Challenge · Works anywhere
Challenging a decision
An organisation has decided something that concerns you, and the decision rests on a fact that is inaccurate or incomplete. This letter says what you contradict, on what basis, and what you are asking for.
This page gives the shape of a letter, the words that fit and the public references attached to it. It does not tell you what to do about a particular case, and it does not replace the opinion of a qualified professional. The blanks marked in the letter are for you to fill in.
When this letter fits
- A written decision has been notified to you and it rests on something false, missing or misread.
- A right, a benefit, an enrolment or a request has been refused on a ground that does not hold against the documents you hold.
- You want the organisation to look at it again, knowing the things it did not have.
When it does not fit
- The decision states a sum and it is only the amount you dispute: the letter challenging an amount goes straight to the point.
- No decision has been made and you are still waiting for a reply: that is a follow-up.
- What you dispute is something recorded about you, not a decision: the letter correcting an entry fits better.
The letter, in full
The passages that are marked are the blanks to fill in. Paragraphs carrying a condition are written only in the case stated: the workshop does that sorting, or you do it by hand.
your town, the date
Subject: Challenge to the decision of date of the decision
Reference: your file number
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am challenging decision you are challenging, made on date of the decision and received on date you received it.
The ground given is as follows: ground the organisation gave
That ground does not match the facts. what is inaccurate or incomplete
If “What you are asking for” is “A fresh look at the file”I am asking you to look at this file again in the light of the documents enclosed with this letter, and to notify me of your new decision in writing.
If “What you are asking for” is “Withdrawal of the decision”I am asking you to withdraw this decision, the ground for it not matching the documents enclosed with this letter, and to notify me of your decision in writing.
If “What you are asking for” is “The full reasons and the texts applied”I am asking you to send me in writing the full reasons for this decision and the texts it rests on, so that I can answer them point by point.
I should be grateful for a reply before date by which you expect a reply, and for a reminder of the routes and time limits for appealing against this decision.
This letter is being sent with proof of posting retained.
Yours faithfully,
your first name and surname
Enclosures
- A copy of the decision you are challenging, in full.
- Proof of the date you received it, if you have it.
- The documents contradicting the ground given, numbered and named in the letter.
The questions to answer
- The decision you are challenging
Name it as the organisation names it, and use its reference if it carries one.
Example: the refusal of cover, reference 2026-4471 - The date of the decision
The date written on the decision, not the date you read it. - The date you received it
It counts: many appeal deadlines run from receipt, not from signature. - The ground the organisation gave
Copy it out exactly as written, even if it is short. A ground can only be contradicted properly if it is quoted exactly.
Example: “Incomplete file: proof of address missing.” - What is inaccurate or incomplete
One fact per sentence, with its date and the document that shows it.
Example: The proof of address was lodged on 12 March, with the receipt enclosed with this letter. - What you are asking for
- A fresh look at the file: The organisation takes the decision again, taking the enclosed documents into account.
- Withdrawal of the decision: You are asking for the decision to be cancelled because the ground for it does not hold.
- The full reasons and the texts applied: You are asking to understand first, so as to challenge it afterwards on the right ground.
- The date by which you expect a reply
Allow a month after sending if the organisation is a public body, two to four weeks otherwise.
What to ask for, precisely
- The routes and time limits for appeal: an organisation that decides knows how to name them, and asking for them in writing fixes the date they run from.
- A written decision, including one that confirms the first: a spoken confirmation cannot be challenged.
- The texts applied, if they are not cited in the decision.
- The name of the department taking a fresh look, when it is not the one that decided.
The documents to attach
- A copy of the decision you are challenging, in full.
- Proof of the date you received it, if you have it.
- The documents contradicting the ground given, numbered and named in the letter.
The deadline
A month for a public body, two to four weeks for a private organisation. Watch out for another period, which is not yours: the decision may carry a time limit for appeal, often a short one. Challenging it by letter does not extend that limit, unless the applicable text says so. The date of receipt should therefore be noted the same day.
After sending
- Keep the decision you are challenging, your letter and the proof of sending together, in the same folder.
- Note the date you received the decision, the date you sent your letter and the deadline you set.
- With no reply by the date you set, prolonged silence often counts as a refusal: that is the moment to look at the routes of appeal stated on the decision.
The legal grounds
This template belongs to the universal core: it invokes no national law, so it has no legal reference to cite. Its strength lies elsewhere, in how precise the facts, the dates and the request are. If your country has a text that strengthens this step, it lives in a country module, separately and by name.