How to Ask for a Pay Rise in Writing (and Check You Are on the Award Rate)

To ask for a pay rise in Australia, put a short, polite request in writing to your manager or HR. Say what your role is and how long you have been in it, set out what you have achieved and taken on, name the increase you want (or ask for a review), and ask for a time to talk. A pay rise above your minimum rate is something you negotiate. Being paid below your award rate is different: that is money you are already owed, and you raise it as a pay problem, not as a favour.

Claim Done drafts a pay rise request letter from your answers for a flat A$29. You download it straight away and hand it over yourself.

First, work out which one you have: a rise or underpayment

Every employee in Australia is entitled to a minimum wage. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, for most employees that minimum is set by the award that covers their industry or job. If you are covered by an enterprise agreement, the agreement sets your minimum rates. If no award or agreement applies, the National Minimum Wage applies. As at November 2026, it is $26.44 an hour or $1,004.90 a week, from 1 July 2026. These are gross figures, before tax.

Your employment contract cannot take you below those minimums. The Ombudsman’s page on employment contracts says a contract can’t provide for less than the minimum entitlements in the award or the National Employment Standards. It also says to check your award or agreement even if you have a contract.

How to check if you are being paid the award rate

Do this before you write anything. It takes a few minutes and it changes what kind of letter you send.

1. Find your award. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s awards page has a 3-step form to find the award that covers you.
2. Find your classification. Awards have different pay rates for each classification level, and the Ombudsman’s pay guides list the current rates for each one.
3. Run the Pay and Conditions Tool. It calculates the minimum pay rates, penalties and allowances for your award.
4. Compare that with your pay slips, before tax.

If you are paid a salary, the Ombudsman’s page on annualised wages and salaries explains the rules. If no award or agreement applies, a salary must provide for at least the National Minimum Wage and the National Employment Standards. Where an award allows an annualised wage, it generally must not be less than what you would have earned under the award for the year. If it was less, you must be paid the difference.

Minimum rates also change. The Fair Work Commission reviews the National Minimum Wage and award rates each year, and most changes start from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. If your pay did not move after 1 July, check that you are still above the new minimum.

If you find you are under the minimum, a polite pay rise letter is the wrong tool. Treat it as a pay problem. Gather your records, raise it with your employer, and contact the Fair Work Ombudsman if it is not fixed.

What your pay rise letter should say

A request works best when it is short, specific and about your work. Include:

• Who it is to: your manager or HR, by name and title.
• Your role and how long you have been in it.
• What you have achieved: results, projects, savings, sales, or new skills. Use real examples you can back up.
• What you have taken on: extra duties, staff you now supervise, or work above your job description.
• Your ask: a figure, a percentage, a range, or a request for a salary review.
• Any market reasoning in your own words, such as what similar advertised roles offer. Only use figures you have checked.
• A request for a meeting to talk about it.
• A courteous close that thanks them and says you want to keep growing in the role.

The structure of a pay rise request letter

This is the order that reads well to a busy manager.

1. Opening

Your role, your time in it, and one sentence saying you are writing to ask for a review of your salary.

2. The case for the raise

Two or three short paragraphs on what you have delivered and taken on since your pay was last set. This is the heart of the letter.

3. Market or comparison basis (optional)

Your own research, stated as your understanding, not as a fact you cannot prove.

4. The specific request

The amount, percentage or range, or a request to discuss an appropriate increase.

5. Meeting and close

Ask for a time to talk, thank them, and sign with your name and the date.

Can you talk about pay with your colleagues?

Yes, with one exception. The Ombudsman’s pay secrecy page says employees have a workplace right to share, or not share, their pay and the conditions needed to work it out. You can also ask other employees about their pay, at your workplace or elsewhere, but nobody can be forced to tell you. Employers can’t take adverse action against you because you used, or did not use, these rights.

There is one exception. These rights do not apply if you signed your contract before 7 December 2022, it contains pay secrecy terms, and it has not been changed since that date. Pay secrecy terms in contracts made on or after 7 December 2022 have no effect.

How to send it and what to keep

• Email it to your manager, or hand it over and email a copy, so there is a dated record.
• Keep a copy of the letter and any reply.
• Keep your pay slips, your contract or letter of offer, and the award section for your role. The Fair Work Ombudsman lists these as the key information to gather before raising any problem at work.
• After any meeting, send a short follow-up email that sums up what was discussed, what was agreed and what happens next. The Ombudsman says this can be helpful once next steps are agreed.

What happens next, and what to do if the answer is no

Your employer may agree, offer less, offer a review at a set date, or say no. You can ask what you would need to achieve to be reconsidered, and when. Put that answer in your follow-up email.

If you get no reply, send a short, polite reminder. The Ombudsman’s guide to fixing a workplace problem says to give the other person enough time to respond and to stay polite and courteous.

Underpayment is different. If you are below your award or agreement rate, raise it with your employer first, in writing if talking has not fixed it. The Fair Work Ombudsman can help with minimum entitlements under the Fair Work Act, an award or an enterprise agreement. Its Infoline is 13 13 94.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for a favour when you are actually underpaid. Check the award first.
• Making it about your bills. Keep the case on your work and your value.
• Quoting a market or award figure you have not checked.
• Ultimatums or threats to quit.
• Leaving the number vague when you have a clear figure in mind.
• Not following up in writing after the meeting.

A clear letter gives your manager something to take into a pay review instead of a chat that is easy to put off. If you want it written for you, the Claim Done pay rise request letter is built from your role, your achievements and your ask, for A$29, ready to download.