Backfill request template: how to justify replacing someone who is leaving
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A backfill request asks for approval to replace someone who is leaving or has left. For a like-for-like replacement it needs only a few facts: who is leaving and when, the role, level, location and pay range, and confirmation that the work is still needed. It becomes a justification when budgets are under review, the role is changing, or there is a hiring freeze, and then it must also show what happens if the seat stays empty, which alternatives you considered, and how the cost compares with the person leaving. Submit it the day the departure is confirmed.
This page covers the request and its justification. Once approved, the requisition itself is in the job requisition form template, which has a short backfill version. A position that does not exist yet needs the fuller new role business case.
Do you need a justification for every backfill?
No. Many organizations treat a like-for-like backfill as pre-approved, because the position is already in the budget. Public-sector rules make the distinction explicit: the California Department of General Services' hiring toolkit says a backfill request with no change in duties "does not require a Justification," while a limited-term backfill needs one to describe the business need (California DGS, as of October 2026). Your own policy will differ, but the pattern is common.
| Situation | What to send | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Same title, level, location and pay range; budget unchanged | Short request | 1 |
| Level, scope, location or pay range changes | Request with the change explained | 2 |
| Hiring freeze, budget review or every backfill needs sign-off | Full justification | 3 |
| Work cannot wait for a permanent hire | Interim cover request | 4 |
| Vacancy created by an internal promotion or transfer | Chain backfill request | 5 |
| Employee on extended leave and returning | Fixed-term cover request | 6 |
Questions to answer before you ask
A resignation is the cheapest moment to redesign a role, and the request is the only point in the process where someone is forced to ask whether the old job should simply be refilled. Answer these first, even for a like-for-like request:
- Is all of the work still needed? List what the person actually did in the last quarter, not what their job description says.
- Could someone else take part of it? A team member ready for more scope is a promotion opportunity, and creates a different backfill.
- Should the level change? A senior departure is sometimes best replaced at a lower level with the senior work redistributed, or the reverse.
- Does the location or schedule need to stay the same? Widening it can shorten the search.
- Is the work temporary, specialist or uncertain? A contractor or agency may fit better than a permanent hire.
- What would happen if nobody did it for three months? If the honest answer is "not much", say so.
Six backfill request templates
1. Like-for-like backfill
Subject: Backfill request: [Role], [Team], leaving [date]
[Approver name],
[Employee name], [title], has resigned. Their last day is [date].
I'd like approval to backfill the position as it is:
- Title and level: [ ], unchanged
- Location and schedule: [ ], unchanged
- Pay range: [$min–$max], confirmed current by [HR / comp, date]
- Budget: existing position [ID], no change
- Target start: [date]
The work is still needed: [one line on what they own and who depends
on it]. I've considered splitting it across the team; [why that doesn't
work / which small part is moving to (name)].
Could you approve by [date] so we can post on [date]?
[Your name]2. Backfill with changes
Subject: Backfill request with changes: [Role], [Team]
[Approver name],
[Employee name] leaves on [date]. I'd like to backfill the position,
with these changes:
Change Was Proposed Why
[Level] [ ] [ ] [ ]
[Scope] [ ] [ ] [ ]
[Location/schedule] [ ] [ ] [ ]
[Pay range] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Annual cost change: [+/− $amount], [within / outside] the current
budget for the position.
Effect on the rest of the team: [work moving, to whom, agreed?]
Approval needed from: [names] by [date].
[Your name]A change of level or pay range usually needs the same approvers as new headcount for the difference. Show the difference, not just the new total.
3. Full justification, for a freeze or budget review
BACKFILL JUSTIFICATION
Position: [title, level, ID] Team: [ ]
Departing: [name], last day [date] Requested by: [name], [date]
1. WHAT THE ROLE DOES
[The work the person actually did last quarter, with volumes where
you have them: accounts, tickets, projects, people managed.]
2. IMPACT OF NOT FILLING
In 30 days: [what slips, who notices]
In 90 days: [deadlines missed, revenue, compliance, customer effect]
Already happening: [if the seat is empty now, what has slipped]
3. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
Option Why it falls short
Redistribute to the team [capacity numbers, not "they're busy"]
Restructure / change level [ ]
Contractor or agency [cost, duration, knowledge risk]
Automate or stop the work [ ]
4. COST
Departing employee's cost: [$] Replacement (range midpoint): [$]
Recruiting cost: [$ or internal] Interim cover, if any: [$]
Net change to budget: [$]
5. TIMING
Approval needed by: [date] Post by: [date] Target start: [date]
Overlap with departing employee for handover: [yes, (days) / no]
6. RISK IF DELAYED
[The single most important consequence, in one sentence.]
Approvals: [manager, date] [finance, date] [executive, date]4. Interim cover while you hire
Subject: Interim cover for [Role] while we backfill
[Approver name],
The permanent backfill for [Role] is [approved / requested]; realistic
start is [date], based on [our recent time to fill for this role / the
notice periods we're seeing].
Work that can't wait until then: [list].
Proposed cover: [contractor / agency temp / internal secondment] for
[weeks], [part / full] time, at about [$ rate or total].
Ends: when the permanent hire starts or on [date], whichever is first.
[Your name]5. Chain backfill after an internal move
Subject: Backfill for [employee name]'s former role after their move
[Approver name],
[Employee name] is moving from [old role] to [new role] on [date],
[approved by (name) on (date)]. This leaves [old role] open.
I'd like to backfill [old role] [as it was / with these changes: ].
Handover: [employee name] will [spend (days) handing over / remain
available for questions until (date)].
Budget: [the old position's funding stays with the team / moves].
[Your name]Internal moves often create two or three backfills in a row. Request each one when the move is approved, not when the person starts the new job, or the chain adds months.
6. Fixed-term cover for an employee on leave
Subject: Fixed-term cover for [Role] during [employee name]'s leave
[Approver name],
[Employee name] will be on leave from [date], expected to return on
[date]. Their position stays theirs; I'm asking for temporary cover.
Work that needs cover: [list]. Work that can pause: [list].
Proposed: [fixed-term hire / temp / internal acting role] from [date]
to [date], with [weeks] of overlap before the leave starts if
possible.
Cost: [$], funded by [ ].
[Your name]Check with HR how the leave affects the position before sending, and keep the employee's personal reasons for leave out of the request. The approver needs dates and work, not details.
A filled example
An invented request under a hiring freeze, showing the level of detail approvers respond to:
Position: Payroll Specialist, level 2. Departing: last day in four weeks.
What the role does: runs payroll for the company's 400 hourly employees in three states every two weeks, files the quarterly state returns for those states, and answers about 30 pay questions a week.
Impact of not filling: in 30 days, the payroll manager runs hourly payroll alone, with no second person to check each run. In 90 days, the quarterly filings fall to the same person in the same fortnight as a payroll run.
Alternatives: redistribute to the other specialist, who already runs salaried payroll and is at capacity in close weeks; outsource hourly payroll to the provider, quoted at more than the replacement's annual cost; automate pay questions with a help page, which is worth doing and would cut questions but not the payroll runs.
Cost: replacement at the range midpoint costs about the same as the departing employee; no budget change. (All figures in this example are invented.)
Timing: approval in one week lets the hire overlap the departing employee for one payroll cycle.
Risk if delayed: a single person running payroll with no checker.
The request works because each claim can be checked: the number of employees, the filing calendar, the provider's quote. "The team is stretched" cannot be.
What do approvers check?
- Is it in the plan? If your headcount plan assumed attrition, a backfill is already counted. Say so.
- Is the pay range current? A range set three years ago will either fail to hire or need an exception later, through the offer approval form, at the worst possible moment. Get it checked before you submit.
- Was the job redesigned? Approvers notice when a request copies a job description from years ago.
- Who is covering in the meantime? A plan for the gap makes approval feel less urgent, not more, so pair it with the risk if delayed.
- What happens to the rest of the team? Especially when part of the work is being redistributed.
If approvals routinely take longer than the departing employee's notice period, the problem is the workflow, not the request. Designing a hiring approval workflow covers deadlines and escalation for exactly this step.
How to use these templates
- On the day the departure date is confirmed, pick the template from the table above.
- Answer the "before you ask" questions with the departing employee's manager, and if possible with the employee, who knows what the job really involves.
- Get the pay range confirmed by HR or compensation before you send.
- Send with a specific decision date, worked back from the target start date and your usual time to fill.
- Once approved, open the requisition and start the handover plan. If the departing person is the hiring manager, use how to hire your replacement.
Backfill request mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting until the person has left | The vacancy starts before the search does | Submit the day notice is given |
| Copying the old job description | Hiring for the job as it was years ago | List the work done last quarter |
| "The team is stretched" as the justification | Approver cannot weigh it | Specific consequences at 30 and 90 days |
| No alternatives considered | Request looks automatic and gets questioned | Show why each alternative falls short |
| Stale pay range | Search fails or needs an exception later | Confirm the range before submitting |
| Chain backfills requested one at a time | Months of cumulative delay | Request each when the move is approved |
Questions people ask
What is a backfill request?
A backfill request asks for approval to replace an employee who is leaving or has left, so the position can be refilled. For a like-for-like replacement it is a short form; when budgets are under review, the role is changing, or there is a hiring freeze, it becomes a justification that shows the impact of leaving the seat empty, the alternatives considered and the cost.
How do you justify a backfill position?
Show what work the person did, what happens to it if nobody replaces them, which alternatives you considered (redistributing, restructuring, a contractor, not doing the work) and why they fall short, and what the replacement costs compared with the person leaving. Approvers respond to specific consequences such as missed deadlines or revenue at risk, not to general statements about workload.
When should a backfill request be submitted?
The day the resignation or departure date is confirmed. Every week spent waiting for approval is a week added to the vacancy, and an early request may allow the replacement to overlap with the person leaving for a handover.
Is a backfill the same as a new headcount request?
No. A backfill replaces a position that is already approved and funded, so the question is whether it should be refilled as it was. A new headcount request asks for a position that does not exist yet and needs a full business case. A backfill that changes level or scope significantly is often treated as partly new headcount.