How to use it
- 1Choose what you are doing: joining on appointment (a new job), joining on transfer, or rejoining after leave. Enter the date of joining, and the forenoon or afternoon if your office asks for it.
- 2Give the letter it follows, with its number and date: the appointment letter, the transfer order or the leave sanction. For a transfer, add the office you came from and the date you were relieved there. For leave, add the dates and the kind of leave.
- 3Enter your name, designation and department, and your employee ID if you have one. What you type stays in your browser, on your device.
- 4Fill in the company or office and who the letter goes to. Left empty, it goes to 'The HR Manager'. Tick the boxes to say that copies of your documents, or a fitness certificate, are enclosed.
- 5Check the preview, press Download PDF / Print, sign it and hand it in on the day. Ask for a copy marked as received.
Joining Letter – a filled-in sample
Made with the tool above from made-up details: every name and number in it is invented. Press “See a filled-in example” in the tool to open it there and download it.
What the letter says
- Who you are: your name, designation and department, and your employee ID if you have one
- What you are joining on: the appointment letter, the transfer order or the leave sanction, with its number and date
- When: the date of joining, and the forenoon or afternoon if your office records it
- For a transfer: the office you came from and the date you were relieved there
- After leave: the kind of leave and its dates
- What is enclosed, if anything: copies of your documents, or a fitness certificate
- The request: to accept your joining report and place it on record
One letter, three occasions
A new job. The letter refers to your appointment letter and reports for duty in the post it names. If the appointment letter asked you to bring documents, say that copies are enclosed. If you have not received an appointment letter yet, ask for one: the employer is required to issue it.
A transfer. The letter names the transfer order, the office you came from and the day you were relieved there, so the new office can see there is no gap between the two.
Back from leave. The letter gives the leave and its dates, and the day you reported back. After medical leave, attach the fitness certificate your employer asks for.
Hand it in on the day, and keep a copy
The joining report is what fixes the date your service starts or resumes. Give it on the day you join, and keep a copy signed as received, or the email you sent it in. If the office records the forenoon or afternoon, make sure the letter says the same.
Related documents
The employer’s side of the same day is the appointment letter. Joining on transfer or a new job? The last office gives a relieving letter. The offer letter comes before both.
Sources
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, section 6(1)(f): the employer’s duty to issue a letter of appointment
Questions people ask
What is a joining letter?
The letter an employee gives on the day they take up a post, saying that they have reported for duty, on which date, and on what authority: the appointment letter, a transfer order or a leave sanction. It is also called a joining report. Some people also say 'joining letter' for the employer's letter of appointment; that one is the appointment letter.
Is a joining letter required by law?
It is a practice rather than a form prescribed by law. Many employers, and government offices generally, ask for one on the first day, because it fixes the date service starts or resumes. The document the law requires is the employer's: section 6(1)(f) of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 requires every employer to issue a letter of appointment to every employee.
When and to whom do I give it?
On the day you join, to whoever your appointment or transfer order names: HR, your reporting manager, the head of office, or the principal of a school. Give it in person or by email, and keep a copy marked as received, or the email you sent it in.
What should a joining letter include?
Your name and designation, the department, the letter or order you are joining on with its number and date, the date of joining, and the forenoon or afternoon if your office records it. On transfer, the office you came from and the date you were relieved there. After leave, the kind of leave and its dates. Then a request to accept the report and place it on record, and your signature.
What do forenoon and afternoon mean on a joining report?
Forenoon is the first half of the working day, before the lunch break; afternoon is the second half. Government offices usually record which half you joined in. Choose it under 'Time of joining', or leave it out. The blank format prints both, so you can strike out the one that does not apply.
I am joining on transfer. What else do I need?
Carry the transfer order and the relieving order from your old office. Government offices often also ask for the last pay certificate (LPC) from the old office. The letter names the transfer order, the office you came from and the date you were relieved there.
I am coming back after medical leave. What should I write?
Choose 'Rejoining after leave', pick medical leave and enter its dates. Employers commonly ask for a fitness certificate from your doctor when you come back from medical leave: tick 'Say that a medical fitness certificate is enclosed' and attach it.
Can I write it in Hindi?
Yes. Switch Document language to हिंदी above the preview. The letter takes the layout Hindi applications use: सेवा में, the subject line, सविनय निवेदन है कि मेरा नाम … है, and कार्यभार ग्रहण करने हेतु उपस्थित हूँ, which reads the same whoever writes it. In Hindi the letter is called कार्यभार ग्रहण पत्र, and in some states योगदान पत्र.
Can I download it in Word, or get a blank format?
Yes. Press Word (.docx) above the preview for an editable file, or 'Blank format' for one to fill in by hand. The blank is for joining a new job, with the forenoon and afternoon both printed. The blank PDF and Word files are also linked at the top of this page.
Last reviewed: 26 October 2026