File an Official Complaint

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, and other characteristics. This list focuses on the EEOC, but you may also file discrimination complaints with state governments.

What are the benefits?

  • The EEOC may provide access to free mediation services to help resolve the issue.

  • If you plan to file a lawsuit under federal law alleging race discrimination, you first have to file a charge with the EEOC.

  • If you prevail, you may be eligible for financial compensation and the employer will be required to stop any discriminatory practices and take steps to prevent discrimination in the future.

What are the potential risks?

  • EEOC complaints are not anonymous and the person or company you complain about will know that you are the one who filed the charge.

  • Once you report, the process & outcome may take many years to resolve.

What else should I know?

  • You have 180 days from the discriminatory act to file an EEOC complaint.

  • The agency pursues only a small fraction of the charges it receives.

  • Companies must have at least 15 employees to be covered by anti-discrimination laws.

  • Even if an employer is not covered by the laws the EEOC enforces, they may still be covered by a state or local anti-discrimination law.

How can I prepare?

  • Gather the information you will be asked for when filing a charge:

    • Your personal information, including name, phone number and address.

    • The name, phone number, address and number of people employed by the employer you are filing against.

    • A short description of the specific action or behavior that was discriminatory, including the date(s) it occurred.

  • Gather any supporting documentation you have regarding the incident(s). Emails, texts, journal entries, or other documentation that can help prove your complaint.

How do I proceed when I'm ready?

What should I do afterward?

  • On average, it takes over nine months for the EEOC to investigate a charge. They may be able to resolve a charge faster through mediation (usually in less than three months after the charge is filed). You can check the status of your charge by using EEOC's Online Charge Status System.

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