How do you write a polite reminder email to your boss?
Lead with the ask and the date it matters, not with an apology. Give the context in one line so they do not have to scroll, say what happens if it slips, and offer a default: "If I do not hear back by Thursday, I will go with option A." Reply in the original thread. Keep it to four or five lines. Managers answer short emails first.
Template 1: pending approval with a date attached
Use this when an approval (budget, expense, purchase, hire) is sitting with your manager and a date is approaching.
Hi [Name],
A reminder that [the request: the vendor contract / the Q3 budget line / the laptop purchase] is waiting on your approval. It needs to go to [finance / procurement / the vendor] by [date] to [the consequence: hold the price / start on time / make this month's payroll run].
The summary is in my email of [date] below; the short version is [one line]. A reply saying "approved" is enough, or tell me what you would like changed.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 2: decision needed, with a default
Use this when you need a decision and can propose a sensible default. It respects their time and keeps the work moving.
Hi [Name],
Following up on [topic]. We need to choose between [option A] and [option B] by [date] so that [what it unblocks].
My recommendation is [option A] because [one reason]. If I do not hear from you by [date], I will go ahead with it. If you would prefer B or want to discuss, I can do [two slots].
[Your name]
Template 3: feedback on a document you sent
Use this when you shared a draft, proposal or review and have heard nothing. It narrows the ask so the reply can be short.
Hi [Name],
I sent the [document] on [date] and would like to finalise it by [date]. Rather than ask for a full read, two questions would get me there:
One: is the overall direction in section [number] right? Two: is [the specific decision, e.g. the pricing on page 3] something you are comfortable with?
A one-word answer to each is fine. If you would rather go through it live, I can take 15 minutes whenever suits.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 4: leave request not yet approved
Use this when a leave application is pending in the system or in email and you need to book travel or tell family.
Hi [Name],
A gentle reminder about my leave request for [dates], submitted on [date]. I need to confirm [travel bookings / family plans] by [date], so it would help to have it approved or flagged before then.
Cover is arranged: [colleague] will handle [responsibility] and I will finish [deliverable] before I go. If the dates are a problem for the team, I can look at [alternative dates].
Thank you,
[Your name]
Template 5: promised introduction or information
Use this when your manager offered to introduce you to someone or send you something and it has not happened. Light touch; make it easy.
Hi [Name],
When we spoke on [date] you offered to [introduce me to [person] / send me the [document]]. No rush, but it would help with [what it unblocks] this [week or month].
To make it easy, here is a two-line blurb you could forward: "[Your name] leads [area] on my team and is working on [topic]. Would you have 20 minutes to share how you approached it at [their company]?"
Thanks,
[Your name]
What to change before you send
The template gets you most of the way. These edits make it land.
- Put the deadline and its consequence in the first two lines. Your manager scans the top of the email and decides whether to deal with it now.
- Offer a default or a recommendation whenever you can. "Which do you prefer?" is more work to answer than "I will do A unless you say otherwise".
- Cut any sentence that apologises for asking or mentions how busy they are. One short reminder on a reasonable request needs no softening.
- In Template 3, choose two questions whose answers you genuinely need. Do not disguise a full review request as two questions.
- In Template 4, name the cover arrangements. The most common reason leave sits unapproved is that the manager has not worked out who covers.
- If your manager prefers chat or a quick word at their desk, use that instead and send the email afterwards as a record.
How long to wait
If your manager gave a date, remind them the working day after it passes. If no date was set, wait three working days, then remind with a date attached. One reminder is normal; a second a few days later is fine if you add the consequence of further delay. After two unanswered reminders, raise it in person or in your next one-to-one rather than sending a third email.
For approvals with an external deadline (a vendor quote expiring, a course enrolment closing), send the reminder with enough margin for them to read it and act, which usually means two working days before, not the morning of. How many days to wait before following up has the general schedule.
Let Momo AI chase it
The reminder is easy; remembering that your manager still owes you an answer, among everything else, is the hard part. Momo AI's follow-up tracking notices the Gmail threads where you asked for something and nobody replied, including the ones to your boss, and drafts a reminder in your voice to Gmail Drafts after the days you set. You read it, soften or sharpen it, and tap Send; it never sends by itself. Founders who are everyone's boss and still owed answers can see the other side of this on the founders page.
