jobfinalcheck

Letter · £9 or £19 with follow-up · England, Wales and Scotland

Grievance letter about your pay

Raise a formal grievance in writing about your pay or end-of-employment documents: your facts and dates, the sums concerned, what you ask for, and a request for a meeting, as the Acas Code describes.

This site does not give legal advice. You prepare your letter from your own answers: it sets out facts and calculated amounts, with no opinion on your situation.

What your grievance is about

Replaces “the calculation and payment of my final pay…”. Keep it factual.

The Acas Code says a grievance should go to a manager who is not the subject of it.
Your job
Where did you work?

Bank holidays and some time limits depend on it. Northern Ireland has its own rules: this site does not cover it yet.

Statutory redundancy pay and statutory notice are for employees. Not sure? Acas or Citizens Advice can help you check.

Have you signed a settlement agreement or an Acas agreement (COT3)?
Add the sums concerned, calculated from your answers?

Redundancy pay depends on your age in each year of service.

Notice

The day you received the notice, not the date written on the letter if it reached you later.

Leave empty if your contract says nothing: the statutory minimum applies.

As on your payslip, for the period chosen below.

Add up your last 12 weekly payslips, or the equivalent.

Check your holiday pay too?

From your contract. If it says nothing: the anniversary of your start date.

From 0.5 to 7.

In days for regular hours; in hours for irregular hours or part-year work.

Hours worked in each pay period of this leave year

Group periods with the same hours: for example 20 periods of 30 hours. Up to 4 groups.

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Leave out weeks with no pay; go back 104 weeks at most.

Have you received your final payslip?

Time limits for unpaid wages and holiday pay start on this date.

Use the gross figures from your payslip (before tax and National Insurance). Leave a line empty if it is not on your payslip.

For example: the redundancy policy of 1 March 2024, section 4.

As you read it in the document: it is not calculated here.

The period runs to your last day.

For example: October commission.

Facts only, for example: Clause 7.2 of my contract provides for a commission of 5% on sales invoiced before my last day.

What happened

Facts only: dates, amounts, who said what. Up to 5 facts; they are numbered in your letter.

For example: “My final payslip did not include any payment for the 4 days of holiday I had not taken.” 600 characters at most.

Earlier attempts to resolve it informally (optional)

What you are asking for
Needs the sums above.

For example: “I have a hearing impairment and would like the meeting to be held in a quiet room.”

You

As on your payslips.

As on your payslip or contract.

Your employer

Without a name, the letter starts “Dear Sir or Madam” and is addressed to Human Resources.

For example: HR Manager.

Needed to send your letter by email.

Date and sending

Today by default.

How you will send it

By email needs your employer's email address.

14 days by default, never fewer than 7. This is a choice of this service, not a legal rule.

Prepared in your browser: nothing you enter is sent.

Keep your answers

They stay in this browser, never on our servers. Do not tick this on a shared device. Answers from the calculators kept here are reused automatically.
Continue on another device: a file protected by a code

It encrypts the file. It is not stored anywhere: write it down.

Preview of your letter

Fill in the questions: the preview appears here, with your dates and amounts.

A grievance about pay, following the Acas Code

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures asks for a grievance to be raised in writing, to a manager who is not the subject of it (paragraph 32), followed by a meeting without unreasonable delay (paragraph 33), where you can be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative (paragraphs 35 and 36), and a written decision you can appeal (paragraphs 40 and 41).

This letter only covers pay and end-of-employment documents. It is not for discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, health and safety or the dismissal itself: for those, contact Acas (0300 123 1122) or Citizens Advice, or speak to a solicitor or your trade union.

Raising a grievance does not stop the tribunal time limit. Check your time limits (free).