Request for a salary increase, Rachel Moreau, Fielding Outdoor Co
Letter asking for a raise, number first and results attached
A letter asking for a raise leads with the number and backs it with results the manager can check. This one page letter from a marketing manager asks to move from $92,000 to $104,000 at the January review, shows three results with their sources and places the figure inside a market range.
The document, page by page
Every page as it renders and as it prints, with nothing summarised. Read the wording before you reuse it.
Section by section
What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.
- Underline letterhead
- The employee's name, role and work email.
- Addressee and subject
- The managing director and the request from 1 January.
- The ask
- Current and requested salary and the review date in the first two sentences.
- Results table
- Three results with figures and where each can be checked.
- The market
- A published range for the role and where the ask sits in it.
- Meeting request and sign off
- Commitment to the role, a meeting before the review and her name.
Finding a defensible market figure
A market figure persuades only if the reader trusts its source. National statistics offices publish earnings data by occupation and industry; in some countries the data also breaks down by region and by percentile, which lets you quote the middle half of the range rather than an average distorted by outliers. Recruitment firms publish salary guides by role and city, which are more current but less rigorous. Use the closest match to your actual job, not your title, and say plainly where the figure comes from. If the range is wide, place your ask by reference to something concrete, such as managing staff.
Results, figures and sources
Each result should pass three tests: it matters to the business, it has a number, and the manager can check it. Revenue influenced, costs reduced, time saved, errors cut, customers retained and people managed all qualify. Effort, hours worked and loyalty do not, however true. List three at most and put the source beside each, as in this letter. If a result was a team effort, say what your part was rather than claiming the whole figure.
How to adapt this document
Put your current and requested salary in the first sentence, then replace the table with three results from your own data and where each can be checked. Find a market range for your role and region and quote it honestly. Tie the timing to your employer's review or budget cycle. Keep the closing short and positive, and ask for a meeting rather than a written answer. If your employer has no review cycle, ask for the increase from a specific date two to three months away.
What makes this document work
The number is in the first sentence
$92,000 to $104,000 from the 1 January review is the first thing the managing director reads. A request that opens with the figure is easy to take to a budget conversation; one that builds up to it reads as nervous and invites a smaller counter.
Every result names where it comes from
Email revenue up 34 percent from the shop dashboard, cost per lead down from $48 to $31 from the ads account, and two reports added in March and July. A manager can check each one in a minute, which is the point of the third column.
The ask sits low in a stated range
Placing $104,000 in the lower half of a $98,000 to $126,000 range, for a role that now manages two people, makes the request look modest. Timing it to the January review and asking to meet in November gives the employer room to plan.
Questions people ask
How much of a raise should I ask for?
Ask for a specific figure you can justify with results and market data, usually somewhere inside the published range for your role and region. A larger rise is easier to support when your role has grown, for example by adding direct reports. Avoid asking for a percentage; a dollar figure is clearer and makes the conversation about the job rather than inflation.
Should I ask for a raise in a letter or in person?
Both work best together. A letter lets you set out the number and evidence clearly, and gives your manager something to forward to whoever approves budgets. Ask for a meeting in the same letter, as here, so the conversation happens face to face. Sending the letter a few days before the meeting gives the manager time to check the figures.
What if my request is declined?
Ask what would need to change for a yes and when it could be reviewed again, and get that in writing. Consider asking for something other than base pay, such as a title, training budget or a review in six months. Do not threaten to leave unless you are prepared to, and keep the results table updated for next time.
When is the best time to ask for a raise?
A month or two before the annual review or budget round, after a measurable success, and when the business is doing well. Asking just after the budget is set is the hardest time. This letter goes out in late October for a January review, which leaves time for approval.
Where do I find a market salary range?
National statistics offices publish earnings by occupation and sometimes region, and recruitment firms publish annual salary guides. Use a source that matches your role and location, quote the range rather than the top figure, and say where it comes from. Pair it with your own results, because market data alone does not explain why you in particular should be paid more.
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