Free template · Word and PDF · updated 30 Sep 2026

Relieving letter format, issued on the last day.

A relieving letter on letterhead, filled in here for Sanjay Mishra, who left Paiteq on Fri 25 Sep 2026, and blank below 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

Ref: PTQ/REL/2026/012
Date: Fri 25 Sep 2026

Sanjay MishraPTQ-0087Bengaluru, Karnataka

Subject: Relieving letter

Dear Sanjay,

This refers to your resignation dated Wed 26 Aug 2026. We have accepted it, and you are relieved from the services of Paiteq Technologies at the close of business on Fri 25 Sep 2026.

Your exit

Designation: Accounts Executive, Finance; Core factbecause the next employer matches it to the experience letter and the offer they made.
Date of joining: 6 Mar 2023; Core factbecause the relieving letter and the experience letter should give the same dates.
Resignation received: Wed 26 Aug 2026; Core factbecause it fixes when the notice period started.
Notice period: 30 days; served in full; Core factbecause the next employer wants to know the notice was settled, one way or another. Say how.
Last working day: Fri 25 Sep 2026; Core factbecause it is the date the person is free to join elsewhere, and the date the F&F clock starts.
Full and final settlement: Due by Tue 29 Sep 2026; statement enclosed; Good practicebecause wages due on exit are paid within 2 working days of the last day under the Code on Wages, and the person will ask.

Your experience letter is enclosed.

Please keep this letter with your records; your next employer may ask to see it.

With best wishes,

Meenal JoshiFounder, for Paiteq Technologies

Paiteq Technologies

[Registered address] · [Phone or email]

Ref: [Reference number]
Date: [Date of issue, the last working day]

[Employee's full name][Employee code][Address]

Subject: Relieving letter

Dear [First name],

This refers to your resignation dated [date]. We have accepted it, and you are relieved from the services of [Company name] at the close of business on [last working day].

Your exit

Designation: [Designation], [Department]; Core factbecause the next employer matches it to the experience letter and the offer they made.
Date of joining: [Date]; Core factbecause the relieving letter and the experience letter should give the same dates.
Resignation received: [Date]; Core factbecause it fixes when the notice period started.
Notice period: [Days]; [served in full / waived / partly served, with the balance (paid in lieu of notice / waived)]; Core factbecause the next employer wants to know the notice was settled, one way or another. Say how.
Last working day: [Date]; Core factbecause it is the date the person is free to join elsewhere, and the date the F&F clock starts.
Full and final settlement: [Paid on (date) / Due by (date)]; statement enclosed; Good practicebecause wages due on exit are paid within 2 working days of the last day under the Code on Wages, and the person will ask.

Your experience letter is enclosed.

[Optional: any obligation in your appointment letter that continues after you leave, such as confidentiality.]

With best wishes,

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

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

Common practice; no Labour Code requires a relieving letter of a small employer · wages due on exit within 2 working days, Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2), from 21 Nov 2025 · reviewed 30 Sep 2026

No. 01

Field by field

because the next employer reads it to see the person is free to join.

What to write in each field.

A relieving letter records how the employment ended. Each field is a date or a fact the next employer may ask about. For a termination or a fixed-term end, change the first sentence to say how the employment ended.

01Designation: Core fact

because the next employer matches it to the experience letter and the offer they made.

02Date of joining: Core fact

because the relieving letter and the experience letter should give the same dates.

03Resignation received: Core fact

because it fixes when the notice period started.

04Notice period: Core fact

because the next employer wants to know the notice was settled, one way or another. Say how.

05Last working day: Core fact

because it is the date the person is free to join elsewhere, and the date the F&F clock starts.

06Full and final settlement: Good practice

because wages due on exit are paid within 2 working days of the last day under the Code on Wages, and the person will ask.

No. 02

The rule

because the letter is practice, and the money has a deadline.

Is a relieving letter mandatory in India?

No Labour Code requires a relieving letter of a small employer. Standing orders in establishments with 300 or more workers call for a service certificate. In practice the next employer usually asks for one, so issue it on the last working day. The wages due on exit have their own rule: within 2 working days, under the Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2), from 21 Nov 2025.

Small employer: not required by a Code

because none of the four Labour Codes asks a small employer for a relieving letter.

300 or more workers: service certificate

because standing orders in establishments with 300 or more workers call for a service certificate.

Wages due on exit: within 2 working days

because Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2) requires them within 2 working days of the last day, whether the person resigned or was removed. Sanjay's were due by Tue 29 Sep 2026.

Recoveries: within 50% of wages

because a deduction for an item not returned is allowed only as Code on Wages, 2019, s.18 (deductions which may be made from wages) lists, after the employee is heard, and all deductions together stay within 50% of wages.

No. 03

Common mistakes

because a late relieving letter can cost someone their next job.

Five ways a relieving letter goes wrong.

Most start with holding the letter back for something else.

01Holding it for clearances

because an ID card or laptop still out is a recovery to raise separately. The letter and the wages go ahead on their dates.

02The wrong last day

because the last working day is the day the notice ended or was waived, not the day the resignation arrived.

03Silence on the notice period

because the next employer wants to know it was served, waived or paid out. Say which.

04Dates that differ from the experience letter

because two letters from one company with two different dates make both look wrong.

05Paying the F&F on a 30- or 45-day cycle

because since 21 Nov 2025 the wages due on exit are paid within 2 working days of the last day.

No. 04

Questions

because the relieving letter is the last thing the company hands over.

Questions about relieving letters

What should a relieving letter include?

The employee's name, code and designation, the date you received the resignation, the notice period and how it was settled, the last working day, and a line saying they are relieved from that date. Many letters also say when the full and final settlement is paid, and enclose the experience letter.

Is a relieving letter the same as an experience letter?

No. The relieving letter is addressed to the employee and confirms that the resignation was accepted and the date they were released. The experience letter certifies their role and length of service to whoever reads it. Most employers issue both on the last day, often in one envelope.

Can we hold the relieving letter until a laptop or ID card is returned?

We'd advise against it. An item not returned is a recovery to raise separately, and it can be deducted from wages only as the Code on Wages, s.18 allows, after the employee is heard, within the 50% limit on deductions. The wages due on exit are not held for it either.

When should the relieving letter be issued?

On the last working day, once the notice period is served, waived or paid out. If the last day moves, issue the letter on the new date. Tying it to clearances delays a document the person needs to join their next employer, and gives you nothing a recovery wouldn't.

What if the employee didn't serve the full notice?

Record it as it happened: the notice period, the days served, and whether the rest was waived or paid in lieu of notice as the appointment letter provides. If you set notice pay off against the F&F, get the employee's written agreement first: it is not one of the deductions the Code on Wages, s.18 allows from wages.

Is there a relieving letter format in Word or PDF?

Yes. Download the blank relieving 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 onto your letterhead. The filled sample shows the letter completed for one employee.

Invitation

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In LekhaHR the relieving letter waits only for the last day to be reached. Anything not returned becomes a recovery with its value on record, and the F&F is worked out with its due date.

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