--- title: "Joining Letter Format in Word and PDF | LekhaHR" description: "Free joining letter format in Word and PDF: the joining report an employee signs on day one, with HR's receipt, and how it differs from an appointment letter." canonical: https://lekhahr.in/resources/joining-letter-format/ last_updated: 2026-09-30 --- Free template · Word and PDF · updated 30 Sep 2026 # Joining letter format, and how it differs from an appointment letter. The joining report a new employee signs on the first day, filled in here for Bhavna Choudhary's first day at Paiteq and blank below it. Download it in Word, print it or save it as PDF, or copy the text. The appointment letter it answers has its own template. [Download Word (.docx)](https://lekhahr.in/downloads/joining-letter-format.docx) [Request an invite](https://lekhahr.in/request-invite/) Bhavna Choudhary Bengaluru, Karnataka - **Ref**: Appointment letter PTQ/APPT/2026/031 - **Date**: Tue 1 Sep 2026 Meenal Joshi Founder (also runs HR) Paiteq Technologies, Koramangala office, Bengaluru, Karnataka Subject: Joining report Dear Meenal, With reference to your letter of appointment dated Mon 31 Aug 2026, I report for duty today, Tue 1 Sep 2026, as Data Analyst. My joining details - **Designation**: Data Analyst, Product team - Core factbecause it should match the appointment letter word for word. - **Letter of appointment**: PTQ/APPT/2026/031, dated Mon 31 Aug 2026 - Core factbecause the joining report is the employee's answer to that letter; quoting it ties the two together. - **Date of joining**: Tue 1 Sep 2026 - Core factbecause service, leave, PF and probation all count from the day the person actually reported, which can differ from the date in the offer. - **Reporting to**: Tanvi Mehta, Product Manager - Good practicebecause it confirms who the new joiner's manager is from day one. - **Place of work**: Koramangala office, Bengaluru, Karnataka - Good practicebecause the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **Documents submitted**: PAN, bank details and UAN; originals shown and returned the same day - Good practicebecause it records what was handed over. See originals and give them back; keep copies only of what you need. - **PF**: UAN 1012••••4408, from my previous employer - Optionalbecause an existing UAN carries over to the new employer, so no second PF account is opened. I have received the company's policies shared with my letter of appointment. Yours sincerely, Bhavna Choudhary Data Analyst Received by HR Joining recorded on Tue 1 Sep 2026. Employee code allotted: PTQ-0142. HR signature Name Date [Your full name] [Your address] · [Phone or email] - **Ref**: Appointment letter [reference number] - **Date**: [Date of joining] [Name of the HR contact] [Designation] [Company name], [address] Subject: Joining report Dear [Name], With reference to your letter of appointment dated [date], I report for duty today, [date of joining], as [designation]. My joining details - **Designation**: [Designation], [Department] - Core factbecause it should match the appointment letter word for word. - **Letter of appointment**: [Reference number], dated [date] - Core factbecause the joining report is the employee's answer to that letter; quoting it ties the two together. - **Date of joining**: [Date] - Core factbecause service, leave, PF and probation all count from the day the person actually reported, which can differ from the date in the offer. - **Reporting to**: [Manager's name, designation] - Good practicebecause it confirms who the new joiner's manager is from day one. - **Place of work**: [Address of the workplace] - Good practicebecause the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **Documents submitted**: [List]; originals shown and returned on [date] - Good practicebecause it records what was handed over. See originals and give them back; keep copies only of what you need. - **PF**: [UAN (number), from my previous employer / I have no UAN yet] - Optionalbecause an existing UAN carries over to the new employer, so no second PF account is opened. I have received the company's policies shared with my letter of appointment. Yours sincerely, [Your full name] [Designation] Received by HR Joining recorded on [date]. Employee code allotted: [employee code]. HR signature Name Date Common practice; the legal duty is the letter of appointment, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), from 21 Nov 2025 · reviewed 30 Sep 2026 No. 01 Field by field --- because the joining report is the first document on the person's record that they wrote themselves. ## What to write in each field. The employee fills the report on the first day; HR signs the receipt. Every field should agree with the appointment letter. - **01Designation**: Core fact because it should match the appointment letter word for word. - **02Letter of appointment**: Core fact because the joining report is the employee's answer to that letter; quoting it ties the two together. - **03Date of joining**: Core fact because service, leave, PF and probation all count from the day the person actually reported, which can differ from the date in the offer. - **04Reporting to**: Good practice because it confirms who the new joiner's manager is from day one. - **05Place of work**: Good practice because the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **06Documents submitted**: Good practice because it records what was handed over. See originals and give them back; keep copies only of what you need. - **07PF**: Optional because an existing UAN carries over to the new employer, so no second PF account is opened. No. 02 The rule --- because the two documents travel in opposite directions. ## Is a joining letter the same as an appointment letter? No. A joining letter is most often the joining report the employee signs on the first day, saying they have reported for duty. The letter of appointment is the employer's document setting out the terms, and the only legal duty of the two: OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), from 21 Nov 2025, for 10 or more workers. - **Letter of appointment**: required from 21 Nov 2025 because Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f) requires one for each employee of an establishment with 10 or more workers, in the prescribed form, before work starts. - **Joining letter (joining report)**: common practice because it records that the person actually reported for duty, and on which date. No Labour Code requires it. - **Who writes it**: employer · employee because the appointment letter comes from the employer; the joining report comes from the employee, and HR signs its receipt. - **When**: before work · first day because the appointment letter is issued before work starts; Bhavna's was dated Mon 31 Aug 2026, and her joining report Tue 1 Sep 2026, the morning of her first punch at 09:31. No. 03 Questions answered --- because each answer should stand on its own when it is quoted. ## What is a joining letter? Most often it is the joining report: a short letter the new employee signs on the first day, saying they have reported for duty and quoting their [letter of appointment](https://lekhahr.in/resources/appointment-letter-format/). HR signs the receipt and allots the employee code. It comes after the [offer letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/offer-letter-format/) and the appointment letter, in that order. ## How do I write a joining report as a new employee? Address it to HR or your manager and date it. Say that you report for duty today as your designation, quoting the appointment letter's number and date. List the documents you handed over and sign it. In [onboarding in LekhaHR](https://lekhahr.in/employee-onboarding-software/), the new joiner confirms the same details on the phone on day one. ## Which letters come after the joining letter? None until the person leaves. At exit, the [experience letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/experience-letter-format/) and the [relieving letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/relieving-letter-format/) are issued on the last working day, with the full and final settlement. Keep the joining date, designation and documents on one record in the meantime, so every later letter agrees with it. No. 04 Common mistakes --- because the legal document is the other one. ## Four ways the joining paperwork goes wrong. Most come from treating the joining letter as the one that matters. - **01A joining letter instead of an appointment letter**: because only the letter of appointment is a legal duty. Issue it before day one, in the prescribed format. - **02A joining date that doesn't match payroll**: because service, leave and PF count from the day the person actually reported. Use that date everywhere. - **03Keeping original certificates**: because originals belong to the employee. See them, hand them back the same day, and keep only the copies you need. - **04No receipt for the employee**: because a signed, dated receipt is the employee's proof of the day they joined. No. 05 Questions --- because the first day's paperwork is the easiest to get right. ## Questions about joining letters ### Should HR give the new employee a copy of the joining report? Yes. HR signs and dates the receipt at the foot of the report and gives the employee a copy. It is the employee's proof of the day they joined, and it matters later for service, leave, PF and probation, which all count from that date. ### What if the joining date changes? Use the date the person actually reported. If it differs from the date of joining in the appointment letter, write the actual date on the joining report and correct the record, because service, leave, PF and probation all count from the day the person reported. ### Can the joining report be submitted by email? Most teams collect it on the first day, on paper, by email or in their HR software. What matters is a dated record that the person reported for duty on that day, with HR's receipt, kept on the employee's file with the appointment letter. ### Is a joining letter mandatory in India? No Labour Code asks for a joining letter as such. What the OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f) requires, since 21 Nov 2025, is a letter of appointment, issued before work starts, for establishments with 10 or more workers. If you keep only one document, make it the appointment letter. ### What documents are handed over on the day of joining? Usually the PAN, bank details, Aadhaar for PF and ESI registration, the UAN if the person has been in PF before, address proof and education certificates. Aadhaar is needed for PF and ESI (Code on Social Security, 2020, s.142), but it goes on the appointment letter only if the employee agrees. See originals and hand them back the same day. ### Is there a joining letter format in Word or PDF? Yes. Download the blank joining letter as a Word (.docx) file, with no email and no sign-up, or print this page and save it as PDF. You can also copy the text. The filled sample shows one new joiner's report, with HR's receipt. Invitation ## Available by invitation. In LekhaHR the new joiner confirms their details on the phone on day one, the UAN carries over, and the first punch is set up before they arrive. [Request an invite](https://lekhahr.in/request-invite/) [See onboarding](https://lekhahr.in/employee-onboarding-software/) because a letter issued from the record never disagrees with it.