How to Write an Appeal Letter [FREE Templates – Samples]

An appeal letter is a written document you should submit when you feel like you have been treated unfairly in a professional environment.

The letter should be submitted to the relevant authority if you need a decision to be reconsidered. In most organizations, certain decisions are considered to be pending until they have been signed and documented. That means that a letter of appeal is intended to alter the outcome of a situation you consider unfair.

Consequently, the appeal letter gives you a platform to explain why you think the decision made was incorrect and propose a better solution. There are decisions that can prompt you to submit an appeal letter. Such decisions may include being fired based on biased circumstances, the employer denying you a promotion or a pay raise that you deserve, or being denied access to use certain resources at work.

Drafting a perfect appeal letter can be challenging and time-consuming. However, with an appeal letter template, you can create a professional letter with ease. You can access and use our letter of appeal templates below. Our templates will guide you and ensure that you have included all the relevant information in your letter. These templates can be customized to incorporate all the information you need to include.

The process of appealing a decision can be challenging and time-consuming. However, with a well-crafted, appealing letter, this process can be simplified.

Here are some tips to consider before writing your appeal letter:

Review the appeal process carefully

First, it is crucial to understand the company’s policies regarding complaints and other grievances before drafting an appeal letter. This will give you a clear idea of how complaints are dealt with within the organization. Note that understanding and adhering to the company’s appeal policies will make your appeal process much easier.

Know where to send the letter

Once you have a complete appeal letter, it is important to know to whom you are sending it; this will fasten the process of resolving your issue. Therefore, you should send the letter directly to the target recipient to avoid unnecessary delays. You can send the letter via email or via mail if you have the recipient’s address. It is important to ask an HR professional or an admissions office for the preferred delivery method before sending your appeal letter.

Choose a business letter format

An appeal letter is normally used in professional environments like workplaces. Therefore, it is considered an official document. Hence, you should use a formal business letter format when preparing an appeal letter. Regardless of how you are sending the letter, it should maintain its formality and professionalism.

Whether you are using a template or writing your letter of appeal from scratch, there are important steps that you should observe. Below are the steps to follow when writing an appeal letter if you wish to have a detailed and compelling document:

Address the letter appropriately

Start by addressing the letter appropriately. Ensure that you include the date, your details as a sender, and the recipient’s details. This will include the name, job title, and contact details such as email address, physical address, and phone number. After that, you must include a formal salutation since this is an official letter, such as Dear [Recipient’s name].

Explain what happened/the situation

Once the header section is done, proceed to write the introduction to your letter, which entails an explanation of what happened. You need to ensure that the recipient understands the entire situation if you want that decision to be overturned. Ensure that you include only facts that can be supported by evidence, such as screenshots, emails, violated company policies, or any other documents.

Also, if there is any mistake that you made that contributed to the situation, ensure that you mention it. Being truthful is very important in this section. In most cases, an appeal does not mean that you are entirely right. It is a chance to admit your mistakes, objectively explain the entire situation and plead for the decision to be overturned.

Ensure that you are not overly emotional and pragmatic but rather objective and present a strong character. You should not display any anger or irrational behavior even if you feel enraged about the decision that was made earlier.  

State why it is unfair

The next step is to highlight why you think the situation mentioned above is unfair and needs to be reviewed. Ensure that your tone is calm and confident and not overly emotional. You must include the exact reasons that make the decision unfair in a clear and objective manner. That means that it is important to have your list of reasons in mind before writing the letter.

Request to review your appeal

After providing your explanations and arguments, you can then proceed to request the recipient to review the decision. Ensure that you convince them that overturning their decision will not only be beneficial to you but will also be a positive win for them.

Outline your desired outcomes

Once that is clear, you should state or outline your desired outcomes. This is where you explain what you would like to happen next. You must use a calm and respectful tone. Although you need to be direct with the outcome you want and when you want it, ensure that your tone is not demanding. In some cases, the outcome you need might be an additional clause to a contract, a decision being overturned, or a condition to be considered before a decision is made.

Extend your gratitude

Ensure that the recipient feels valued by expressing your gratitude for the favor you are asking for. By showing your appreciation, you will make them feel special; since they will be taking their time to consider your appeal. Also, you can appreciate them for the decision to be made in advance. This increases your chances of getting a good outcome rather than your appeal being rejected.

Take note of any attached document

In case there are any relevant documents you have attached to support your appeal letter, ensure that you mention this in the letter. You must inform the recipient of the attachments you have included using a note. If you include a note, the recipient is more likely to open and review the attachments, which is beneficial for your appeal process.

End the letter appropriately

At this point, you should end your appeal letter appropriately. Ensure to mention that it might take time to resolve the matter. Thank them, once again, for their time and consideration. You can also remind them, in a respectful manner, that the issue is significant to you and you would appreciate being handled as soon as possible.

In addition, you should mention that you are available for further discussion. Proceed to conclude your letter by including a complimentary close and your signature.

Write a follow-up

In case there is no response within a week, you should write a follow-up letter or email to the recipient. You can also choose to make a follow-up phone call. However, ensure that you check the appeal guidelines to confirm if there is a timeline provided to show how long the response might take.  Keep in mind that the sooner you follow up, the better it is for your appeal. The follow-up does not have to be as formal as the appeal letter, but it should be direct, professional, and courteous.

In the follow-up, you can remind them of the issue and ask them if they got your letter of appeal. You can also offer to answer any questions they might have or clarify any issues in your letter. A follow-up not only informs the recipient that the issue is important to you but also acts as a polite way of reminding them about the appeal, especially if the recipient has a busy schedule.

Tip: It is advisable to write a short and brief letter of appeal if you want the recipient to read it. A short letter makes it easier for the recipient to read it instead of discarding it due to their busy schedule. Also, it increases the chances of you getting a favorable outcome since your letter will most likely be direct and straight to the point. A proper appeal letter should be three paragraphs long, where you describe the issue, make your appeal and suggest a solution.

Appeal Letter Samples

Below are two appeal letter samples that you can use as a guide when writing your letter of appeal:

When writing your appeal letter, there are great writing practices that you should keep in mind to create the perfect letter. The idea is to prepare a document that will ensure your issue gets resolved in a timely manner.

Below are the practices to uphold when writing an appeal letter:

Collect hard pieces of evidence

To make your appeal letter more compelling, it is crucial to collect and attach other documents that act as evidence for your claims. For instance, you can attach academic records to support your qualification claims. Providing hard evidence can make your appeal letter more effective.

Be prepared for questions

After submitting your letter of appeal, you can expect questions from the recipient. These questions are designed to make the recipient gauge the seriousness of the problems you are experiencing.

Grab the reader’s attention

Despite being a formal letter, it is necessary to keep things interesting; this is an effective way of ensuring the recipient will read your letter to the end. Therefore, it is necessary to grab and maintain the reader’s attention from the beginning. By doing this, the reader will understand your problem and be compelled to provide a suitable solution.

Be direct

It is necessary to use a direct tone when drafting an appeal letter. This prevents unnecessary misunderstandings and confusion. Therefore, being direct brings all the attention to the issue you are trying to highlight, which makes it easier for the reader to spot the problem and develop a working solution.

Have another party review it

It is important to have another person review your letter before submitting it. The second opinion of your letter makes it easy to identify and correct any spelling and grammar errors. Also, proofreading eliminates any overwhelming emotions you might have projected while writing the letter.

Be prepared to defend your case

An appeal letter is meant to help you point out a scenario where an unfair decision was made about you and that you would love for the decision to be reviewed. Therefore, you should be ready to provide an in-depth explanation of why you deem the judgment made unjust. If possible, you can defend your claims by providing evidence.

Use a polite tone

Note that an appeal letter is a formal document. Therefore, you should use a professional and polite tone when preparing it. You should avoid sounding upset in your letter. Instead, you should be persuasive and confident. Therefore, the letter should uphold the utmost professionalism.  

Stick to the facts

It is crucial to incorporate facts in your letter. These facts provide the needed details to make your case more concrete. Therefore, you can quote the organization’s policies that were neglected when the unfair decision was being made.