What is a Relieving letter?

Before we get in into learning how to draft a relieving letter template, let us first discuss what is a relieving letter? When an employee decides to resign from an organization he or she receives what is called a relieving letter. A relieving letter is an official document issued by an organization responding to such a  resignation letter. It signifies being officially relieved from duties and responsibilities of the job or role in the organization. It is also proof that the employee is not withholding any company property or internal data. The relieving letter is issued and signed by the authorized representative, usually the HR manager, of the organization after the completion of the notice period.

Why is Relieving Letter Important?

A relieving letter is one of the most essential and authentic documents for any job applicant. It keeps track of the employee’s work history and contains relevant details such as the joining date, CTC details, last working day, etc. for future employers. In the formal sector, it is illegal for a person to hold more than one job at a time. In order to prevent such an offence, a relieving letter is issued as proof of resignation from a previous job. Job applicants are often demanded by their prospective employers to produce a relieving letter template. Failing to provide a valid relieving letter from the previous employers might get your application rejected. 

What details need to be mentioned in a relieving letter template?

Relieving letters are important documents for both the employee and the organization. it contains critical information therefore, it should be concise and accurate. The details which are mandatory to be included in the relieving letter template are as follows. 

1. The date of the issuance of the letter should be mentioned clearly in the relieving letter template to avoid any conflicts.
2. Full and proper personal details of the employee such as Name, Designation, Employee ID, Organization etc. should be included relieving letter template.
3. A clear subject line stating ‘relieving letter’ should be included in the relieving letter template.
4. The body should state the acceptance of the resignation and the final settlement along with the letter should correctly state the date of resignation and the date from which the employee is relieved from work.
5. The employer can also mention a sentence of appreciation for the employee in the relieving letter template.
6. Conclusion and signature of the authorities along with name and designation should also be mentioned in the relieving letter template.

How to request a relieving letter?

Once a person applies for resignation and completes his or her notice period they naturally receive the relieving letter along with the other essential documents. But what to do if the employer is not providing a relieving or experience letter? 

1. Send the designated authority a professional email requesting to issue the same.
2. Send reminders if there is no response.
3. Mark cc: marking a cc to a significant someone in the organisation can fasten the process
4. As a last resort physically visit your employer to discuss any pending formalities or duties and sort out the issues
5. If nothing works, request your new employer to accept payslips, offer letters or bank statements as proof in place of a relieving letter. 

Here are some further steps that can be taken if your current employer is delaying the relieving letter

Some Important points to keep in mind while drafting a relieving letter template

1. Since it is an official document, the letter should be issued on the letterhead of the organization. 
2. Use “To Whomsoever It May Concern” to address the letter unless a name is provided by the employee. 
3. The Relieving Letter should surely state the acceptance of the resignation.
4. The position or role held by the employee should be clearly mentioned.
5. The letter should be simple and professional. avoid using slang or heavy jargon. 
6. Try evading usage of abbreviations. if necessary only use well known, common abbreviations.
7. The tone of the letter should be formal.
8. work done by the employee should be acknowledged.

Relieving Letter Format

Date

To,

Employee Name

Address Line 

City, State, PIN

Subject: Relieving Letter

Dear (Name)/ To whomsoever it may concern,

Body_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Salutation

HR (Name)

Designation

Signature

Relieving Letter Template

Date:

To,

Employee Name

Designation

Address Line 

City, State, PIN

Subject: Relieving Letter

Dear____,

This is with reference to the resignation letter submitted by you on the date ______. We would like to inform you that our management has accepted your resignation and that you shall be relieved from your duties as __(designation)__ with __(company name)___effective from ___(date)___.

You will receive your final settlement within___(Duration)___. We highly appreciate all the contributions you have made in favour of the organization and we wish you good luck in your future endeavours.

Regards,

HR Manager (Name)

(Designation)

(Signature)

Relieving Letter Sample

Request for Relieving Letter

Relieving Letter Format

To,

Name,

HR Department

Date

Subject: Request for Issuing of a Relieving Letter

Dear (Name),

Body________________________________________

Salutation

Kind Regards,

(Name)

Relieving Letter Template

To,

Name,

HR Department

Date:

Subject: Request for Issuing of a Relieving Letter

Sir/Madam,

I, ____(Name)_____, resigned from__(Company name)__ on__(Date)__ and have completed all the formalities and pending work. Furthermore, I have served the __(Duration)__ notice period and my last working day was on __(date)__. 

I would request you to issue a relieving letter at the earliest as I have to submit it to the new organisation which I have joined. I would be highly obliged if you consider the matter and issue the letter at the earliest.

Kind Regards,

(Your Name)

Relieving Letter Sample

FAQs

Is a resignation acceptance letter the same as a relieving letter?

No, a Resignation acceptance letter and a Relieving letter are two different letters. Both are mutually exclusive. Not all organisations issue a resignation acceptance letter. It depends on the company or country whether both are given to the employee or only a combined letter stating ‘accepted and relieved’ will suffice for the purpose of relieving from duty. 

The organisation may send you a resignation acceptance letter but it does not mean you have been relieved of your duties. A resignation acceptance letter is a response to a resignation letter by an employee.  It often contains the duration of the notice period through statements like ‘your resignation has been accepted and you have to serve the notice period from…..date to….date.’

 It is after the completion of the notice period that the employee receives a relieving letter. An essential statement in this letter is ‘relieved of his/her duties on…. date’ signifying complete severance from the previous organisation effective from the mentioned date.

What is the difference between an Experience letter and a Relieving letter?

An experience letter or certificate is similar to a relieving letter but not the same. They are different in their purpose of use. An experience letter is also called a service certificate. It is issued by the employers to the employee. An experience letter contains the service details of the employee, the date when the employee started working and the last day of work. It also states the kind of experience the organisation has had of the employee’s work and performance and whether the organisation was happy with it. A good experience letter or certificate can help the employee get better jobs and salary in future. 

Unlike a relieving letter that is issued to the employee after his or her completion of the notice period, an experience letter may be issued while the employee is still working for the organisation. An employee can request an experience letter for instance to avail loans, for further studies or a visa. However, the reasoning behind the issuance of the letter needs to be stated in the experience letter.

Does a terminated employee receive a relieving letter?

When an employee is terminated from the job he or she is issued a Termination letter stating that the organisation no longer requires his or her services due to certain reasons. In this case, a separate relieving letter is not a requirement since the termination letter itself suggests ‘terminated and relieved of duties from…..date’.

An important point to consider is that such a relieving letter will be designed based on the reason for termination. It will not be issued stating ‘we accept his/her resignation rather the statement would be “You have been terminated from your job and are herewith relieved from your duties effective from…..date.”

If the cause of termination involves serious issues like theft, be it physical or intellectual, or any major fraud and the legal matter goes into the court of law then the organisation should withhold from issuing any kind of document till the matter is resolved.

If the cause of termination is internally solved or if the employee is terminated based on performance and the organisation does not wish to ruin the future of the employee then they may obtain resignation from the employee and issue a relieving letter and even an experience letter.