Grievance letter about your final pay: what to include, with an example

What is a grievance letter?

A grievance is a concern, problem or complaint that you raise with your employer. The Acas Code says that if it cannot be resolved informally, you should raise it formally, in writing, setting out what it is about. That letter is the grievance letter.

For final pay, typical subjects are:

• holiday pay missing or too low;
• notice pay not paid, or paid for too few weeks;
• a deduction from your last pay that you did not agree to;
• a payslip, P45 or written statement of your redundancy pay that never arrived.

Grievance or claim letter: which one?

Both are written to your employer, but they do different jobs.

	Grievance letter	Claim letter
Purpose	Starts your employer’s grievance procedure: a meeting, a decision, an appeal	Asks for a set amount by a set date
Best when	You are still employed, or the problem is more than a number	You have left and only money is in question
Statutory redundancy pay	Not the right tool on its own	A written claim within 6 months keeps your right ERA 1996, s.164(1)

You can still raise a grievance after you have left. But it is not settled how far the Acas Code applies once employment has ended, so for unpaid money a claim letter may be the more direct step. For redundancy pay, see the redundancy pay guide.

What the Acas Code expects

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures (2015) sets out the basic steps:

Step	What the Code says
Raise it	In writing, without unreasonable delay, to a manager who is not the subject of the grievance para. 32
Meeting	Your employer should hold a formal meeting without unreasonable delay para. 33
Companion	At a grievance meeting about a duty your employer owes you, such as your pay, you have a statutory right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative paras. 35–36
Decision	In writing, without unreasonable delay para. 40
Appeal	If you are not satisfied, you should appeal, in writing, giving your grounds para. 41

The Code does not cover grievances raised on behalf of two or more employees para. 47. It also does not apply to dismissals for redundancy themselves. Whether it covers a grievance about the amount of redundancy pay is not settled.

Why following the Code matters

For many claims, including unpaid wages and holiday pay, redundancy pay and breach of contract, a tribunal can increase or reduce an award by up to 25% if the employer or the employee unreasonably failed to follow the Code TULRCA 1992, s.207A and Sch. A2. Acas also says a tribunal judge will usually expect you to show that you tried to resolve the dispute yourself.

So a clear, written grievance is worth doing well. It is never a guarantee of any outcome.

What to put in your letter

Acas says to say what the grievance is about, to mention your evidence, and to say what you want your employer to do. It also says to be specific and realistic. In practice:

1. One opening sentence: “I am raising a formal grievance about…”
2. Your job and dates: job title, start date, and end date if you have left.
3. Informal attempts: when you raised it, how, with whom, and the result.
4. What happened: numbered facts, each with a date. Facts only: avoid words like “illegal” or “fraud”.
5. The sums: due, received and unpaid, with how each figure was worked out.
6. What you are asking for: for example, “Pay the sum of £466.19” or “Send me an itemised final payslip”.
7. Documents enclosed: payslips, contract extract, emails.
8. The meeting: ask for a date, say if you want to be accompanied and by whom, and mention any adjustment you need.

Example: a grievance about holiday pay

Here is one case, using the same figures as the holiday pay calculator.

• Leave year from 1 January 2026. Employment ended on 30 June 2026.
• Entitlement: 28 days. Taken: 10 days. Pay: £600 a week over 5 days, so £120 a day.
• The final pay, paid on 31 July 2026, included nothing for holiday.

The calculation WTR 1998, reg. 14: 28 × 181 ÷ 365 = 13.8849 days built up by 30 June. Less 10 days taken leaves 3.8849 days. At £120 a day, that is £466.19.

The core of the letter could read:

I am raising a formal grievance about the calculation and payment of my final pay, including my holiday pay.

What happened

1. 30 June 2026: my employment ended.
2. 31 July 2026: my final pay was paid. My final payslip shows no payment for holiday built up but not taken.

Sums concerned

Item	Due	Received	Unpaid
Holiday pay	£466.19	£0.00	£466.19

What I am asking for

• Pay the sum of £466.19.
• Send me an itemised payslip showing the payment.

I would like to explain my grievance at a meeting. Please let me know the date, time and place, and confirm that you have received this letter.

The guide on calculating holiday pay when you leave explains this method. For zero-hours and irregular hours, see rolled-up and zero-hours holiday pay, at 12.07%.

Does a grievance stop the time limit?

No. Acas says it plainly: if you raise the problem with your employer first, this does not change the time limits.

In the example above, the final pay was paid on 31 July 2026, before 1 October 2026. A claim about that payment is on the old 3-month rule: the last day to contact Acas is 30 October 2026, whatever stage the grievance has reached. For payments made on or after 1 October 2026, the limit is 6 months minus 1 day.

If the date is close, contact Acas at the same time as your grievance. Do not wait for the outcome or for an appeal. The tribunal time limits guide explains how to count.

What happens after you send it

• Your employer should acknowledge it and arrange a meeting.
• At the meeting, you explain the grievance. You can bring your companion.
• You get a written decision.
• If you disagree, you appeal in writing, giving your grounds. Wherever possible, the appeal should be dealt with by a manager who was not involved before para. 43.

If no meeting is arranged after a reasonable time, people often send a short reminder letter.

Free and paid options

• Acas publishes a free grievance letter template that you fill in yourself.
• On this site, the grievance letter is built from your answers: facts in date order, sums with their calculation, and your requests. It costs £9, or £19 with a dated reminder letter if no meeting is arranged, an appeal letter and reminders. You check, sign and send it yourself.

Next steps

1. Check the figures, free. The final pay checker compares what you were owed with what you received, line by line. The notice pay guide explains notice and PILON.
2. Raise it in writing. Prepare your grievance letter, or a final pay claim letter if you have left and only money is in question (each £9, or £19 with follow-up).
3. Next step. A free Acas preparation sheet lists what Acas will ask, and the early conciliation guide explains the steps. Acas, Citizens Advice, a trade union or a solicitor can also help you.