Letter template
Offer letter template
Sent once the candidate has accepted verbally and before the appointment letter is issued. It records the role, the pay, the joining date and the conditions attached, and asks for a signed acceptance by a fixed date so the position is not held open indefinitely. Keep it short; the detailed terms belong in the appointment letter.
Free to use and adapt. Not legal advice: have a lawyer check anything you rely on in a dispute.
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Offer of employment
Date: Date of letter
To,
Candidate name
Subject: Offer of employment as Designation
Dear Candidate name,
Further to your application and the discussions that followed, we are pleased to offer you the position of Designation in the Department department of Company name. You will be based at our Work location office and will report to the Reporting to.
Your date of joining will be Joining date. Please report to the Human Resources team on that date with the documents listed below.
Compensation
Your annual cost to company (CTC) will be Annual CTC. The breakup of your CTC, including basic salary, allowances, statutory contributions and any variable component, is enclosed as Annexure A. Salary is paid monthly by bank transfer after statutory deductions such as provident fund, professional tax and income tax where applicable.
Probation and notice
You will be on probation for Probation (months) months from your date of joining. On satisfactory completion, your employment will be confirmed in writing. During probation, either party may end the employment with Notice during probation (days) days’ written notice. After confirmation, the notice period will be as set out in your appointment letter.
Conditions of this offer
This offer is subject to:
Verification of the documents you submit, including educational certificates, previous employment records and identity proof.
A satisfactory background and reference check.
Your being medically fit for the role.
Your not being bound by any restriction from a previous employer that would prevent you from taking up this employment.
Any false statement or material omission in your application may result in this offer being withdrawn or your employment being terminated.
Documents to bring on joining
Educational certificates and mark sheets (originals for verification and one set of copies).
Relieving letter and last three months’ payslips from your previous employer, if applicable.
PAN card, Aadhaar card and two passport-size photographs.
Bank account details for salary credit and your UAN, if you have one.
Acceptance
Please confirm your acceptance by signing the duplicate copy of this letter and returning it to us by Accept by. If we do not hear from you by then, this offer will lapse. A detailed appointment letter setting out the full terms and conditions of employment will be issued on joining.
We look forward to welcoming you to Company name.
Yours sincerely,
Signatory name
Signatory title
Company name
Acceptance by candidate
I, Candidate name, accept the above offer of employment on the terms stated and confirm that I will join on Joining date.
Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________
What to get right
State the CTC and attach the breakup as an annexure. A bare number invites a dispute on the first payslip when the in-hand amount is lower than the candidate expected.
Put a clear acceptance deadline on the letter. Without one you may hold a position open for weeks while the candidate weighs other offers.
Match the probation period and notice period to the appointment letter that follows. Two documents with different terms leave you arguing about which one applies.
Keep the offer conditional on document verification and background checks, and say so plainly. It gives you a clean basis to withdraw if the checks fail.
Have an authorised signatory sign it, and keep the signed acceptance on the employee’s file. An unsigned or unreturned offer is the first thing a dispute will turn on.
Questions people ask
Is an offer letter legally binding in India?
Once the candidate accepts it, an offer letter generally forms a contract on the terms it states, so both sides are bound by them. Employers usually keep it conditional on verification and background checks so that it can be withdrawn if those fail. Keep the terms consistent with the appointment letter that follows, because inconsistencies are what end up in dispute.
What is the difference between an offer letter and an appointment letter?
The offer letter is short and comes first: role, pay, joining date, a few conditions and an acceptance deadline. The appointment letter is issued on or after joining and sets out the full terms of employment, including duties, leave, confidentiality, termination and governing law. Under the Labour Codes, a written appointment letter is now required for every employee.
Can a company withdraw an offer letter after it is accepted?
It can if the offer was conditional and a condition was not met, for example a failed document verification. Withdrawing an unconditional, accepted offer without cause can expose the company to a claim for damages, though such claims are rare in practice. Say clearly in the letter what the offer depends on, and act on those conditions promptly.
Should the offer letter mention probation and notice period?
Yes, briefly. Candidates want to know both before they resign from their current job, and stating them in the offer avoids a surprise in the appointment letter. Keep the wording short here and give the full detail, including what happens on confirmation, in the appointment letter.
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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