Disciplinary or Dismissal Appeal Letter: How to Write It

By the eLitigant Editorial Team · Reviewed for current forms, fees & procedure · How we check our guides

Quick answer: If your employer has dismissed you or imposed a disciplinary sanction, you almost always have the right to appeal in writing. Under the ACAS Code of Practice, set out your grounds — unfair procedure, the evidence, or a sanction that’s too harsh — within the deadline in your outcome letter (often 5 working days).

An appeal is your chance to get the decision overturned internally — and a properly-argued appeal also strengthens your position if the matter later goes to an employment tribunal.

What is a disciplinary/dismissal appeal?

A formal request for your employer to reconsider a disciplinary outcome or dismissal, ideally at a hearing with someone not previously involved. The ACAS Code expects employers to allow appeals and follow a fair procedure.

Who needs it & when

Any employee given a warning, other sanction, or dismissed who believes the decision or process was unfair. Appeal promptly — within the time stated in your outcome letter.

Deadlines & key rules

Appeal within the deadline in your outcome letter (commonly 5 working days).
State your grounds clearly — procedural unfairness, the evidence, mitigation, or a disproportionate sanction.
You usually have the right to be accompanied at the appeal hearing.
Following the ACAS Code matters; unreasonable failure to do so can affect any later tribunal award.

How to do it — step by step

Read the outcome letter and note the appeal deadline and process.
Identify your grounds (procedure, evidence, sanction, new information).
Set them out clearly and ask for an appeal hearing, with the right to be accompanied.
Send it in time and keep a copy.

How Chris helps

Tell Chris what happened and Chris drafts your appeal letter to a high, professional standard — you check, sign and send. Not a law firm.

See it done — a dismissal appeal letter, drafted in minutes

A disciplinary/dismissal appeal, drafted to a high standard — Chris builds it from your facts in minutes. Scroll the sample below.

DRAFTED BY CHRIS · sampleSCROLL ↓

APPEAL AGAINST DISMISSAL

From: Rachel Owens · To: HR Manager, Sample Retail Ltd · Date: 22 June 2026

Dear Ms Hart, I am writing to appeal against the decision to dismiss me, notified in your letter dated 18 June 2026. I appeal on the following grounds:

1. Procedure. The disciplinary procedure was not followed fairly: I was not given the witness statements relied on in advance, and my request to be accompanied was initially refused.

2. Evidence. The decision was not supported by the evidence. The till discrepancy relied on was not investigated, and CCTV that would have assisted me was not reviewed.

3. Sanction. Dismissal was too severe given my six years of service, my clean record, and the absence of any prior warning.

I ask that the decision to dismiss be overturned. I request an appeal hearing and wish to be accompanied.

Yours sincerely, Rachel Owens

Illustrative sample with fictional names and details. Chris drafts yours from your own facts; you check, sign and send.

Draft your appeal →

Last reviewed: June 2026 · England & Wales · CIC No. 16566612 — not a law firm.