eeoc.gov

You can start a discrimination charge through the EEOC website by going to the "Employees & Applicants" section and selecting "How to file a charge of employment discrimination." That page is the official starting point for workers and job seekers. From there you can also find your nearest EEOC office and read about your rights and responsibilities under equal employment opportunity law. The site is a federal government resource, so it is free to use and does not require a paid account to access the information.

What the EEOC website is for

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. Its site, eeoc.gov, serves two main audiences:

• Employees and applicants — people who believe they were treated unfairly at work or during hiring.
• Employers and federal agencies — organizations that need to follow EEO rules.

For an individual worker, the most useful parts are the filing path, the office locator, and the plain-language explanations of your rights.

Step-by-step: filing a charge

1. Go to the "Employees & Applicants" area. The homepage groups resources by audience. Choose the employee/applicant option.
2. Select "How to file a charge of employment discrimination." This is the entry point for starting a charge. Read the page carefully before you act.
3. Find an EEOC office. Use the "Find an EEOC office" link to locate the office that covers where you work or where the discrimination happened.
4. Review your rights and responsibilities. The site explains what EEO law covers so you can judge whether your situation fits.
5. Follow the filing instructions on the charge page. The page tells you what information to prepare and how the process works.

Expected result: You end up with a clear understanding of whether you have a charge to file, which office handles it, and what the next step is.

What you can check before filing

The site also has a dedicated page on DEI-related discrimination, which covers employment actions motivated in whole or in part by race, sex, or another protected characteristic. If your concern relates to a diversity, equity, and inclusion program, that page is worth reading first.

Common sticking points

• Deadlines matter. Discrimination charges generally have a time limit. Check the filing page for the current rule rather than assuming you can file anytime.
• Pick the right office. A charge goes to the office covering your workplace, not necessarily the one closest to your home.
• Federal employees follow a different path. If you work for a federal agency, the site directs you to file a complaint against the agency instead of a standard charge, and you can request a hearing or an appeal through separate links.
• The site explains, it does not decide for you. It gives you the process and the rules; whether you have a valid claim depends on your facts.

If you are an employer or small business

The same site has a parallel section for employers and small businesses: help and resources, training and technical assistance, EEO surveys, and downloadable publications. Use it to understand your obligations rather than to file a charge.

Bottom line

For an employee or job applicant, eeoc.gov is the official, no-cost place to learn your rights, find your local office, and begin the charge-filing process. Start with "How to file a charge of employment discrimination," confirm your deadline, and locate the office that covers your workplace before you submit anything.

Employers and small business owners can find EEOC compliance help and training directly on eeoc.gov through the Employers / Small Business section of the homepage. That section links to small business resources, training and technical assistance, EEO surveys, downloadable publications, and guidance on employers' rights and responsibilities under equal employment opportunity law. The site also publishes news releases about EEOC settlements and lawsuits, which show how compliance failures translate into real payouts.

What the Employers / Small Business Section Offers

The homepage's "What can we help you find?" area groups resources by audience. For employers, the relevant entry is Employers / Small Business, which points to:

• Find help and resources for small businesses — entry point for compliance guidance aimed at smaller employers
• Get training and technical assistance — EEOC training and assistance offerings
• Complete an EEO survey — the EEO survey component employers may be asked to complete
• Download publications — EEOC publications available for download
• Learn about employers' rights and responsibilities under EEO law — the legal framework employers are held to

Each item is a navigation link on the site, so the practical step is to open the Employers / Small Business section and choose the resource matching your need: guidance, training, survey, or publications.

How to Use the Site to Reduce Compliance Risk

The site is not only a resource library; it also shows enforcement outcomes. The "Latest News" area lists recent EEOC actions, including settlements and lawsuits. Examples from the page evidence include:

Reading these alongside the employer resources helps you connect specific policies — harassment prevention, retaliation, religious and disability accommodation — to the consequences of getting them wrong.

What Else on the Site Is Relevant to Employers

Beyond the employer section, the homepage highlights:

• DEI-Related Discrimination resources, which the EEOC describes as helping employers and employees understand and report DEI-related employment discrimination, including actions motivated in whole or in part by race, sex, or another protected characteristic
• What You Should Know articles, including guidance on the Commission's authority to commence or intervene in litigation and on DEI-related discrimination at work
• Federal Agencies resources, relevant if you work with or as a federal employer
• About EEOC, including Commission meetings, legal resources, and budget and performance statistics

Practical Steps for an Employer

1. Go to eeoc.gov and locate the Employers / Small Business section.
2. Pick the resource that matches your task — small business help, training and technical assistance, EEO survey, or publications.
3. Review the employers' rights and responsibilities material to confirm which EEO obligations apply to your workplace.
4. Check the Newsroom for recent EEOC actions in your industry to see how the agency applies the law.
5. Use the DEI-Related Discrimination resources if you need clarity on how DEI-related practices intersect with EEO law.

Common Questions

Is there a dedicated small business track? Yes — the site lists "Find help and resources for small businesses" as a distinct entry under Employers / Small Business.

Can I get training through the site? The site links to "Get training and technical assistance," which is the starting point for EEOC training offerings.

Where do I find official publications? Use the "Download publications" link in the same section.

How do I know what the EEOC is currently enforcing? The Newsroom and "Latest News" area list recent settlements and lawsuits, with dollar amounts and the discrimination issues involved.

The site does not state pricing for training or other services in the material available, so treat cost and access terms as something to confirm through the linked resources rather than assuming they are free.

Federal employees and applicants do not file a standard "charge" the way private-sector workers do. Instead, they use the federal-sector EEO process, and eeoc.gov's Federal Agencies section is the entry point for three distinct actions: filing a complaint of employment discrimination against a federal agency, requesting a hearing with an administrative judge, and requesting an appeal with the EEOC. The site also points you to information about EEO law in the Federal Government. If you work for a private employer, a state or local government, or a union, this federal-sector path does not apply to you — use the "Employees & Applicants" route to file a charge instead.

Who this process is for

The Federal Agencies section is aimed at:

• Federal employees who believe they experienced discrimination at a federal agency
• Applicants for federal jobs who believe the hiring process treated them unlawfully
• Former federal employees within the applicable time limits

The EEOC describes this section as covering how to file a complaint of employment discrimination against a federal agency, how to request a hearing with an administrative judge, and how to request an appeal with EEOC.

The three actions available on eeoc.gov

The site separates the federal-sector process into three tasks. They are not interchangeable — they happen at different stages.

A key structural point: the first filing generally goes to your own agency's EEO office, not to the EEOC directly. The EEOC's role as adjudicator (hearings and appeals) typically comes later. The eeoc.gov Federal Agencies page is where you learn the rules and find the mechanisms for the hearing and appeal stages.

Step-by-step: how the federal-sector process works

Step 1 — Confirm you are in the federal sector

If you are a federal employee or applicant, use the Federal Agencies path. If you are not, use the private-sector charge process under "Employees & Applicants."

Step 2 — File your complaint with your agency

The EEOC site directs federal employees to "How to file a complaint of employment discrimination against a federal agency." This is the initial complaint, and it is handled through your agency's EEO process. Consult the EEOC's stated time limits carefully — federal-sector deadlines are strict and generally shorter than many people expect.

Step 3 — Request a hearing with an administrative judge

If your case reaches the point where a hearing is available, the site provides the route to "Request a hearing with an administrative judge." An EEOC administrative judge then handles the adjudication of your complaint.

Step 4 — Request an appeal with EEOC

If you need EEOC's Office of Federal Operations to review an agency decision, use "Request an appeal with EEOC." This is the appellate stage of the federal-sector process.

Step 5 — Learn the underlying law

The section also links to "Learn about EEO law in the Federal Government," which explains the legal framework your complaint rests on. Read this before drafting, because the law defines what counts as discrimination and what remedies exist.

What to verify before you start

• Deadlines. Federal-sector EEO deadlines are unforgiving. Confirm the exact window for contacting an EEO counselor and for filing your formal complaint before you do anything else.
• Which stage you are in. Filing a complaint, requesting a hearing, and requesting an appeal are three different actions with three different triggers. Using the wrong one wastes time.
• Your agency's EEO office. The initial complaint goes through your agency, so identify that office first.

Common sticking points

• Assuming you file everything with EEOC. You generally do not. The first complaint goes to your agency; EEOC handles hearings and appeals.
• Missing the counselor stage. Many federal-sector cases require EEO counseling before a formal complaint. Skipping it can end your case.
• Confusing federal-sector and private-sector rules. The processes, deadlines, and forums differ. The eeoc.gov homepage separates them for a reason — pick the one that matches your employment situation.

Where to go on eeoc.gov

Start at the Federal Agencies block on the homepage. From there:

• How to file a complaint of employment discrimination against a federal agency — the initial step
• Request a hearing with an administrative judge — the hearing stage
• Request an appeal with EEOC — the appellate stage
• Learn about EEO law in the Federal Government — the legal background

If you are an employer or small business rather than a federal employee, the "Employers / Small Business" block is your section instead, covering help and resources, training and technical assistance, EEO surveys, and publications.

The EEOC homepage (eeoc.gov) highlights three main categories of current information: recent litigation and settlement outcomes with dollar amounts, policy explainers on topics like DEI-related discrimination and Title VII enforcement, and program announcements such as the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. If you want to know what the agency is actively pursuing or what kinds of discrimination claims are resulting in recoveries, the homepage's "Latest News" and "What You Should Know" sections are the fastest entry points.

Latest News: Recent Settlements and Litigation Outcomes

The homepage's Latest News section lists recent EEOC enforcement results. Based on the page evidence, these include:

These entries show the types of claims currently producing resolutions: sexual harassment, retaliation, religious discrimination, disability discrimination, and sex discrimination. The dollar amounts range from $150,000 to $2.8 million in the listed cases.

The page also references a record-breaking recovery figure for FY25, though the excerpt does not specify the total amount.

What You Should Know: Policy Topics and Guidance

The "What You Should Know" section covers policy explainers and agency positions. From the page evidence, these include:

• DEI-Related Discrimination at Work — EEOC resources explaining that DEI-related employment discrimination can include an employment action motivated (in whole or in part) by race, sex, or another protected characteristic.
• Columbia University settlement — A $21 million EEOC settlement with payout beginning, framed as something workers should understand.
• Commission's authority to commence or intervene in litigation — A statement explaining when the EEOC can file or join lawsuits.
• Ames Supreme Court ruling — A statement from EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas on the unanimous ruling, described as restoring evenhanded application of Title VII.
• Anti-American employment bias — A reporting channel highlighted on the homepage.

These topics signal the agency's current enforcement priorities: DEI-related claims, Title VII scope, and litigation authority.

Programs and Resources for Different Audiences

The homepage organizes its "What can we help you find?" section by audience:

• Employees & Applicants — How to file a charge of employment discrimination, find an EEOC office, and learn about rights under EEO law.
• Employers / Small Business — Help and resources for small businesses, training and technical assistance, EEO surveys, and publications.
• Federal Agencies — How to file a complaint against a federal agency, request a hearing with an administrative judge, request an appeal, and learn about EEO law in the federal government.
• About EEOC — Information on the Commission, Commissioners and General Counsel, meetings, legal resources, and budget/performance statistics.

The page also highlights the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, with commemoration replays, public service announcements, a fact sheet, and an art contest, as well as Tribal Programs.

How to Use This Information

If you are checking whether your situation matches current EEOC enforcement activity, start with the Latest News section to see recent case types and outcomes. If you want to understand a policy position—such as how the EEOC treats DEI-related discrimination or when it intervenes in litigation—the "What You Should Know" articles provide the agency's stated interpretation. For filing or compliance steps, use the audience-specific links under "What can we help you find?" rather than the news section.

eeoc.gov is the official website of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces laws against employment discrimination. It is useful if you are an employee or job applicant who believes you were discriminated against, an employer looking for compliance help, or a federal employee or agency handling an EEO complaint. The site is organized around four audiences and provides both information and filing entry points.

Who the site is for

The homepage groups its main navigation into four paths:

• Employees & Applicants — how to file a charge of employment discrimination, find an EEOC office, and learn about rights and responsibilities under EEO law.
• Employers / Small Business — help and resources for small businesses, training and technical assistance, an EEO survey, downloadable publications, and employer rights and responsibilities.
• Federal Agencies — how to file a complaint against a federal agency, request a hearing with an administrative judge, request an appeal with EEOC, and learn about EEO law in the federal government.
• About EEOC — information on the Commission, the Commissioners and General Counsel, Commission meetings, legal resources, and budget and performance statistics.

If your situation does not fit one of these paths, the site likely will not answer your question directly.

What you can actually do there

The site serves two broad purposes: learning and filing.

Learn: The "What You Should Know" section explains specific topics, such as DEI-related discrimination at work, the Commission's authority to commence or intervene in litigation, and notable settlements. The EEOC Programs & Information section covers areas like the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and Tribal Programs.

File or request: Employees and applicants can start a charge of employment discrimination and locate an EEOC office. Federal employees can file a complaint, request a hearing, or request an appeal. Employers can complete an EEO survey and download publications.

What the news section tells you

The Latest News area links to the Newsroom and lists recent enforcement outcomes, which are useful for seeing what kinds of cases the agency pursues and typical monetary ranges. Examples from the page include:

The page also references a Columbia University $21 million EEOC settlement payout and a statement on the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Ames.

How to decide whether to use it

Use eeoc.gov if you need to understand your rights under EEO law, find the correct office, or start a formal complaint. Use it as a reference if you are an employer building compliance or training practices. Do not treat the site as legal advice for your specific situation — it provides procedures and general information, and deadlines and eligibility rules for filing are governed by the statutes the agency enforces.