Free template · Word and PDF · updated 30 Sep 2026, checked by the LekhaHR team

Appointment letter format, with every field in the Central Rules format.

Since 21 Nov 2025, establishments under the OSH Code issue a letter of appointment to every employee before they start. Below is one filled in for Bhavna Choudhary's joining at Paiteq, and the same letter blank. Each field says in the margin whether the Central Rules format requires it. Download it in Word, print it or save it as PDF, or copy the text onto your letterhead.

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Paiteq Technologies

Bengaluru, Karnataka · LIN 1-••••-••••-38

Ref: PTQ/APPT/2026/031
Date: Mon 31 Aug 2026

Bhavna ChoudharyBengaluru, Karnataka

Subject: Letter of appointment

Dear Bhavna,

We are pleased to appoint you to Paiteq Technologies on the terms below, following your acceptance of our offer. This letter is issued under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

Terms of your appointment

Name: Bhavna Choudhary; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter is issued to each employee by name, and every other record hangs off it.
Employee code: PTQ-0142; Good practicebecause payslips, PF and leave records all carry it.
Designation: Data Analyst, Product team; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the rules' format records the post the person is appointed to.
Type of employment: Regular; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the Central Rules added it: regular, fixed-term or contractual.
Category of skill: Highly skilled; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the skill category decides which minimum wage applies.
Date of joining: Tue 1 Sep 2026; Required · Central Rules formatbecause service, leave and PF all count from this day.
Reports to: Tanvi Mehta, Product Manager; Good practicebecause the first question on day one is who to ask.
Place of work: Koramangala office, Bengaluru, Karnataka; Good practicebecause the state of work decides professional tax and which state rules apply.
Wages and allowances: ₹52,000 a month:
basic ₹26,000, special allowance ₹14,000,
HRA ₹10,400, conveyance ₹1,600.
Wages for PF and ESI: ₹40,000 (basic and special allowance).; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the rules ask for wages and allowances, not a CTC figure; listing each one shows what counts as wages.
Provident fund: Applies from your date of joining, because you are already a PF member (UAN 1012••••4408). You and Paiteq each contribute 12% of PF wages up to the statutory ceiling.; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter must say whether PF applies to this person.
Employees' State Insurance: Does not apply: your wages for ESI are above the ₹21,000 monthly ceiling.; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter must say whether ESI applies; it is tested on Code wages against ₹21,000 a month.
Maternity benefit: You are entitled to maternity benefit under the Code on Social Security, 2020, on meeting its conditions.; Required · Central Rules formatbecause for a woman employee the rules' format includes the maternity benefit available to her.
Aadhaar: Not recorded; Optional · Central Rules formatbecause the final rules record Aadhaar only with the employee's consent; the employee may decline.
Probation: 6 months; confirmation review on 1 Mar 2027; Good practicebecause confirmation, notice and some leave rules turn on it.
Notice period: 15 days during probation, 30 days after confirmation, on either side; Good practicebecause an exit is calmer when the notice was agreed on day one.
Working hours: 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday are weekly offs; Good practicebecause hours and weekly offs set overtime and attendance.

Leave, holidays, conduct and data use are set out in Paiteq's policies, shared with this letter. We process your personal data for the purposes of your employment, as explained in our employee privacy notice.

Please sign the acknowledgement below and keep a copy of this letter for your records.

With best wishes,

Meenal JoshiFounder, for Paiteq Technologies

Acknowledgement

I have received this letter of appointment and accept its terms.

Employee's signatureNameDate

Paiteq Technologies

[Registered address] · LIN [Labour Identification Number]

Ref: [Reference number]
Date: [Date of issue, on or before the joining date]

[Employee's full name][Address]

Subject: Letter of appointment

Dear [First name],

We are pleased to appoint you to [Company name] on the terms below, following your acceptance of our offer. This letter is issued under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

Terms of your appointment

Name: [Full name as on PAN]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter is issued to each employee by name, and every other record hangs off it.
Employee code: [Employee code]; Good practicebecause payslips, PF and leave records all carry it.
Designation: [Designation], [Department]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the rules' format records the post the person is appointed to.
Type of employment: [Regular / Fixed-term, ending on (date) / Contractual]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the Central Rules added it: regular, fixed-term or contractual.
Category of skill: [Unskilled / Semi-skilled / Skilled / Highly skilled]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the skill category decides which minimum wage applies.
Date of joining: [Date of joining]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause service, leave and PF all count from this day.
Reports to: [Manager's name, designation]; Good practicebecause the first question on day one is who to ask.
Place of work: [Address of the workplace]; Good practicebecause the state of work decides professional tax and which state rules apply.
Wages and allowances: [Monthly total]: basic [₹], dearness allowance [₹],
[each allowance and its amount].
Wages for PF and ESI: [₹]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the rules ask for wages and allowances, not a CTC figure; listing each one shows what counts as wages.
Provident fund: [Applies from (date) / Does not apply, because (reason)]. UAN: [number, if any]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter must say whether PF applies to this person.
Employees' State Insurance: [Applies from (date), IP number (number) / Does not apply, because (reason)]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause the letter must say whether ESI applies; it is tested on Code wages against ₹21,000 a month.
Maternity benefit: [For a woman employee: entitled to maternity benefit under the Code on Social Security, 2020]; Required · Central Rules formatbecause for a woman employee the rules' format includes the maternity benefit available to her.
Aadhaar: [Only with the employee's consent]; Optional · Central Rules formatbecause the final rules record Aadhaar only with the employee's consent; the employee may decline.
Probation: [Length], ending on [date]; Good practicebecause confirmation, notice and some leave rules turn on it.
Notice period: [Days] during probation, [days] after confirmation; Good practicebecause an exit is calmer when the notice was agreed on day one.
Working hours: [Start and end time], [working days]; [weekly off]; Good practicebecause hours and weekly offs set overtime and attendance.

Leave, holidays, conduct and data use are set out in [Company name]'s policies, shared with this letter. We process your personal data for the purposes of your employment, as explained in our employee privacy notice.

Please sign the acknowledgement below and keep a copy of this letter for your records.

With best wishes,

[Name of the signatory][Designation], for [Company name]

Acknowledgement

I have received this letter of appointment and accept its terms.

Employee's signatureNameDate

Design preview · sample data · Paiteq Technologies. Margin notes never print.

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), in force 21 Nov 2025 · contents per Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, rule 6 (G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026) · reviewed 30 Sep 2026

No. 01

Field by field

because a letter that answers the questions people ask later saves the conversation.

What to write in each field.

The rules fix what the letter must record. They do not fix the wording, so plain sentences are fine.

01Name, designation, date of joining: required

because they identify the appointment. Use the name as on PAN so payroll and PF records match.

02Type of employment: required

because the rules want it stated: regular, fixed-term or contractual. A fixed-term letter should give the end date.

03Category of skill: required

because it is how minimum wages are classed: unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled or highly skilled. Pick the one that matches the work, not the title.

04Wages and allowances: required

because the rules ask for wages and allowances. List each component with its amount, and say which figure is used for PF and ESI: since 21 Nov 2025 that is wages as the Code defines them, not gross pay.

05PF and ESI: required

because the letter must say whether each applies to this person. Add the UAN or ESIC IP number when there is one.

06Maternity benefit: for women employees

because the rules' format includes the maternity benefit available under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

07Labour Identification Number: required

because the establishment's LIN goes on the letter; put it in the letterhead so it is on every letter.

08Aadhaar: optional

because the final rules record it only with the employee's consent. Never make it a condition of the letter.

09Probation, notice, hours, leave: good practice

because they are not listed in the rules, but they are the terms people argue about later.

No. 02

The law

because the duty has three dates, and one of them has already passed.

When must an appointment letter be issued?

Before the employee starts work. The OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), in force since 21 Nov 2025, requires a letter of appointment for every employee of an establishment with 10 or more workers, and the Central Rules of 8 May 2026 set its format. Staff already on the rolls were due theirs by 21 Feb 2026.

The duty: 21 Nov 2025

because Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f) requires a letter of appointment to every employee on appointment, in the prescribed form, from the day the Code came into force.

Staff already on the rolls: by 21 Feb 2026

because anyone without a letter on 21 Nov 2025 was to get one within 3 months. If yours haven't had one, issue it now.

What it must contain: 8 May 2026

because the OSH Central Rules, notified on 8 May 2026, set the format in rule 6, issued before work starts. Nothing in the Code bars an electronic letter; keep the acknowledged copy on file. That format binds central-sphere establishments; for most private employers the state prescribes it, and where state rules are still draft the Central format is the model. Karnataka had only draft rules on 30 Sep 2026.

Who it applies to: 10 or more workers

because the OSH Code covers establishments with 10 or more workers, factories included; mines and dock work are covered whatever their size. Below 10 it is good practice, and some state shops and establishments laws require it.

If a letter is missing: s.94

because a contravention with no penalty of its own falls under the Code's general penalty.

because a letter dated today with the original joining date is better than no letter at all.

No. 03

Common mistakes

because the letter is checked when something has already gone wrong.

Six ways a letter falls short.

Most of them come from reusing the offer letter.

01Treating the offer letter as the appointment letter

because an offer rarely states the skill category, the type of employment or whether PF and ESI apply. Issue both.

02Writing only the CTC

because a CTC figure hides which parts are wages. The rules ask for wages and allowances.

03Issuing it after day one

because the Central Rules expect the letter before work starts.

04Leaving out people who joined before 21 Nov 2025

because staff already on the rolls were due a letter by 21 Feb 2026. If yours haven't had one, issue it now.

05Asking for Aadhaar as a must

because under the final rules it is recorded only with the employee's consent.

06No signed copy on file

because the acknowledgement is the proof the letter was issued, and on which date.

No. 04

Questions

because every new joiner's first document should answer the obvious questions.

Questions about appointment letters

Is an appointment letter mandatory in India?

For establishments under the OSH Code, yes, since 21 Nov 2025. Section 6(1)(f) requires a letter of appointment to every employee, in the prescribed form. That covers establishments with 10 or more workers, factories included; mines and dock work are covered whatever their size. Below 10 it is good practice, and some state shops and establishments laws require it.

What must an appointment letter contain?

Under the OSH Central Rules of 8 May 2026 (rule 6): the Labour Identification Number, name, designation, type of employment, skill category, date of joining, wages and allowances, whether PF and ESI apply, and for a woman employee her maternity benefit. That format binds central-sphere establishments; for most private employers the state prescribes it, and where state rules are still draft the Central format is the model.

Is a joining letter the same as an appointment letter?

Not usually. A joining letter is often the joining report the employee signs on the first day, saying they have reported for duty. Only the letter of appointment is a legal duty: under the OSH Code it is issued to each employee, in the prescribed format, before work starts. Our joining letter format covers the report.

We have staff who joined before 21 Nov 2025 without a letter. What now?

The Code gave 3 months from its commencement, so they were due a letter by 21 Feb 2026. That date has passed. If yours haven't had one, issue it now, dated today, with their original date of joining.

What is the difference between an offer letter and an appointment letter?

An offer letter comes before the person accepts and usually states the role and CTC. The appointment letter confirms the appointment on the terms the rules require. Many teams issue the appointment letter on or before day one, once the offer is accepted.

Can we issue it by email and sign it digitally?

Nothing in the Code bars an electronic letter, so email works. Keep the acknowledged copy on file, with the date it was issued and the date the employee acknowledged it, so you can show the Inspector-cum-Facilitator that each person had their letter before starting work.

What happens if we don't issue appointment letters?

Not issuing one is a contravention of the OSH Code, and the Code's general penalty in s.94 applies. The Inspector-cum-Facilitator can ask for the letters, so keep a dated copy for every person.

No. 05

Sources

because a template is only as good as the rule it follows.

Where each rule comes from

The contents list rests on reports of the Central Rules; the duty and its deadline are from the Code's text.

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f)Code text on Indian Kanoon; in force 21 Nov 2025 · read 30 Sep 2026primary
OSH Central Rules 2026: registration, hours, contract labouriPleaders (rule 6 contents; G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026) · read 30 Sep 2026secondary
Final OSH Rules: key changes every employer must knowCorporate Professionals (no transition period; Aadhaar only with consent; type of employment added) · published 16 May 2026 · read 30 Sep 2026secondary
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, s.7(i)Government of India · read 30 Sep 2026primary

Checked by the LekhaHR team · reviewed 30 Sep 2026 · next review by 31 Dec 2026. This template follows the Central Rules; it is not legal advice for your establishment.

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