Eight ready formats covering the whole exit, from accepting the resignation to the final clearance. Copy the wording onto your letterhead, replace what is in brackets, and file a copy. Reviewed August 2026.
Each format sits on its own page, with every blank in square brackets and a note on when to use it.
Accept the resignation and fix the last working day in writing, then release the employee. Two relieving versions: one for when the settlement is done, one for when it is still running, so you never have to hold the letter back. See also loans and arrears at exit.
A short standard certificate for most roles, and a detailed version with scope and responsibilities for engineering, finance, sales and plant jobs where the next employer wants detail.
One letter carrying both halves, which is what most smaller companies actually issue. Written so it survives a background check instead of being sent back.
The plain statutory form, stating nature of work and period served with no opinion attached. This is the certificate the 2026 Model Standing Orders require within ten days of someone leaving.
A six-department clearance table to complete before anything is signed, plus a guide covering which letter to use when and an 11-point checklist. The leave encashment calculator covers the money side.
Attendo (formerly Petpooja Payroll) holds every joining date and last working day, so an exit letter is written from the record.
Someone resigns on good terms, works their notice, and hands over cleanly. Six weeks later they call, because the new employer's background check has stalled. The relieving letter you sent has no dates on it, so it does not count as proof of experience.
These two letters get treated as one document, and they are not. A relieving letter releases the employee and says from when. An experience letter says where they worked, in what role, for how long. A verification agency wants both, and will send back a letter that only does half the job.
The legal ground moved recently and most guidance has not caught up. The four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025, and the Model Standing Orders, 2026 followed on 8 May 2026. At establishments of 300 or more workers, where the standing orders chapter applies, they require a service certificate within ten days of separation, resignation included. Formats still citing the 1946 rules quote a dead provision.
A relieving letter as such is still not named in the codes, so for most roles that obligation comes from your own appointment letter. Which is exactly why the wording matters: what you write becomes the standard you are held to. A letter saying dues are settled, signed before the clearance is done, is a problem you created.
These eight formats cover the full exit, with the wording checked against the provisions above. When exits become routine, Attendo keeps the dates, designations and settlements in one place so the letters take minutes and say the right thing.
The decision table from the front of the file. Most exit paperwork goes wrong at this step, before a single word is written.
| Letter | What it proves | Issue it | Covers | Basis | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resignation Acceptance | Last working day agreed | On resigning | Every exit | Contract | 01 |
| Relieving Letter | Released, nothing pending | Last day | Every exit | Contract | 02, 03 |
| Experience Letter | Role, dates and conduct | Last day | Every exit | Contract | 04, 05 |
| Service Certificate | Nature of work, period served | Within 10 days | Workers, 300+ | Standing Orders 2026 | 07 |
| 8 formats | Plus a guide and an 11-point checklist | One PDF |
Wages due to an employee who resigns, or who is removed, dismissed or retrenched, are payable within two working days. Holding a relieving letter back does not pause that clock, which is why one of the formats releases the employee while the settlement runs.
Source: Section 17(2), Code on Wages, 2019The Model Standing Orders, 2026 require a service certificate to reach the employee within ten days of separation at establishments of 300 or more workers, and they cover resignation, not only dismissal. They replaced the 1946 rules on 8 May 2026. Format 07 is written to them.
Source: Model Standing Orders, 2026, S.O. 2312(E), under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020India's four labour codes came into force, replacing 29 central laws including the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. Most exit-letter formats online still cite that repealed Act by section number.
Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment, the four labour codesIt speeds up nothing. Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages makes wages due within two working days either way, so the deadline runs whether the letter has gone out or not. Release it and state the settlement date.
One releases the employee, the other records their service. A relieving letter with no dates is not proof of experience, and a background check will come back asking for the second document.
The dates on an experience letter are what an employee later relies on to prove continuous service, including for gratuity. Take them from the personnel file, and check the sums with the gratuity calculator.
"Outstanding performer" in the letter beside a poor appraisal in the file is a contradiction you may have to explain. Keep the wording factual and you never have to.
The relieving letter states that property was returned and dues were settled. Sign it first and you have committed to that in writing without knowing whether it is true.
A letter you cannot produce two years later is, as far as a verification agency is concerned, a letter you never issued. Number it, file it, and log the number.
A format found online, edited in a hurry on exit day
Eight formats, checked wording, one checklist
One PDF, eight formats, plus the pre-issue checklist. Short form, instant download.
Attendo, formerly Petpooja Payroll, is staff management software built by Petpooja for Indian businesses. 40,000+ businesses use it to run attendance, leaves, shifts, payroll and statutory compliance in one place, across manufacturing, corporate offices, hospitality, retail and education.
Every date already in the system. Nothing to look up, nothing to remember.
