--- title: "Offer Letter Format in Word, with a Sample | LekhaHR" description: "Free offer letter format in Word: role, pay broken into components, probation, notice and a lapse date, with a filled sample and a blank to print as PDF." canonical: https://lekhahr.in/resources/offer-letter-format/ last_updated: 2026-09-30 --- Free template · Word and PDF · updated 30 Sep 2026 # Offer letter format, with every term a candidate will ask about. An offer letter in plain sentences, filled in here for Bhavna Choudhary's offer from Paiteq and blank below it. Each field says in the margin why it is there. Download it in Word, print it or save it as PDF, or copy the text onto your letterhead. [Download Word (.docx)](https://lekhahr.in/downloads/offer-letter-format.docx) [Request an invite](https://lekhahr.in/request-invite/) Paiteq Technologies Bengaluru, Karnataka - **Ref**: PTQ/OFFER/2026/031 - **Date**: Wed 5 Aug 2026 Bhavna Choudhary Bengaluru, Karnataka Subject: Offer of employment Dear Bhavna, We are pleased to offer you the position below at Paiteq Technologies. Please read the terms, then sign and return a copy by the date below to accept. The offer - **Position**: Data Analyst, Product team - Core termbecause the candidate is deciding on a job, not a salary; name the role and the team. - **Reports to**: Tanvi Mehta, Product Manager - Good practicebecause 'who will I work for' is the first question after pay. - **Place of work**: Koramangala office, Bengaluru, Karnataka - Core termbecause the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **Proposed date of joining**: Tue 1 Sep 2026 - Core termbecause the candidate has to give notice elsewhere, and needs a date to count back from. - **Type of employment**: Regular - Core termbecause a fixed-term role should say so, with its end date, before anyone resigns for it. A fixed-term employee is eligible for gratuity after one year under the contract (MoLE FAQ, 16 Mar 2026, replies 14 and 19). - **Pay**: ₹52,000 a month (₹6,24,000 a year): basic ₹26,000, special allowance ₹14,000, HRA ₹10,400, conveyance ₹1,600. - Core termbecause a single CTC figure hides take-home. Show each component; if you quote CTC, show what the employer adds on top. - **Variable pay or bonus**: None - Optionalbecause a bonus without its rule becomes an argument. Say how it is worked out and when, or say none. Annual performance incentives are not wages for PF, ESI or gratuity. - **PF, ESI and benefits**: PF from your date of joining; you are already a member, so your UAN carries over. ESI does not apply at this pay. - Good practicebecause whether PF and ESI apply changes take-home pay, and the candidate should see it now. - **Probation**: 6 months - Good practicebecause confirmation, notice and some leave rules turn on it. - **Notice period**: 15 days during probation, 30 days after confirmation - Good practicebecause an exit is calmer when the notice was agreed before day one. - **Conditions**: Please bring your PAN, bank details and UAN on your first day. We see each original and hand it back the same day. - Good practicebecause a condition not written down cannot fairly be relied on later. - **Offer valid until**: Wed 12 Aug 2026 - Core termbecause an offer with no deadline stays open indefinitely. Your letter of appointment, with the full terms of your employment, will be issued on or before your date of joining. This offer lapses if it is not accepted by the date above. With best wishes, Meenal Joshi Founder, for Paiteq Technologies Acceptance I accept this offer on the terms above and will join on the date agreed. Candidate's signature Name Date Paiteq Technologies [Registered address] · [Phone or email] - **Ref**: [Reference number] - **Date**: [Date of the offer] [Candidate's full name] [Address] Subject: Offer of employment Dear [First name], We are pleased to offer you the position below at [Company name]. Please read the terms, then sign and return a copy by the date below to accept. The offer - **Position**: [Designation], [Department] - Core termbecause the candidate is deciding on a job, not a salary; name the role and the team. - **Reports to**: [Manager's name, designation] - Good practicebecause 'who will I work for' is the first question after pay. - **Place of work**: [Address of the workplace] - Core termbecause the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **Proposed date of joining**: [Date] - Core termbecause the candidate has to give notice elsewhere, and needs a date to count back from. - **Type of employment**: [Regular / Fixed-term, ending on (date)] - Core termbecause a fixed-term role should say so, with its end date, before anyone resigns for it. A fixed-term employee is eligible for gratuity after one year under the contract (MoLE FAQ, 16 Mar 2026, replies 14 and 19). - **Pay**: [Monthly total] a month ([annual total] a year): basic [₹], [each allowance and its amount]. [If you state CTC: CTC [₹] a year, including employer PF of [₹].] - Core termbecause a single CTC figure hides take-home. Show each component; if you quote CTC, show what the employer adds on top. - **Variable pay or bonus**: [None / How it is worked out, and when it is paid] - Optionalbecause a bonus without its rule becomes an argument. Say how it is worked out and when, or say none. Annual performance incentives are not wages for PF, ESI or gratuity. - **PF, ESI and benefits**: [Whether PF and ESI apply; any insurance or other benefit] - Good practicebecause whether PF and ESI apply changes take-home pay, and the candidate should see it now. - **Probation**: [Length] - 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 before day one. - **Conditions**: [Documents to bring; any background or reference check] - Good practicebecause a condition not written down cannot fairly be relied on later. - **Offer valid until**: [Date] - Core termbecause an offer with no deadline stays open indefinitely. Your letter of appointment, with the full terms of your employment, will be issued on or before your date of joining. This offer lapses if it is not accepted by the date above. With best wishes, [Name of the signatory] [Designation], for [Company name] Acceptance I accept this offer on the terms above and will join on the date agreed. Candidate's signature Name Date Good practice; no Labour Code requires an offer letter · the appointment letter is required under 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 an offer that answers the questions saves a second round of emails. ## What to write in each field. No law fixes an offer letter's contents. These are the terms a candidate needs before resigning elsewhere, in the order they ask. - **01Position**: Core term because the candidate is deciding on a job, not a salary; name the role and the team. - **02Place of work**: Core term because the state of work decides professional tax, holidays and which state rules apply. - **03Proposed date of joining**: Core term because the candidate has to give notice elsewhere, and needs a date to count back from. - **04Type of employment**: Core term because a fixed-term role should say so, with its end date, before anyone resigns for it. A fixed-term employee is eligible for gratuity after one year under the contract (MoLE FAQ, 16 Mar 2026, replies 14 and 19). - **05Pay**: Core term because a single CTC figure hides take-home. Show each component; if you quote CTC, show what the employer adds on top. - **06Offer valid until**: Core term because an offer with no deadline stays open indefinitely. - **07Reports to**: Good practice because 'who will I work for' is the first question after pay. - **08PF, ESI and benefits**: Good practice because whether PF and ESI apply changes take-home pay, and the candidate should see it now. - **09Probation**: Good practice because confirmation, notice and some leave rules turn on it. - **10Notice period**: Good practice because an exit is calmer when the notice was agreed before day one. - **11Conditions**: Good practice because a condition not written down cannot fairly be relied on later. - **12Variable pay or bonus**: Optional because a bonus without its rule becomes an argument. Say how it is worked out and when, or say none. Annual performance incentives are not wages for PF, ESI or gratuity. No. 02 The rule --- because the offer proposes and the appointment letter records. ## What is the difference between an offer letter and an appointment letter? An offer letter comes first: it proposes the role, pay and joining date, and lapses if not accepted. The appointment letter follows, on or before day one, and records the agreed terms. The OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), in force since 21 Nov 2025, requires the appointment letter for establishments with 10 or more workers; the offer letter is good practice. - **Offer letter**: good practice because it gets the role, pay and date agreed before the candidate resigns elsewhere. No Labour Code requires it. - **Appointment letter**: required from 21 Nov 2025 because Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f) requires one for each employee, in the prescribed form, for establishments with 10 or more workers. - **Which comes first**: the offer because the appointment letter records what the offer proposed and the candidate accepted. Paiteq's sample offer was accepted on Mon 10 Aug; the appointment letter followed on Mon 31 Aug 2026. - **If they disagree**: fix it before day one because the appointment letter should match the accepted offer line for line; a change needs the person's written agreement. No. 03 Questions answered --- because each answer should stand on its own when it is quoted. ## What should an offer letter include? The role and team, the manager, the place of work, the proposed joining date, the type of employment, pay broken into its components, probation, notice, any conditions, and the date the offer lapses. The full terms go in the [letter of appointment](https://lekhahr.in/resources/appointment-letter-format/) that follows; [employee onboarding in LekhaHR](https://lekhahr.in/employee-onboarding-software/) carries the accepted offer into day one. ## Is an offer letter mandatory in India? No Labour Code requires an offer letter. It is good practice, because it puts the role, pay and joining date in writing before the candidate resigns elsewhere. The legal duty is the [appointment letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/appointment-letter-format/): under the OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f), from 21 Nov 2025, for establishments with 10 or more workers. ## How long is an offer letter valid? As long as the date written on it. Give the candidate enough time to decide, and always state the date the offer lapses; the sample gives seven days, and the candidate accepted on the fifth. Once accepted, the new joiner signs a [joining report](https://lekhahr.in/resources/joining-letter-format/) on the first day. No. 04 Common mistakes --- because the offer is the first promise the company puts in writing. ## Five ways an offer letter goes wrong. Most of them surface on the first payday. - **01Only a CTC figure**: because the candidate can't see take-home, or which parts are wages for PF and ESI. Break the pay into its components. - **02No lapse date**: because an offer with no deadline stays open indefinitely, and you can't move to the next candidate. - **03Treating the offer as the appointment letter**: because an offer rarely carries everything the appointment letter must record. Issue both. - **04Promises that aren't written down**: because a bonus, a review date or a remote-work arrangement mentioned on a call and left out of the letter becomes a dispute later. - **05An appointment letter that doesn't match**: because the terms the person accepted are the terms they expect on day one. No. 05 Questions --- because the candidate reads the offer more carefully than anyone who wrote it. ## Questions about offer letters ### Who should sign an offer letter? Someone with authority to hire, usually the founder, a director or the HR head, with their name and designation. Use the company letterhead, a reference number and the date of the offer, so the candidate knows who made it and the appointment letter can refer back to it. ### Can an offer letter be revised after it is sent? Before acceptance, yes: issue a revised offer, dated and marked as replacing the first, so only one offer is open. Once the candidate has accepted, a change needs the person's written agreement, and the appointment letter should record the terms as finally agreed. ### What happens after the candidate accepts the offer? The appointment letter follows, on or before the joining date, with the full terms in the prescribed format. On the first day the new joiner signs a joining report, and HR records the joining date and employee code. Keep the accepted offer on file with its date. ### Is there an offer letter format in Word? Yes. Download the blank offer letter as a Word (.docx) file, with no email and no sign-up, and put it on your letterhead. You can also copy the text from this page, or print the page to PDF. The filled sample shows every field completed for one joiner. ### Should an offer letter state CTC or monthly pay? Monthly pay, broken into its components, and CTC too if you use it. Show employer PF, any gratuity provision and any annual performance bonus as separate lines. Annual performance incentives are not wages under the Labour Codes (MoLE FAQ, 16 Mar 2026), and gratuity in CTC is not paid monthly. A CTC figure on its own hides all of this. ### Can the offer letter be sent by email? Yes. Most offers are emailed as a PDF and accepted with a signed copy or a written reply. Keep the accepted copy on file with its date, because the appointment letter that follows should match what was offered, line for line. Invitation ## Available by invitation. In LekhaHR the offer starts onboarding: the candidate accepts on a private link, and the appointment letter is issued from the same terms before day one. [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.