This free Offer Letter template is a ready-to-use document you can fill in, export and send today. Formal hiring offer letter template mapping compensation, reporting lines, benefit details, and deadlines. Use it to say one thing clearly, to one person, in a form they can file and act on. Every field is editable, the preview updates as you type, and the finished file downloads as PDF or Word with no watermark and no sign-up.
Offer letter versus appointment letter, and the CTC annexure
In Indian hiring the offer letter and the appointment letter are two stages, not synonyms. The offer letter comes first: it extends the role, headline pay and joining date so the candidate can accept, and it is often conditional. The appointment letter follows once the candidate joins and sets out the full terms of employment, including notice, confidentiality and policies. Sending only an offer letter and never issuing the appointment letter is a common gap that leaves the employment terms undocumented.
Attach the CTC breakup as an annexure rather than burying it in prose. Cost to company bundles basic pay, allowances such as house rent allowance, employer contributions like provident fund, and any variable or bonus component, so the take-home is well below the headline number. A clear line-by-line table of fixed, variable and deductions prevents the disappointment that follows when the first payslip does not match the number the candidate remembered.
Use conditional-offer wording where appropriate, making the offer contingent on background verification, reference checks, a medical, or proof of qualifications, and stating that it lapses if the candidate does not join by a set date. Employment and payroll rules vary by state and change over time, so treat this as general guidance and have HR or a lawyer confirm the specifics for your organisation.
Who this Offer Letter template is for
- Employees and HR teams issuing formal correspondence
- Job seekers writing to a named hiring manager
- Anyone who needs a record of what was said and when
What's included in this Offer Letter template
- Company name
- Company address
- Hr manager name
- Letter date
- Candidate full name
- Candidate address
- Job position
- Department
- Employment type
- Start date
- Salary
- Reporting manager
- Working hours
- Acceptance deadline
- Hr signature
How to use this Offer Letter template
- 1Address a person by name wherever you can find one.
- 2State your purpose in the first two sentences — never bury it.
- 3Keep paragraphs to three or four lines, in block format.
- 4Close with the specific action you want and by when.
- 5Sign it, export to PDF, and keep a copy with a reference number.
Offer Letter: mistakes to avoid
- "Dear Hiring Manager" beats "To Whom It May Concern", which reads as a form letter.
- Match the tone to the reader, not to the occasion.
- Never send an editable Word file for anything that carries weight.
- Read it aloud once. Anything you stumble over, the reader will too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct format for a Offer Letter?
Sender address, date, recipient address, a salutation naming a person where possible, a subject line, the body in short paragraphs, a complimentary close, and a signature block. Block format — everything left-aligned, a blank line between paragraphs — is the safe default.
Should I send it as PDF or Word?
PDF, unless the recipient asked for an editable file. It renders identically everywhere, cannot be altered by accident, and is what HR and legal teams expect to file.
How formal should the tone be?
Match the reader. Resignation, offer and legal letters stay formal and factual. Thank-you and cover letters can be warm, but never casual — no contractions in the opening line.
Is this template free to download?
Yes. Edit it, export to PDF or Word, and send it — no account, no watermark, no limit on how many you create.