DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is not a government website and is not connected with GOV.UK, mygov.scot, nidirect, any courts and tribunals service or any other public body. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland or any other legal regulator, so no legal ombudsman or legal complaints body can consider complaints about it; its documents are not legal advice.
Letter before claim to an employer for unpaid wages or holiday pay (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English · for employees
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
10 questions · about 4 min
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For a worker in England, Wales or Scotland whose employer, or former employer, has not paid wages, final pay, overtime or holiday pay that is due: a letter before claim setting out what is owed and how it is worked out, the total, the unlawful-deductions rule in section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and 14 days to pay, naming the next steps — Acas early conciliation, which is free and online, then an employment tribunal claim. Sent first class and by email.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You left your job in England and your final wages never arrived.
- Your old employer refuses to pay you for the holiday you had built up.
- Your overtime has gone unpaid for months and you want to demand it in writing.
- You want to send a last letter to your employer in Wales or Scotland before contacting Acas.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Town or city
- Employee's postcode
- Date
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town on separate lines)
- Job title
- What is owed and how it is worked out (wages, overtime, holiday pay; dates or pay periods; hours and rates)
- Amount claimed
Common questions
- What is the time limit for an unpaid wages or holiday pay claim in Great Britain?
- For a deduction, or the last of a series of deductions, made on or after 1 October 2026, a tribunal claim must start within six months less one day; for earlier deductions the limit was three months less one day (Employment Rights Act 2025). Acas early conciliation must begin within the limit, and it extends it. A tribunal can generally go back no more than two years before the claim. A claim for the money as a contract debt in the civil courts has a longer limit: six years in England and Wales; in Scotland such a debt is extinguished after five years (Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s 6).
- Do I have to contact Acas before I claim in an employment tribunal?
- For most claims, yes. You notify Acas through its free online early conciliation form; a conciliator then contacts you and the employer to try to settle the matter, for a period of up to 12 weeks. If it does not settle, Acas issues a certificate whose number you need for the tribunal claim form. Early conciliation stops the time limit running while it lasts. This letter comes first and often settles the matter on its own.
- Can I report unpaid holiday pay or minimum wage instead of claiming myself?
- For the minimum wage, yes, free: HMRC investigates underpayment of the National Minimum Wage until that work moves to the Fair Work Agency, expected in April 2027, and can order the employer to pay the arrears with a penalty. Holiday pay and statutory sick pay are also to be enforced by the Fair Work Agency, set up on 7 April 2026, but its holiday pay enforcement is expected to start only in 2027; until then, unpaid holiday pay is your own claim. Reporting does not stop the tribunal time limit for that claim.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Claim to an employer for a statutory redundancy payment (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland made redundant after at least two years' continuous employment whose redundancy pay has not been paid: the written claim to the employer that section 164 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 asks for within six months, giving the dates, your figure if you have one, 14 days to pay and a request for the written calculation, then naming Acas early conciliation and the tribunal. GOV.UK's redundancy pay calculator is free. Sent first class and by email.
- Appeal against a dismissal or a disciplinary decision (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who has been dismissed, warned or demoted after a disciplinary process: a letter appealing within your employer's time limit, setting out your grounds and what you ask for, and requesting an appeal hearing before a manager not involved in the decision, with a companion, as the Acas Code expects. If you have been dismissed, it asks for the reasons in writing. Hand it in and email it.
- Appeal against a refused flexible working request (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland whose statutory request for flexible working has been turned down: a letter appealing against the decision, giving your grounds — a reason outside the eight the law allows, wrong facts, no real consultation — and any alternative you would accept, asking for an appeal meeting with a companion. The whole decision, appeal included, must be made within two months of the request unless you agree longer. Hand it in and email it.
- Formal grievance letter to your employer (Great Britain)
For a worker in England, Wales or Scotland with a problem at work that talking has not solved — treatment by a manager or colleague, workload, pay, bullying, a change imposed without agreement: a formal written grievance under the Acas Code of Practice, saying what happened and what you want, asking for a meeting without unreasonable delay and to bring a colleague or union representative. Acas's Code and guidance are free. Hand it in and email it.
- Request to an employer for payslips, P45, P60 or written statement (Great Britain)
For a worker in England, Wales or Scotland whose employer, or former employer, has not given them their papers: one letter asking for any of missing payslips (section 8 of the Employment Rights Act 1996), a P60 for a tax year, the P45 after leaving, and the written statement of employment particulars (section 1). Fill in only the lines you need; the others drop out. It gives 14 days and names the next steps: a tribunal reference, and telling HMRC. Sent first class and by email.
- Request for unpaid leave by agreement with your employer (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who needs time off beyond their holiday — a long trip, a family matter, study — and wants their employer's agreement: a letter asking for unpaid leave between two dates, with the return date, and asking the employer to confirm in writing your return to the same job and what happens to holiday, pension and benefits. There is no general right to unpaid leave; carer's leave, parental leave and time off for dependants are separate statutory rights. Hand it in and email it.