Free tool - India
Appointment letter format for India with the clauses that matter
Choose the clauses you need and the letter writes itself: probation and confirmation, notice, working hours, leave, transfer, confidentiality and a CTC annexure that adds up exactly. Download as Word or PDF. Nothing leaves your browser.
Built for HR teams and founders issuing letters to 5 to 500 people.
Create your appointment letter
[Company name]
Date: 6 November 2026
To,
[Employee name]
Subject: Letter of appointment as [Designation]
Dear [Employee name],
We are pleased to appoint you as [Designation] of [Company name], on the following terms and conditions.
1. Date of appointment and type. Your appointment is effective from [date of joining] and is permanent, subject to the terms of this letter.
2. Place of work and reporting. You will be based at [work location]. The company may transfer you, or change your role or reporting line, to any other location, department or group company in India where it operates, based on business needs.
3. Duties. You will perform the duties of your role and any other work reasonably assigned to you, and devote your full working time to the company.
4. Compensation. Your annual cost to company (CTC) is Rs 12,00,000, as set out in Annexure A, paid monthly after statutory deductions and tax deducted at source.
5. Probation and confirmation. You will be on probation for 3 months from the date of joining. The company may extend probation once, by up to 3 months, by written notice before probation ends. Confirmation is not automatic and takes effect only when the company confirms it in writing. During probation either party may end the employment with 15 days' written notice.
6. Working hours. Normal working hours are 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, including breaks as per company policy. You may be asked to work additional hours when the business needs it, subject to applicable law.
7. Leave. You are entitled to 12 days of casual leave, 12 days of sick leave and 15 days of paid or earned leave a year, as per the leave policy, and to public holidays declared by the company.
8. Statutory benefits. You will be covered by the provident fund, employee state insurance (where applicable) and gratuity, in each case as per the applicable law.
9. Confidentiality. You will keep the company's and its clients' confidential information confidential during and after your employment and will return all company materials when you leave.
10. Intellectual property. Work you create in the course of your employment, and the rights in it, belong to the company.
11. Exclusive service. During your employment you will not take up any other employment, consultancy or business without the company's prior written consent.
12. Conduct and policies. You will follow the company's code of conduct and policies as in force. Misconduct, a breach of this letter, or false information given at hiring can lead to disciplinary action, including termination, as per the law and policy.
13. Notice period. After confirmation, either party may end the employment with 60 days' written notice or pay of salary in lieu of the notice period.
14. Entire agreement and disputes. This letter, with Annexure A, is the full record of your terms of employment and replaces earlier discussions on these matters.
Please sign and return the duplicate copy as your acceptance of these terms.
Yours sincerely,
For [Company name]
[Signatory name]
Head of HR
I have read and accept the above terms.
Name: [Employee name] Signature: ____________ Date: ____________
Annexure A - Compensation structure
| Component | Monthly (Rs) | Annual (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 50,000 | 6,00,000 |
| House Rent Allowance (HRA) | 20,000 | 2,40,000 |
| Special Allowance | 24,595 | 2,95,140 |
| Employer PF contribution | 3,000 | 36,000 |
| Gratuity (provision) | 2,405 | 28,860 |
| Total CTC | 1,00,000 | 12,00,000 |
Take-home pay is lower than gross because of employee PF, professional tax and income tax. Employer PF and gratuity are part of CTC but are not paid in the monthly salary.
Nothing you type leaves your browser. State laws set minimums for working hours and leave, so check your state rules before you finalise. A template is not legal advice. Check take-home with the in-hand salary calculator.
Where appointment letters cause disputes
Six clauses to get right
1. Calling the offer letter an appointment letter
An offer is conditional and incomplete. An appointment letter carries the full terms. Issue it on or before the joining date so the employee never works without written terms, which is also what government communication on the Labour Codes points towards.
2. Probation with no extension wording
If you may want to extend probation, say so in the letter: once, by a stated maximum, by written notice before it ends. The generator adds that wording and states that confirmation is never automatic, so silence cannot be read as confirmation.
3. A one-way notice period
If the company can pay in lieu of notice, give the employee the same option or say plainly that they cannot. A letter that is lopsided here is the commonest source of exit disputes.
4. A training bond that looks like a penalty
Courts tend to enforce reasonable compensation tied to a real cost, not a flat penalty. Cap the recovery at the actual training spend and reduce it for time served. The generator only writes the clause when you give an amount.
5. Variable pay written as guaranteed
If part of CTC is variable, the letter should say it is paid at target under the plan, not guaranteed. Otherwise the whole CTC reads as fixed.
6. Hours and leave below the state minimum
State laws set minimums for working hours and leave. The defaults in the form are editable placeholders, not statutory figures. Set them from your state rules and your own policy before you issue the letter.
Which clauses do you need
A short guide
| Probation and confirmation | Always. Say who confirms, in what form, and whether it can be extended. |
|---|---|
| Notice period | Always. Say what each side may do instead: pay in lieu, or an agreed early release. |
| Transfer and role change | When you have more than one location or group company. |
| Confidentiality and IP | Any role touching client data, code, designs or processes. |
| Training bond | Only where you pay for real training. Tie it to actual cost and reduce it with time served. |
| Variable pay | Whenever part of CTC is not fixed. Say it is not guaranteed and name the plan. |
| Working hours and leave | Always. State laws set minimums, so check them before you fix the numbers. |
Know the difference
Offer, appointment and joining letters
| Offer letter | Before joining. Proposes the role and pay, usually conditional on checks. |
|---|---|
| Appointment letter | On or after joining. The full terms of employment, signed by both sides. |
| Joining letter | Written by the employee to confirm they have reported for duty. |
Still at the offer stage? Use the offer letter format. At the other end, the relieving letter and experience letter close the file.
Next steps
After the letter is signed
Record the joining letter on day one. Start payroll with the salary sheet format in Excel, issue the first payslip with the salary slip generator, and set up leave with leave management. To automate attendance and payroll together, see payroll automation.
Got questions?
Appointment letter format: FAQs
Contents, probation, bonds and mandatory status.
- It is the letter that records the full terms of employment: role, location, pay, probation, working hours, leave, notice and other conditions. It is issued on or after joining and is signed by both sides.
- An offer letter proposes the job before joining and is usually conditional on background checks. An appointment letter confirms the job and records the full terms. Some small companies combine them; if so, name the document accordingly and make sure it carries all the terms.
- Government communication on the Labour Codes says appointment letters are to be given to workers. The detail depends on the rules notified for your state and your type of establishment, so check what applies to you. In any case it is the best protection both sides have.
- Only if the letter says so. State that probation may be extended once, by a maximum period, by written notice before it ends. Without that wording an open-ended extension is hard to defend.
- Courts generally allow reasonable compensation connected to a genuine cost the employer incurred, not a penalty. Keep the amount to the real training cost and reduce it for time served. Get legal advice before including one.
- A standard employment letter is generally not executed on stamp paper, but stamp duty rules vary by state and by the type of document. Check with your adviser if the letter includes a bond or similar obligations.
More free tools
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Related to hr letters, and the rest of the toolkit.
- Offer letter formatOffer letter with a CTC annexure that adds up.
- Joining letter formatJoining letter, confirmation and day-one checklist.
- Experience letter formatFacts-only letter with exact tenure.
- Relieving letter formatChecks notice and dues before you issue it.
- Salary slip generatorPDF and Excel payslips with PF, ESI, PT and LOP.
- Attendance sheet format in ExcelMonthly register that calculates LOP and paid days.
Want every letter issued from one template with signatories managed centrally? Zeba's hiring module generates offer letters from your templates; talk to us about the rest of the employee lifecycle.