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)Request an invite

Paiteq Technologies

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Ref: PTQ/OFFER/2026/031
Date: Wed 5 Aug 2026

Bhavna ChoudharyBengaluru, 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 JoshiFounder, for Paiteq Technologies

Acceptance

I accept this offer on the terms above and will join on the date agreed.

Candidate's signatureNameDate

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 signatureNameDate

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

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

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. 04

Questions

because the candidate reads the offer more carefully than anyone who wrote it.

Questions about offer letters

Is an offer letter mandatory in India?

No Labour Code requires an offer letter. It is good practice: it puts the role, pay and joining date in writing before the candidate resigns elsewhere. What the OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(f) requires, since 21 Nov 2025, is a letter of appointment, for establishments with 10 or more workers.

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. Keep it short: the full terms of employment go in the appointment letter that follows.

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.

How long should an offer stay open?

Long enough for the candidate to decide, and always with a date. A deadline stops an offer from staying open indefinitely, and lets you move to the next candidate if this one declines. The sample gives seven days, and the candidate accepted on the fifth.

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 See onboarding

because a letter issued from the record never disagrees with it.