                        Age
                                  Disability
                                  Equal Pay
                                  Genetic Information
                                  Harassment
                                  National Origin
                                  Pregnancy
                                  Race/Color
                                  Religion
                                  Retaliation
                                  Sex
                                  Sexual Harassment
                                  Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
                                  Prohibited Practices
              Recordkeeping
                                  EEO Data Collections
                                  "Know Your Rights" Poster
                                  Training
                                  Other Employment Issues
          
                                            
  
      
                  
                        Federal Sector
          
                        
  
    **Federal Agencies**
                        Overview
                                  Federal EEO Coordination
                                  Federal Agency EEO Directors
                                  Laws, Regulations, Guidance & MOUs
                                  Management Directives & Federal Sector Guidance
                                  Federal Training & Outreach
                                  Resources
              **Federal Employees & Job Applicants**
                        Overview
                                  Federal Complaint Process
                                  Federal Sector Alternative Dispute Resolution
                                  Discrimination by Type
                                  Other Federal Protections
                                  Prohibited Practices
                                  Resources
          
                        
  
      
                  
                        Contact Us
          
                        
  
    Contact EEOC
                                  Find Your Nearest Office
                                  Office Operating Status
                                  Frequently Asked Questions

        
                  Languages
    English
              Español (Spanish)
                    Resources in Other Languages
                    عربي (Arabic)
              简体中文 (Chinese, Simplified)
              繁體中文 - Chinese (Traditional)
              Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole)
              한국어 (Korean)
              Русском (Russian)
              Tagalog (Tagalog)
              Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
              فارسی (Persian. Farsi)
              پښتو (Pashto)
          

  

  Breadcrumb
Home
  What You Can Expect After You File a Charge

                      
                        

          
          
                        What You Can Expect After You File a Charge
              


          
  **Note**: Federal employees and applicants for federal employment have a different complaint process.

Access Your Charge Information through the EEOC Public Portal

You can access your charge through the EEOC Public Portal once you have registered. If you submitted an online inquiry, you're already registered and can log in to the EEOC Public Portal as a "Returning User." If you have a charge that was filed after January 1, 2016, that is in investigation and you haven't registered in the EEOC Public Portal, you can register by:

Going to **https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/portal/**
	Select **My EEOC Cases**.
	Click **Sign-Up Now** under **New Users.**
	Enter your contact information and create a password.
		When you create your account, you'll be automatically logged into the Public Portal.
	Once you're logged-in, you'll be taken directly to your charge.EEOC's Public Portal allows you to:

Update your contact information - It's important that your contact information is current and accurate.
	Upload a letter of representation from your attorney if you have one
	Upload documents supporting your charge
	Request the Respondent's Position Statement if it submits one, and upload your response
	Check the status of your chargeWithin 10 days of the filing date of your charge, we will send a notice of the charge to the employer. In some cases, we will ask both you and the employer to take part in our mediation program.  If the laws the EEOC enforces do not apply to your claims or if your charge is untimely, or we decide that we probably will not be able to determine if the law was violated, we will close the investigation of your charge and notify you.

Mediation

If you and the employer agree to mediation, a mediator will try to help you both reach a voluntary settlement. Mediation allows you and the employer to talk about your concerns. Mediators don't decide who is right or wrong, but they are very good at suggesting ways to solve problems and disagreements.

Investigation

If the charge is not sent to mediation, or if mediation doesn't resolve the charge, we usually ask the employer to give us a written answer to your charge (called "Respondent's Position Statement"). You will receive an email once we receive the position statement and it is available for you to review. Log in to the Public Portal to obtain a copy of the position statement.

You may upload your response in the EEOC Public Portal. We ask that you provide a response within 30 days from the date you receive it. For more information, see EEOC Procedures for Respondent Position Statements. We may also ask the employer to answer questions we have about the claims in your charge.

How we investigate a charge depends on its facts and the kinds of information we need to gather. In some instances, we visit the employer to hold interviews and gather documents. In other instances, we interview witnesses and ask for documents. After we finish our investigation, we will let you and the employer know the result.

How long the investigation takes depends on many factors, including the amount of information that needs to be gathered and analyzed. On average, we take approximately 10 months to investigate a charge. We are often able to settle a charge faster through mediation (usually in less than 3 months). You can check the status of your charge by using EEOC's Online Charge Status System.

Adding to Your Charge

If new events take place after you file your charge that you believe are discriminatory, we can add these new events to your charge and investigate them. This is called "amending" a charge. In some cases, we may decide it is better for you to file a new charge of discrimination. If new events are added to your charge or a new charge is filed, we will send the new or amended charge to the employer and investigate the new events along with the rest. Keep in mind that the strict deadlines for filing a charge also apply when you want to amend a charge. The fact that you filed an earlier charge may not extend the deadline. For this reason, you should contact your investigator immediately if you think other discriminatory events have taken place.

Subpoena

If an employer refuses to cooperate with an EEOC investigation, EEOC can issue an administrative subpoena to obtain documents, testimony or gain access to facilities.

Requesting a Notice of Right to Sue

If you filed your charge under Title VII (discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin), or under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) based on disability, you must have a Notice of Right to Sue from EEOC before you can file a lawsuit in federal court. Generally, you must allow the EEOC 180 days to resolve your charge. Although, in some cases, the EEOC may agree to issue a Notice of Right to Sue before the 180 days.

If you filed your charge under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (discrimination based on age 40 and above), you do not need a Notice of Right to Sue from the EEOC. You may file a lawsuit in federal court 60 days after your charge was filed with the EEOC.

If you filed your charge under the Equal Pay Act (wage discrimination based on sex), you do not need a Notice of Right to Sue from the EEOC. You may file a lawsuit in federal court within two years from the day you received the last discriminatory paycheck.

Possible Action After Investigation Completed

If we aren't able to determine if the law may have been violated, we will send you a Notice of Right to Sue. This notice gives you the right to file a lawsuit in court. If we determine the law may have been violated, we will try to reach a voluntary settlement with the employer. If we cannot reach a settlement, your case will be referred to our legal staff (or the Department of Justice in certain cases), who will decide whether the agency should file a lawsuit. If we decide not to file a lawsuit, we will give you a Notice of Right to Sue.
      
              Translate this Page
    عربي (Arabic)简体中文 (Chinese, Simplified)繁體中文 - Chinese (Traditional)EnglishKreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole)한국어 (Korean)Русском (Russian)Español (Spanish)Tagalog (Tagalog)Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Enabled In-page NavigationReturn to top

  EEOC Logo, Image
            U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

          EEOC Headquarters
              131 M Street, NE
Washington, DC 205071-800-669-6820 (TTY)1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone)

        Questions?

Call 1-800-669-4000
For Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers:1-800-669-6820 (TTY)1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone)info@eeoc.govFind your nearest EEOC officeFrequently Asked Questions
          Connect With Us

  FOIA
      
    
                      Privacy Policy
      
    
                      Disclaimer
      
    
                      Accessibility
      
    
                      Office of Inspector General
      
    
                      Promoting Access to Voting
      
    
                      USA.gov