Build Your Year-End Raise Evidence Sheet

Before a year-end review, collect the work your manager can verify. Your goal is one page that connects your responsibilities, your contribution, and the change you want to discuss.

This is a suggested preparation method, not an employer’s pay policy or a promise of a raise. Use your company’s review form if it requires one. You can use this worksheet at any point in the year; first ask when compensation decisions are actually made.

Start with records you already have

Review your goals, completed projects, performance feedback, and current job description in approved work systems. Look for work that changed since your last pay review: a process you now own, a problem you solved, or a recurring duty you took over.

Choose two or three examples. For each, separate what the team achieved from what you personally did. Keep confidential records where they belong. Your sheet can point to an internal report without copying client details into a personal account.

Do not convert an estimate into a measured result. If you cannot verify a number, use a narrower description or leave the number out.

Copy this evidence sheet

Field	What to write
Review period	The dates covered and your last compensation review.
Current role	Your title and the responsibilities you were hired to perform.
Added scope	Work you now own, when it began, and whether it is ongoing.
Example one	The problem, your action, the observed result, and where the evidence lives.
Example two	A different contribution, with the same four details.
Team context	Who else contributed and what you cannot claim as your own.
Request	A specific base-pay, hourly-pay, or role-level discussion. Keep a one-time bonus separate.
Open questions	Missing evidence, the approval process, and the date you need to confirm.

If your list runs long, move supporting details to a separate work document. Keep the sheet focused on the examples you intend to discuss.

A filled example

The following is fictional. It demonstrates how to describe work; it is not evidence of anyone’s results or earnings.

Field	Example
Review period	January through October; last pay review in January.
Current role	Operations coordinator, responsible for preparing the monthly client report.
Added scope	Since May, also own the reporting checklist and train new coordinators on it.
Example one	Four recent reports were delivered by the agreed deadline. I built the checklist and tracked missing inputs. Evidence: the dated report tracker and manager feedback.
Example two	I prepared the onboarding walkthrough and led two training sessions. Evidence: the approved training document and attendance record.
Team context	Analysts supplied the underlying data; the manager approved the report. I am claiming coordination and training work, not the team’s full output.
Request	Review my base pay and role level in light of the ongoing coordination and training duties. I will bring a specific pay request once I have checked the relevant role range.
Open questions	Does the new scope match the next role level? Who approves the change, and when is the budget decision?

Notice what is absent: an invented dollar value for the checklist, a claim that training caused all team improvements, or a guaranteed pay outcome.

Turn a weak claim into a useful one

“I saved the company a lot of money.” If you have no approved calculation, replace it with the work you can prove: “I found duplicate entries in the monthly report and documented the correction.” Ask whether finance can verify any monetary effect before claiming savings.

“I work harder than everyone else.” Describe scope instead: “I now own the weekly schedule and the new-hire walkthrough, in addition to my original reporting duties.” Avoid judging colleagues.

“Customer satisfaction improved because of me.” Separate evidence from attribution: “I rewrote the response templates; the team later received positive feedback. I cannot isolate the effect of my changes.”

“I do not have measurable results.” Use completed responsibilities, a quality check, a handoff, or specific feedback. If all you have is an impression, ask your manager what evidence would count and begin collecting it for the next review.

Prepare the request separately from the evidence

Write your desired change beside the sheet. If you use the Salary Checker, record the occupation, location, and data vintage. A broad occupational benchmark is context, not proof that your employer must pay a particular amount. Check whether the duties actually match your role.

When company pay bands are available to you, ask how your role fits them. If you lack a credible basis for a number, ask for a role and compensation review without inventing a market rate.

Try this opening:

“Since my last review, I have taken on [ongoing responsibility]. These two examples show the work and results I can verify. I would like to discuss [specific request] and understand how it fits our compensation process.”

Use the raise conversation guide to prepare for yes, delay, budget limits, or no.

Leave with a next step

If your manager disagrees with an example, ask what needs correcting and update the sheet. If they want more evidence, agree on the result to demonstrate and how it will be checked. If they support the case but cannot approve pay, identify who owns the next action.

After the meeting, record the actual answer and a check-in date. Use the follow-up templates to confirm what was agreed. A supportive conversation is still a pending request until the pay change is approved.

For additional meeting openings and preparation guidance, get Raise Kit Lite by email. The PDF arrives after you subscribe and confirm your email.