In employment law, an order that one party to a claim should pay part or all of the costs involved in the preparation time of a party who has not been legally represented at the hearing or at the point at which the case has been determined. Preparation time means time spent by the party or their employees carrying out preparatory work directly related to the proceedings, and time spent by the party's advisers relating to the conduct of the proceedings. It does not include any time actually spent at a hearing.

For more information, see Practice note, Employment tribunals (16): costs: Preparation time orders.