Full-time Employment
When: Permanent role with CTC
- Offer + appointment letter ready.
Employment Offer Letter
Offer Letter and Appointment Letter Drafting Hire cleanly under the four labour codes
Offer letters and appointment letters drafted to the four labour codes, in force since 21 November 2025. A written appointment letter is now mandatory for every worker. We set out the role, the CTC breakdown, probation, notice and the statutory deductions the candidate will see on the payslip.
Reviewed by CS Gaurav Singh · Last updated 24 September 2026
Send the role, the CTC and the joining date. We confirm what the letters must cover and quote the fee in writing before any work starts.
Drafted to the labour codes1-2 working days from documentsBest for: Startups, SMEs and HR teams hiring full-time, part-time or contract employees.
Starting at
₹999
Offer Letter Drafting
Startups, SMEs and HR teams hiring full-time, part-time or contract employees.
Drafted to the four labour codes
Offer letter plus appointment letter
Code of conduct and confidentiality reference
Confidentiality, IP assignment and non-solicit
Fits your state's Shops and Establishments rules
Editable Word and PDF, no government fee
Timeline
1-2 working days from documents
What it is
Offer Letter Drafting, explained in plain English.
An offer letter is a written offer of employment. Once the candidate accepts it in writing, it is a contract. The appointment letter is the fuller document issued at or before joining, and under the four labour codes in force from 21 November 2025 a written appointment letter is mandatory for every worker.
Under the labour codes every worker must get a written appointment letter. See labour law compliance for what else an employer must keep.
Routes & scenarios
Match the situation to the right fix.
Contract / Consultant
When: Independent contractor
- Consulting agreement with IP & confidentiality.
Offer letter, appointment letter or employment agreement?
Three documents, three jobs. Most hiring problems we see come from issuing one and assuming it did the work of all three.
| Document | What it does | When it is issued | What it must carry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offer letter | Offers the job on stated terms. Becomes a contract when accepted in writing. | After selection, before joining | Role, reporting line, CTC, joining date, location, conditions such as background check and document submission, and an acceptance deadline |
| Appointment letter | Sets out the terms of employment in full. Mandatory in writing for every worker under the four labour codes in force from 21 November 2025. | At or before joining | Everything in the offer letter, plus probation, notice, working hours, leave, statutory deductions, confidentiality, IP assignment, non-solicit, code of conduct and grounds for termination |
| Employment agreement | A signed two-way contract, used for senior hires and roles with unusual terms. See contract drafting and review | At joining, in place of or alongside the appointment letter | All of the above, plus garden leave, retention or joining bonus clawback, deferred pay, board or committee roles, and a dispute resolution clause |
If you issue only an offer letter and the person joins, you are short of the appointment letter the codes now require. We draft both from one brief.
What an offer letter should contain
Eleven items. Every one of them is something we have seen a candidate query or a dispute turn on.
- Designation and role. Job title, the function, and a one-line description of responsibilities. Say whether the role is full time, part time or fixed term.
- Reporting line. Who the person reports to, by designation. Not by individual name, so a manager change does not breach the letter.
- CTC and the breakdown. The annual figure, and the components behind it. See the table below.
- Joining date. A specific date, and what happens if the person cannot join on it. Never backdate a joining date.
- Place of work. The office, plus a transfer clause if you need mobility. If the role is remote or hybrid, say so and name the state whose Shops and Establishments rules apply.
- Probation. Length, what happens at the end, and the notice period during probation, which is usually shorter.
- Notice period. After confirmation, for each side. State whether pay in lieu of notice is permitted and who decides.
- Conditions of the offer. Background verification, reference checks, document submission, a clean relieving letter from the current employer, and medical fitness where the role requires it. Say the offer lapses if a condition is not met.
- Confidentiality, IP assignment and non-solicit. Put these in, and put them in the appointment letter too. Do not rely on a post-employment non-compete: section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 makes an agreement in restraint of a lawful profession or trade void to that extent, and Indian courts generally do not enforce one after employment ends.
- Acceptance deadline. A date by which the candidate must accept in writing, after which the offer lapses.
- Policies by reference. Leave, code of conduct, and the prevention of sexual harassment policy. A reference is not compliance: the separate obligations still apply, and POSH compliance covers them.
At-will language does not work in India. Clauses copied from US templates saying employment may be terminated at any time for any reason with no notice do not reflect Indian law. Notice, probation and termination grounds have to be written and honoured, and state Shops and Establishments rules and the labour codes apply on top.
The CTC breakdown, and what actually reaches the employee
CTC is what you spend. Take-home is what lands in the bank. Show both in the offer letter and you avoid the conversation everybody dreads in week one.
| Component | What it is | Does the employee receive it monthly? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic salary | The base figure other components are calculated from | Yes |
| House rent allowance | Usually a percentage of basic; exemption depends on rent actually paid and the city | Yes |
| Other allowances | Conveyance, telephone, books, special allowance, flexible benefit basket | Yes |
| Employer's provident fund contribution | Part of CTC, paid to the EPF account, not to the employee | No |
| Employee's provident fund contribution | Deducted from salary, paid to the EPF account | No, it is a deduction |
| Gratuity provision | An amount set aside annually against a future gratuity liability | No, it is paid on exit if eligible |
| Bonus or variable pay | Performance-linked, often paid annually or quarterly | Not monthly, and only if earned |
| Insurance premium | Group medical and accident cover paid by the employer | No, it is a benefit |
| Professional tax | A state levy deducted from salary where the state levies it | No, it is a deduction |
| Tax deducted at source | Income tax deducted from salary each month | No, it is a deduction |
Two rules that prevent arguments. State the variable component as a maximum, with the conditions for earning it. And write the monthly gross and an indicative monthly take-home alongside the CTC, marked as indicative because deductions depend on the employee's own declarations.
For running this monthly once the person joins, see payroll services.
The statutory points to get right
Five, and they decide what the letters must say.
Provident fund. The EPF wage ceiling is ₹15,000 a month. The Cabinet approved raising it to ₹25,000 on 16 September 2026, and the EPFO implementation circular is awaited, so do not write the higher figure into a letter yet. Draft the employer contribution as payable as required by law rather than as a fixed rupee amount, so the letter survives the change. See PF registration.
ESI. The wage ceiling for coverage under the ESI scheme is ₹21,000 a month, and ₹25,000 for a person with disability, in force since 1 January 2017. The ESI Act applies to non-seasonal factories employing 10 or more workers, with wider coverage notified for other establishments. See ESIC registration.
Gratuity. Under section 53 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 gratuity is payable on termination after five years of continuous service, and the five-year requirement does not apply where employment ends on death or disablement, or on the expiry of a fixed-term contract. For a fixed-term worker the Government has stated that gratuity is payable after one year of service. If you are hiring on fixed-term contracts, price that in.
Professional tax. A state levy, deducted from salary and paid by the employer where the state levies it. Rates and slabs differ by state. See professional tax returns.
Salary TDS. Tax is deducted from salary each month on the employee's estimated annual income. The new tax regime is the default. For FY 2025-26, under the Income-tax Act, 1961, a resident individual under the new regime pays no tax up to ₹12 lakh of taxable income because of the section 87A rebate, and a salaried person effectively pays none up to ₹12.75 lakh after the ₹75,000 standard deduction. Tax Year 2026-27 onwards falls under the Income-tax Act, 2025, in force from 1 April 2026. Collect the employee's regime choice and investment declaration at joining, not in February. See income tax return.
What else the labour codes changed for hiring paperwork
The Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 came into force on 21 November 2025. Four points touch the documents you issue.
- Written appointment letters are mandatory for all workers. The Government's stated purpose is written proof, transparency and job security.
- Timely payment of wages is mandatory. Name the pay date in the letter and keep to it.
- Every worker has a statutory right to at least the minimum wage, with a national floor wage below which no wage may fall. Check the rate for your state and the skill category before you fix a junior salary.
- A free annual health check-up is required for every worker above the age of 40. If you list benefits in the letter, list this one as a statutory entitlement, not as a perk.
Supporting rules under the codes were still being notified when the codes commenced, so some operational details will settle over time. We draft the letters so that the statutory items are expressed as required by law and do not need reissuing each time a rule changes.
Common mistakes in offer letters
| Mistake | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| No notice period stated | Neither side knows what is owed on exit, and a senior departure turns into a negotiation |
| Variable pay written as part of CTC with no conditions | The employee treats it as guaranteed and claims it in full |
| Backdated joining date | Statutory records, payroll and the relieving letter stop matching, and the EPF joining date becomes indefensible |
| At-will or terminable at any time language | Does not reflect Indian law and is unlikely to be enforced |
| Post-employment non-compete sold as protection | Section 27 makes a restraint on a lawful profession or trade void to that extent, so it usually does nothing |
| Reporting manager named as an individual | A manager change becomes a breach of the letter |
| No appointment letter issued after joining | Falls short of the mandate under the four labour codes |
| CTC only, with no monthly gross or take-home | Week-one payslip dispute |
| No acceptance deadline | The candidate holds the offer while interviewing elsewhere |
| A consultant given an offer letter | Turns an intended contractor into an employee on paper. Use a service agreement. |
Offer letter and appointment letter fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Regikart professional fee, offer letter and appointment letter for one role | From ₹999 |
| A set of letters for multiple roles or grades | Quoted in writing after we see the role list |
| Employment agreement for a senior hire | Quoted in writing |
| Government fee | No government fee. Nothing here is filed with any department. |
| Stamp duty | Not applicable to a letter of appointment in the ordinary course. Where a document is executed as an agreement, stamp duty is a state levy and depends on the state, the value and the type of document. |
Professional fees exclude GST at 18%. Government fees, where they apply, are paid at actuals to the department and are shown separately. Fees verified on 24 September 2026.
Hiring this month?
Send the role, the CTC and the joining date. You get the offer letter and the appointment letter in editable Word and PDF.
The process
How it works
1
Role brief
You send the designation, reporting line, CTC, joining date, location, probation and notice.
2
CTC check
We break the CTC into components, flag the EPF, ESI, gratuity, professional tax and TDS points, and quote in writing.
3
Drafting
Offer letter and appointment letter, fitted to your state's Shops and Establishments rules and the four labour codes.
4
One round of changes
You send comments, we issue the revised set.
5
Delivery
Editable Word and PDF, ready to send on your letterhead.
Documents required
What we'll need from you.
Send these by email or WhatsApp. Nothing here is filed with any department, so there is no portal and no rejection risk. We read what you send before drafting starts.
Company KYC
Candidate name and address
CTC structure and joining date
Reporting manager and location
Other legal documents
Hiring a contractor rather than an employee? You need a service agreement, not an offer letter. Tell us about the role and we will say which document fits.
Contract drafting and review · Service agreement · NDA · Power of attorney · Affidavit · Legal notice · Contact us
Offer Letter Drafting FAQ
Offer letter questions, answered.
Hiring a contractor rather than an employee? You need a service agreement, not an offer letter. Tell us about the role and we will say which document fits.
Still have questions?
Send the role, the CTC and the joining date. We tell you what the letters must say and quote in writing.
Get my offer letter drafted →Yes, once the candidate accepts it in writing. At that point it is a contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and both sides are bound by its terms. Withdrawing after acceptance exposes the employer to a claim, and a candidate who accepts and does not join can be held to the notice or joining terms the letter states. Write an acceptance deadline so an unaccepted offer lapses cleanly.
Ready when you are
Get your hiring paperwork right
Send the role, the CTC and the joining date. You get an offer letter and the appointment letter the labour codes now require, in editable Word and PDF. Fee quoted in writing before work starts. No government fee.
Call +91 70444 94804 or email [email protected]. Offices in Kolkata (head office), Delhi and Bengaluru.