Meet with your boss before writing the letter.
Asking for a raise is uncomfortable for everyone. However, so is living on a salary that is less than you need or deserve. If you think you deserve a salary raise at your place of employment, you can write a letter requesting improved compensation. However, always talk about the issue with your boss before sending the letter and be careful what you write, as coming off too demanding could cost you your raise and ultimately your job.
Before the Letter
Before you write a request letter for a salary increase, review your company's rules about promotions and raises. Some companies have specific rules about who can get a raise and when. Usually, raises are doled out after performance reviews or in conjunction with the start of a new fiscal year. Don't meet with your boss or write a letter requesting a raise if you cannot get one yet due to company policy. Talk with your boss about why you think you deserve a raise and ask him about other reward options if he can't give a raise due to budget problems or other issues. For example, you might ask for better working hours or a paid vacation. Write down what was said during the meeting so that you can reproduce it in your letter.
Format
A request for a salary increase is a formal business letter, so you should write it in a formal business format. There are a number of formal business formats, but one of the most common is the block format, in which everything is flush to the left. Begin your letter with your contact information, followed by the name and title of the recipient, her address and a salutation, usually something like "Dear Mrs. Smith." Write the body in short paragraphs aligned to the left, and end the letter with a formal closing, generally "Thank you" and your signature and printed name.
Content
Open the body of your letter by thanking your boss for meeting with you to discuss your salary increase. Follow with a brief description of why you think you deserve the increase. You may use a bulleted or numbered list for your accomplishments, but do not make it too long and stick to the accomplishments you and your manager discussed at your meeting. At the end of the letter, name the salary increase that you are requesting and that you and your boss discussed at your meeting.
After the Letter
Don't be afraid to follow up on your letter with a phone call or face-to-face meeting. However, let a sufficient amount of time pass before doing so. When you have your first meeting with your boss about a salary increase, ask her to give you a realistic time frame in which you might hear back about the raise or expect your salary to increase. If you hear nothing in that time frame, then schedule a meeting with your boss to follow up.
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