Letters

Relieving Letter & Experience Letter: Free Templates (Word & PDF)

A relieving letter confirms an employee's last working day and that all handover and settlement formalities are complete, while an experience letter (or experience certificate) confirms their role, tenure and responsibilities — most new employers ask for both. Download both free templates below.

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Relieving Letter vs. Experience Letter

These are two different documents, often confused for one another:

  • Relieving letter — confirms the employee has been formally relieved of duties as of their last working date, and that notice period, handover and final settlement are accounted for. This is what a new employer usually asks for as proof of a clean exit.
  • Experience letter / experience certificate — confirms the role, department, tenure and key responsibilities. This is what gets referenced for future job applications, visa processes, or background checks.

Many companies issue a single "relieving-cum-experience letter" combining both — the two templates here can be merged into one document if that's your practice; just make sure both the relieving confirmation and the role summary are present.

What Each Must Include

Relieving letter: employee name, ID, designation, department, joining and last working dates, notice period status, handover status, and final settlement status.

Experience letter: employee name, ID, designation, department, joining and last working dates, and a brief summary of key responsibilities and employment type.

How to Use These Templates

  1. Confirm handover and final settlement are actually complete before issuing the relieving letter — issuing it prematurely can create disputes if settlement is later contested
  2. Fill in the role summary on the experience letter honestly and specifically; vague descriptions are less useful to the employee and less credible to a future employer
  3. Issue both around the last working date, not weeks later — delays here are one of the most common employee complaints during offboarding

Disclaimer: this is a general template, not legal advice. Review it against your company policy and applicable law before use.

Related: Appointment Letter Template · Exit Interview Form · Employee Database Software

Frequently asked questions

A relieving letter confirms the employee's last working date and that handover and settlement are complete. An experience letter confirms their role, tenure and responsibilities. Many employers ask for both when hiring.

It's not a universal legal requirement, but most employers ask for one as proof that the employee's previous employment ended cleanly, and some verification processes depend on it.

Generally it shouldn't be withheld as leverage once notice period and settlement obligations are met — doing so can create a dispute. If there's a genuine unresolved issue (incomplete handover, pending recovery), document it rather than simply refusing.

A single combined document covering both the relieving confirmation and the experience/role summary. It's common at smaller companies that prefer issuing one document instead of two.

As close to the last working date as possible, ideally the same day once handover and settlement are confirmed. Significant delays are one of the most common exit-process complaints employees raise.

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