Relieving letter format: fill it in, download the PDF.

A relieving letter accepts the employee’s resignation, by its date, and relieves them of their duties from the close of business on their last working day. It lists their particulars and the reason for leaving, and says the settlement follows separately. Fill yours in and download it as a PDF.

New to this? Tap ⓘ beside anything for a plain-English explanation, or read the words used here.

The company

Company name

The employee

Employee’s name

The exit

Resignation date

Last working day

Fine-tune (optional)Address and signatory, the letter’s date, employee code, designation, department, date of joining, and the reason for leaving.

Company address

Signed by

Their title

Letter date

Reason for leaving

Employee code

Designation

Department

Date of joining

The letter could also say

· Add the company’s address and it will print under the name.
· Add who signs for the company and the letter will name them.

For the PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window. The Word file is yours to edit.

Your Company Pvt Ltd

Relieving letter

30 September 2026

Employee name

Subject: Relieving letter

Dear Employee name,

This refers to your resignation dated 31 August 2026. Your resignation has been accepted, and you have been relieved of your duties with Your Company Pvt Ltd with effect from the close of business on 30 September 2026.

Name	Employee name
Designation	Sales executive
Date of joining	5 June 2023
Last working day	30 September 2026
Reason for leaving	Resignation

Your full and final settlement will be made separately, in accordance with your terms of employment and the law.

We thank you for your contribution and wish you every success.

This letter confirms that you are relieved of your duties. It does not state your settlement, which is issued separately as a full and final statement.

For Your Company Pvt Ltd

Authorised signatory

Read it through before it is signed. It confirms the relieving only; the settlement goes in its own statement.

Worded exactly as the relieving letters Facto Lite issues. Nothing you type leaves this page — the PDF is made by your own browser.

Read the guide: Experience Letter vs Relieving Letter, Explained →

How it is worked out

The working, step by step.

Put the company’s name and address at the top, with the date of the letter — usually the last working day.
Address it to the employee by name.
Refer to their resignation and its date, say it has been accepted, and that they are relieved of their duties from the close of business on the last working day.
If the letter is issued before the last working day, say they will be relieved on it, not that they have been.
Set out the particulars in a table: name, employee code, designation, department, date of joining, last working day and the reason for leaving.
Say the full and final settlement will be made separately, and thank them for their work.
Sign it for the company and download it as a PDF.

Worked examples

The same sum, on real figures.

What a relieving letter must say

Particular
The resignation and its date
Why it matters
“Your resignation dated …” is the sentence a next employer checks.
Particular
Last working day
Why it matters
Employment ends at the close of business on it, and the settlement is worked out to it.
Particular
Reason for leaving
Why it matters
Resignation, end of contract, retirement or ended by the employer — stated once, in the table.
Particular
Name, code and designation
Why it matters
Who is being relieved, as the company’s records have them.
Particular
Date of joining
Why it matters
With the last working day, the length of service.
Particular
The settlement follows
Why it matters
It does not state the dues, which are often still being worked out on the day it is issued.

What a relieving letter must say
Particular	Why it matters
The resignation and its date	“Your resignation dated …” is the sentence a next employer checks.
Last working day	Employment ends at the close of business on it, and the settlement is worked out to it.
Reason for leaving	Resignation, end of contract, retirement or ended by the employer — stated once, in the table.
Name, code and designation	Who is being relieved, as the company’s records have them.
Date of joining	With the last working day, the length of service.
The settlement follows	It does not state the dues, which are often still being worked out on the day it is issued.

Words used here

Every term, in plain words.

What each field and each line of the result means, where to find it, and what to do if you do not know it.

Last working day

The last day the employee worked, after any notice period was served. Employment ends at the close of business that day, and the settlement is worked out to it.

Issued before this day, the letter says the employee will be relieved at the close of business on it; issued on or after it, that they have been.

Resignation date

The day the employee handed in their resignation. The letter refers to “your resignation dated …” and says it has been accepted — the sentence a next employer checks.

Reason for leaving

Why the employment ended: a resignation, the end of a fixed-term contract, retirement, or termination by the employer. The letter prints it in the table of particulars.

A relieving letter is not issued for an employee who died in service or who left without notice and never returned.

Designation

The job title the employee held when they left. Leave it blank and the letter leaves the line out.

Date of joining

The first day the employee worked for the company. Service, probation, gratuity and leave all run from it.

Take it from the appointment letter or the first payslip, not from the offer letter — the day someone actually joined can differ from the day proposed.

Employee code

The number or code the company knows the employee by, such as “EMP014”. A next employer or a bank matches it against the company’s records, so print it if you use one.

Authorised signatory

The person who signs for the company — usually a director, a partner, the proprietor or the HR head. Their name and title print above the signature line.

Questions

Asked often, answered here.

What is the difference between a relieving letter and an experience letter?

A relieving letter says the employee has been relieved of their duties; an experience letter says how long they worked and in which roles. Many employers give both on the last working day. A next employer usually asks for the relieving letter as proof that the last job has ended.

When is a relieving letter issued?

On the last working day, once the notice period is served. It can be issued earlier, during the notice period — it then says the employee will be relieved at the close of business on the last working day.

Does a relieving letter include the full and final settlement?

No. It says the settlement will be made separately. The settlement is its own statement: the last month’s salary, leave encashment, gratuity and any notice pay or recovery.

Is a relieving letter given when an employee is terminated?

It can be — it states the reason for leaving as it is. The same letter covers a resignation, the end of a contract, a retirement and an exit ended by the employer. Only a resignation is referred to by its date.

Who signs a relieving letter?

Whoever signs for the company — a director, a partner, the proprietor or the HR head — on the company’s letterhead. Their name and title print above the signature line.

More free tools

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Facto Lite issues the relieving letter from the exit you record — the resignation date, the last working day and the reason for leaving. See Payroll.

Exits, settled and on paper.

Sixty days of Facto Lite free, no card. Record the exit once, and the relieving letter, the experience letter and the full and final settlement all read the same dates.

Start free See Payroll