Letter template
Appointment letter template
Issued on or shortly after joining, once the offer has been accepted and documents verified. It is the employment contract: designation, pay, probation, hours, leave, notice, confidentiality and how the relationship ends. The Labour Codes require every employer to give a written appointment letter, so this is now a compliance document as well as a record of terms.
Free to use and adapt. Not legal advice: have a lawyer check anything you rely on in a dispute.
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Letter of appointment
Date: Date of letter
To,
Employee name
Subject: Appointment as Designation
Dear Employee name,
Further to the offer accepted by you, we are pleased to appoint you as Designation in the Department department of Company name (the Company) on the terms and conditions set out below.
1. Commencement and place of work
Your employment commences on Date of joining. You will be based at Work location and may be transferred to any office, branch or client site of the Company in India on the same terms.
2. Reporting and duties
You will report to the Reporting to or any other person the Company designates, and will perform the duties assigned to you diligently and in the interest of the Company.
3. Remuneration
Your annual cost to company (CTC) will be Annual CTC; the breakup is at Annexure A. Salary is paid monthly in arrears by bank transfer, after deduction of provident fund, employee state insurance, professional tax and income tax as applicable. Revisions are at the Company’s discretion and will be communicated in writing.
4. Probation and confirmation
You will be on probation for Probation (months) months from Date of joining. The Company may extend probation in writing. You will be treated as a probationer until a letter of confirmation is issued. During probation, either party may end this appointment with Notice during probation (days) days’ written notice or salary in lieu.
5. Working hours and leave
Your normal working hours are Working hours, with a meal break. You may be required to work additional hours when the business needs it. Leave and holidays are governed by the Company’s leave policy and the holiday calendar published each year for your location.
6. Notice period after confirmation
After confirmation, either party may terminate this employment with Notice after confirmation (days) days’ written notice or salary in lieu of the unserved portion. The Company may waive all or part of the notice period at its discretion.
7. Confidentiality and intellectual property
You shall not, during or after employment, disclose or use any confidential information of the Company or its clients except as your work requires. All work product, inventions and materials created in the course of your employment belong to the Company.
8. Exclusivity
You will devote your full working time to the Company and will not take up any other employment, business or consultancy, paid or unpaid, without the Company’s prior written consent.
9. Termination
The Company may terminate your employment without notice for misconduct, breach of these terms, unauthorised absence or any false statement in your application, following the procedure required by applicable law. On separation you must return all Company property and complete the exit process before your full and final settlement is released.
10. Policies and governing law
You will be bound by the Company’s policies as amended from time to time, including those on conduct, leave, attendance and prevention of sexual harassment. This appointment is governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Courts with jurisdiction will have exclusive jurisdiction.
11. Acceptance
Please sign and return the duplicate copy of this letter as your acceptance of these terms. We welcome you to Company name and look forward to a long association.
Yours sincerely,
Signatory name
Signatory title
Company name
Acceptance by employee
I have read and understood the terms and conditions above and accept my appointment on these terms.
Employee name
Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________
What to get right
Issue it on the joining date, not months later. The Labour Codes require a written appointment letter for every employee, and a late letter is hard to enforce for the period before it.
Attach the CTC breakup as Annexure A and make sure it matches the offer letter and the first payslip. Basic, HRA, allowances and employer contributions should reconcile to the rupee.
Keep probation and notice terms consistent across the offer letter, this letter and the HR policy. Say what happens if no confirmation letter is issued when probation ends.
Do not rely on non-compete clauses after employment ends; Indian courts rarely enforce them. Confidentiality and intellectual property clauses, on the other hand, are enforceable and worth drafting well.
Get the duplicate copy signed and file it with the employee’s ID and address proof. The signed acceptance is your evidence that the employee agreed to these terms.
Questions people ask
Is an appointment letter mandatory in India?
Yes. The Labour Codes in force since November 2025 require every employer to issue a written appointment letter to each employee, and several state Shops and Establishments Acts already required it. Beyond compliance, the letter is the contract you will rely on for notice, confidentiality and termination, so it should be issued on the joining date and signed by both sides.
What is the difference between an offer letter and an appointment letter?
The offer letter comes first and is short: role, pay, joining date and an acceptance deadline. The appointment letter is issued on joining and sets out the full terms of employment, including duties, working hours, leave, notice, confidentiality and governing law. If the two differ, the later and more detailed appointment letter usually governs, so keep them consistent.
Can the probation period be extended?
It can, if the appointment letter allows it and the extension is communicated in writing before the original probation ends. Extensions should be for a fixed period and for a stated reason. If nothing is communicated and the employee continues working past the probation period, courts have often treated the employee as confirmed by conduct, so do not leave it open.
Is a non-compete clause enforceable in India?
A restriction that applies after employment ends is generally void under Section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, which treats agreements in restraint of trade as unenforceable. Restrictions during employment, such as exclusivity, and confidentiality obligations are treated differently and are generally enforceable. Draft those well rather than relying on a post-employment non-compete.
Usually issued alongside
All templates
In Kuzhu
In Kuzhu, this letter is generated from the employee record: names, dates and amounts fill themselves, the issued copy is filed against the person, and nobody retypes a CTC.
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