The two Codes of Practice noted above, issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, came into effect on 6th April 2011.

According to the EHRC,

"The main purpose of the Codes of Practice is to provide detailed explanations of the provisions in the Act and to apply legal concepts in the [Equality Act 2010] to everyday situations. This will assist courts and tribunals when interpreting the law and help lawyers, advisers, trades union representatives, human resources departments and others who need to apply the law. As with the Act, the Codes apply to England, Scotland and Wales"

The codes do not of themselves impose legal obligations and are not an authoritative statement of anti-discrimination (equality) law - only the tribunals and the courts can provide such authority. However, the Codes can be used in evidence in legal proceedings brought under the Equality Act 2010 and tribunals and courts must take them into account where relevant to any questions arising in proceedings.

In addition to the Codes of Practice, which are formal documents, the EHRC also produces less formal, EHRC non-statutory Equality Act 2010 guidance, "designed to be a first port of call for everyone who has an interest in equality".

See generally notes at Codes of Practice and/or Equality Act 2010 and/or Equality Act 2010/0 cross references from previous law .