What is a relieving letter?

A relieving letter is the company's written confirmation that the employee's resignation was accepted and that they are released from their duties from a stated date. New employers usually ask for it along with the experience letter.

Relieving letter or experience letter: which does the new employer need?

Usually both. The experience letter states the role and tenure. The relieving letter shows the employee left properly. A missing relieving letter is one of the common reasons for a stalled background check.

Can the employer withhold the relieving letter over notice or dues?

Many do, but it is a fast way to turn a dues dispute into a complaint. The better practice is to recover what the contract allows through full and final settlement and record any waiver. Take legal advice if the employee contests.

How soon must full and final be paid after resignation?

Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages provides that wages payable on resignation are to be paid within two working days. Sources differ on exactly when the two days start and which items count as wages; gratuity has its own 30-day timeline under the gratuity law. The Codes have been in force since 21 November 2025. Check the notification and your state's rules.

What if the employee did not serve the full notice?

Check the notice clause in the appointment letter. If the contract allows recovery, deduct the shortfall in full and final. If you choose to waive it, say so in the letter. The generator shows the shortfall and handles both cases.

Does the relieving letter say there are no dues?

Only if that is true. The generator writes a no-dues sentence only when you mark both the settlement and the asset return as complete. Otherwise it words the letter as subject to settlement, so you do not give up a claim by accident.

Free tool - India

Relieving letter format for India, with notice and dues checked first

A relieving letter is easy to write and easy to get wrong. This generator checks notice served, dues and assets before you issue it, words the letter to match, and gives an indicative full and final figure. Download as Word or PDF.

Built for HR teams and founders with 5 to 500 employees.

Check and create the relieving letter

Check before you issue

Enter the resignation date and last working day to check the notice period.
Company assets are not marked as returned.
Full and final is not marked as settled. The Code on Wages (Section 17(2)) expects wages due on resignation within two working days, so settle first if you can. Until then the letter says it is subject to settlement.

[Company name]

Date: 5 November 2026

To,
[Employee name]

Subject: Relieving letter

Dear [Employee name],

This is with reference to your resignation. We confirm that it has been accepted and that you are relieved from your duties as [Designation] with effect from the close of business hours on [last working day].

You joined the company on [date of joining].

This relieving is subject to the return of company property and the completion of your full and final settlement as per company policy.

Your obligations of confidentiality towards the company continue after the end of your employment.

We thank you for your contribution and wish you success in your future endeavours.

Yours sincerely,
For [Company name]

[Signatory name]
Head of HR

Nothing you type leaves your browser. Print the PDF on company letterhead and sign it. A template is not legal advice.

What most templates leave out

Six exit pitfalls in India

1. Full and final is now a two-day question

Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages, in force since 21 November 2025, provides that wages payable on resignation are paid within two working days. Many handbooks still say 30 to 45 days. Sources differ on when the two days start and which items count as wages, so settle fast and check the notification and your state rules.

2. A no-dues sentence issued too early

Writing that nothing is pending before the settlement is done can be read as giving up a claim. The generator only writes it when you tick both settlement and asset return.

3. Notice shortfall with no recorded decision

Resigning on 1 October 2026 with a 60-day notice and leaving on 15 November 2026 serves 45 days and is short by 15. On a gross of Rs 60,000 that is Rs 30,000 at the calendar-day rate. Either recover it where the contract allows or record the waiver. The generator makes you choose.

4. Leave and gratuity treated as part of the two days

Gratuity has its own timeline of 30 days under the gratuity law, and leave encashment follows your policy. Work them out separately with the gratuity calculator and the leave encashment calculator, then add them to the settlement.

5. Last working day, relieving date and PF exit date all different

Use the last working day everywhere: the letter, the final payslip and the exit date in the provident fund records. A mismatch is a common cause of failed verifications and delayed PF claims.

6. Holding the letter hostage

Refusing the relieving letter until the employee pays leads to complaints and rarely to payment. Recover through settlement, and keep the letter on its own track.

Worked example

What a short-notice exit looks like

Indicative full and final
Resigned 1 Oct 2026, last day 15 Nov 2026	45 of 60 days served
Pending salary (15 of 30 days)	Rs 30,000
Leave encashment (entered)	Rs 9,000
Notice recovery (15 days)	- Rs 30,000
Indicative net, before PF, PT and TDS	Rs 9,000

Indicative only. PF, professional tax and TDS still apply, and the calendar-day rate is one convention; use the one in your policy.

Next steps

Finish the exit properly

Issue the experience letter alongside this letter, and generate the last payslip with the salary slip generator. For the onboarding side, see the offer letter format. To keep leave balances and payroll in step, see leave management and payroll automation.

Got questions?

Relieving letter format: FAQs

Notice, dues, timing and withholding.

A relieving letter is the company's written confirmation that the employee's resignation was accepted and that they are released from their duties from a stated date. New employers usually ask for it along with the experience letter.
Usually both. The experience letter states the role and tenure. The relieving letter shows the employee left properly. A missing relieving letter is one of the common reasons for a stalled background check.
Many do, but it is a fast way to turn a dues dispute into a complaint. The better practice is to recover what the contract allows through full and final settlement and record any waiver. Take legal advice if the employee contests.
Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages provides that wages payable on resignation are to be paid within two working days. Sources differ on exactly when the two days start and which items count as wages; gratuity has its own 30-day timeline under the gratuity law. The Codes have been in force since 21 November 2025. Check the notification and your state's rules.
Check the notice clause in the appointment letter. If the contract allows recovery, deduct the shortfall in full and final. If you choose to waive it, say so in the letter. The generator shows the shortfall and handles both cases.
Only if that is true. The generator writes a no-dues sentence only when you mark both the settlement and the asset return as complete. Otherwise it words the letter as subject to settlement, so you do not give up a claim by accident.

Have more questions?

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