Pay Rise Request Letter

What is a salary increase letter in the UK?

A salary increase letter, also known as a pay rise request letter, is a formal letter sent by the employee to ask for the pay rise under the employment contract. The document can be used by full-time and part-time employees, or casual workers, to request an increase in the compensation.

This document helps employees across the UK to formally request review of their effective wage in a professional and compliant way in line with the ACAS guidance and the Employment Rights Act 1996.

A letter for pay rise request includes employment details, reasons for the request, and other important information.

When should employees request a pay rise?

UK employment laws do not limit the number of circumstances in which employees can request their employers to review the effective compensation. These reasons may involve personal, professional or both circumstances, including the following:

• promotion or new role that does not involve the increase of the compensation;
• failure to perform a mandatory annual increase/review of the salary;
• list of job duties and responsibilities has recently increased;
• temporary replacement of another colleague who is on sick or another type of paid leave.
• strong performance and great working achievements;
• employee’s financial hardship due to inflation and market changes;
• family circumstances have changed significantly (for example, birth of a kid, divorce, etc.).

This wage increase request letter is the first step towards an open and honest conversation with your employer regarding the possibilities for the pay rise.

This document cannot be used however to request change of compensation under the service contracts or contractor agreements.

Why use a professional pay rise request template?

Having a solid and well-written request for a pay rise letter​ template gives you the following benefits:

• a request written in a professional manner and language;
• a request with a clear structure and reasoning;
• a request template created by qualified UK solicitors;
• a letter template compliant with the Employment Rights Act 1996.

How to justify a pay rise request letter​?

When creating a template of the letter to request a pay rise, it is usually hard to know from where to start. It is not only about having solid reasoning for a salary increase but also about the ability to find correct justifications.

KPIs

Most UK employers choose to have various internal KPI metrics allowing them to evaluate employees on a regular basis. Your letter for pay rise request​ template should definitely reflect on how your working metrics match with what is required by the employer for this type of role.

Increased workload

As a result of internal organisational changes, some employees may experience an increased workload that is outside of their working duties. This situation may be caused by recent redundancies performed in the company, dismissal of certain employees, lack of organisation in distribution of working duties between employees, etc.

As a result, an employee’s salary may remain unchanged while the scope of working duties increases. The best way to address this is to provide clear examples of specific working duties that fall out of the previously agreed scope of work.

Years of Service

Some businesses value a lot employees that have worked for them for long periods of time. If this is your case, you can justify a pay increase by your loyalty and uninterrupted stay within the organisation for a long period of time. It is important to include the date of the start of employment relations, as well as the total duration of years of service.

How to write a letter requesting a pay rise​?

A professionally drafted letter to ask your employer about the pay rise must include the following information:

• Employee’s Details. This section includes the employee’s full name, residential address, job title, and contact details.
• Employment Details. Here the employee should briefly outline when their employment contact has started, the total duration of years of service, and a brief recap of their main duties and responsibilities.
• Justification. This is one of the most important parts of the letter, as the employee must clearly state reasons for the request. It is also advisable to provide one or two examples to support the given reasoning.
• Meeting. The employee can also suggest having a formal meeting with the employer to discuss further available opportunities for the pay rise.
• Date, sign and send. Once the letter is ready, it should be dated, signed and sent to the employer by post, by email or delivered in person.

How do I customise this pay rise request letter​ template?

To get a fully customisable letter template, follow a few easy steps below:

1. Click the “Create Document” button.
2. Answer simple questions in the form.
3. Select a template’s format – PDF or Word.
4. E-sign the letter online for free.
5. Make a payment.

The letter is ready for download right after the purchase. Once downloaded, you can immediately use it.