Requisition approval email templates: the request, the reminder, the escalation and every answer
On this page
- What should every requisition approval email include?
- Template 1: the approval request
- Template 2: the reminder at the deadline
- Template 3: the escalation
- Templates 4 to 6: the answers
- How fast should each step be?
- Which rules apply to approval emails?
- Which mistakes slow approvals down?
- Questions people ask
A requisition approval email asks one named approver for one decision by a stated date, and contains everything needed to make it: the role, level and location, the pay range and fully loaded cost, whether it is in the approved plan, why it is needed now and what waiting costs. The templates below cover the full exchange: the request (new role, backfill and off-plan versions), the reminder at the turnaround deadline, the escalation, and the answers, approved, approved with changes, on hold and declined with reasons.
The hiring approval workflow sets out the stages, approvers and turnaround times, and the job requisition form covers the fields. This page is the emails that move a requisition through that workflow.
What should every requisition approval email include?
- The decision and date in the subject. "Approval needed by Thu Nov 5: Senior Accountant (REQ-2026-0412), backfill".
- The type of request. In plan, backfill, or off plan. Approvers treat them differently, so say which it is in the first line.
- The numbers the approver checks. Level, pay range, fully loaded annual cost, start date needed, cost center.
- Why now. One or two sentences of business reason, and the cost of waiting.
- How to approve. Reply APPROVE, or the button in the ATS, and what happens next.
- Nothing that is not job-related. No candidate names, and no remarks about age, family plans, health or any other protected characteristic. Approval threads are hiring records.
Template 1: the approval request
1a. New role, in the approved plan
Subject: Approval needed by [date]: [Role] ([REQ number]), new role, in plan
Hi [Approver],
Please approve requisition [REQ number] for a new [Role] on [team],
included in the [H1 2027] headcount plan (line [x]).
- Level: [level]; location: [city / remote]; reports to [manager]
- Pay range: [$ - $]; fully loaded annual cost about [$]
- Needed by: [start date], so we need to open by [date] to make it
- Why now: [one or two sentences, e.g. "Q1 implementation backlog is
[x] weeks; this role takes [x] projects off the two leads."]
- Requisition form: [link]
To approve, reply APPROVE or use the button in [ATS]. If you need
anything else to decide, tell me by [date] and I'll get it the same day.
Thanks,
[Hiring manager]1b. Backfill
Subject: Approval needed by [date]: backfill for [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Approver],
[Name] leaves [team] on [date]. Please approve a like-for-like backfill:
same level ([level]), same range ([$ - $]), same location.
- Work affected if the seat stays empty: [one line]
- Cover until the start date: [who / what]
- Requisition form: [link]
Reply APPROVE or use [ATS]. If you'd like us to change the role rather
than replace it, I'd rather know now than after we post it.
Thanks,
[Hiring manager]If the backfill changes the role, level or location, it is a new request, not a backfill; use the backfill request template versions with justification.
1c. Off plan, or an exception
Subject: Exception approval needed by [date]: [Role] ([REQ number]), not in plan
Hi [Approver],
This role is not in the approved plan. I'm asking for an exception
because [reason in one sentence].
- Cost: [$] fully loaded; funded by [offset, e.g. "the open
[Role] we are closing" / "contractor budget of $x"]
- Alternatives considered: [contractor / redistribute / wait until
next plan], and why they fall short: [one line]
- Business case: [link]
If you'd prefer to decide this at the [date] planning review, that is
also an answer; please tell me which.
Thanks,
[Hiring manager]The new role business case template is the attachment for this one. The last line gives the approver a way to say "not now" without saying nothing.
Template 2: the reminder at the deadline
Subject: Re: Approval needed by [date]: [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Approver],
Following up on [REQ number], which reached our [x]-day approval time
today. One thing has changed since I sent it: [e.g. "two strong
candidates from the last search are available now" / "the backlog is up
to x weeks"].
Each week of delay moves the likely start date by about a week. If
I don't have an answer by [date], I'll ask [backup approver] so the
search isn't held up; happy to talk for five minutes before then.
Thanks,
[Name]Add something new, or the reminder reads as nagging. The cost of waiting is the strongest new fact; the cost of vacancy formula puts a daily figure on it.
Template 3: the escalation
Subject: Escalation: approval for [Role] ([REQ number]), past [x]-day deadline
Hi [Backup approver],
[REQ number] for a [Role] on [team] has been with [Approver] since
[date] and is past our [x]-day approval time. Under our approval
process, it comes to you as backup.
Summary: [level], [$ - $], fully loaded [$], [in plan / backfill].
Requisition form and original request: [link]
[Approver], copying you so you can see where this is. If you've
already decided, a reply to all closes it.
Thanks,
[Recruiting coordinator / Hiring manager]Keep the facts identical to the original request and copy the original approver. An escalation that changes the story looks like going around someone; one that repeats it looks like following the process.
Templates 4 to 6: the answers
4a. Approved
Subject: Approved: [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Hiring manager] and [Recruiter],
[REQ number] is approved as requested: [level], [$ - $], [location],
start by [date].
Next steps:
- Intake meeting by [date] ([Recruiter] to book)
- Posting live by [date], with the approved pay range
- [Any condition, e.g. "internal posting for 5 days first"]
Thanks,
[Approver]4b. Approved with changes
Subject: Approved with changes: [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Hiring manager],
[REQ number] is approved with these changes:
- [Level: approved at [level] instead of [level]]
- [Pay range: [$ - $] instead of [$ - $]]
- [Start: not before [date]]
Reason: [one sentence]. If the changes make the role unworkable, tell
me by [date] and we'll talk before anything is posted.
Thanks,
[Approver]The recruiter needs the approved level and range before posting, because the range goes into the job ad in the states that require one; see pay transparency laws by state.
5a. On hold
Subject: On hold: [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Hiring manager] and [Recruiter],
[REQ number] is on hold until [condition, e.g. "the Q1 budget review on
Jan 15"]. Please don't post or schedule new interviews until then.
- Candidates already in process: [continue to the end of the current
stage / pause and tell them it's on hold / close]
- Review date: [date]. If it is still on hold then, we'll decide
whether to close it.
Thanks,
[Approver]5b. Telling candidates the role is on hold
Subject: An update on the [Role] role
Hi [First name],
I want to tell you straight away that [Company] has put the [Role] role
on hold while [a budget review / a team change] is completed. I expect
an update by [date], and I'll write to you then either way.
I'm sorry for the pause. You've done nothing wrong, and if anything
changes for you in the meantime, just let me know.
[Recruiter]Send it within a day of the hold, and only promise the date you were given. If interviews were booked, use the interview cancellation email.
6. Declined, with reasons
Subject: Not approved: [Role] ([REQ number])
Hi [Hiring manager],
I'm not approving [REQ number] at this point. The main reason: [e.g.
"the headcount budget for H1 is fully committed" / "the work overlaps
with the [team] role approved last month"].
What would change the answer: [e.g. "an offset elsewhere in your
budget" / "a business case showing the backlog cost" / "the [date]
planning cycle"].
In the meantime: [e.g. "contractor budget of up to $x for 3 months is
available" / "let's look at moving the work to [team]"].
Happy to talk it through.
[Approver]How fast should each step be?
Example turnaround times, to adapt:
| Step | Example turnaround | If missed |
|---|---|---|
| Backfill, like for like | 2 business days | Reminder, then escalate on day 3 |
| New role in plan | 3 business days | Reminder, then escalate on day 5 |
| Off plan or exception | Next planning review, or 10 business days | Decision at the review |
| On-hold review | On the stated review date | Close or reopen, never leave it open-ended |
The hiring approval workflow explains how to set these and why the offer approval later in the process should be the fastest of all; the offer approval form covers that step.
Which rules apply to approval emails?
- Keep them. The EEOC's recordkeeping rule at 29 CFR 1602.14 requires employers to keep personnel or employment records, including records having to do with hiring, for one year from the date the record was made or the personnel action taken, whichever is later, and longer if a charge of discrimination is filed (as of October 2026). Store the approval thread with the requisition, not only in someone's inbox.
- Carry the approved range into the posting. Where a state or city requires pay ranges in job postings, the range in the approval should be the one that gets posted.
- Keep reasons job-related. Write every justification as if a candidate's lawyer will read it one day, because they may.
Not legal advice; check your own retention schedule and posting obligations with counsel.
Which mistakes slow approvals down?
| Mistake | Effect | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Several approvers on one email, none named | Each waits for another | One named approver per email; others in copy |
| Cost and range only in an attachment | Approver postpones opening it | The numbers in the body |
| No date in the subject | The email sinks | "Approval needed by [date]" |
| Reminder with nothing new | Reads as nagging | Add the cost of delay or a candidate update |
| Silent decline | Same request resubmitted | Template 6, with what would change the answer |
| Hold with no review date | Requisition left open for months | Review date in the hold email |
Questions people ask
How do you write an email asking for requisition approval?
Put the decision and the date in the subject line, then give the approver everything needed to decide without opening anything else: role, level, location, pay range, fully loaded cost, whether it is in the approved plan, why it is needed now and what waiting costs. Attach or link the requisition form, and say exactly how to approve, for example by replying APPROVE or using the button in the ATS.
How do you follow up on a pending requisition approval?
Send one reminder when the agreed turnaround time is reached, with something new in it, such as the cost of another week's delay or a candidate who is waiting, and the date you will escalate. If there is still no answer, escalate to the named backup approver with the original approver copied and the facts unchanged.
What should a declined requisition email include?
The decision, the main reason in one or two sentences, what would change the answer (a budget cycle, a business case, a different level), and what the team can do in the meantime, such as cover from a contractor. A decline without a reason usually comes back as the same request a month later.
What does it mean when a requisition is on hold?
The role is approved in principle but recruiting must stop or must not start until a condition is met, such as a budget review or a reorganization. A good on-hold email names the condition, the date it will be reviewed, and what happens to candidates already in the process.