Experience letter format, with a sample you can share with HR
The short answer. An experience letter is issued by your employer on company letterhead. It states your name, employee ID, designation and the dates you joined and left. It is signed by an authorised person, usually from HR. Many companies combine it with the relieving letter. Check the dates and designation before your last day, because fixing them later takes longer.
What it should contain
- Company letterhead, with the company’s address
- The date the letter is issued
- Your full name, as on your other documents
- Your employee ID
- Your designation and your department, if the company uses departments
- The date you joined and your last working day
- The name, designation and signature of the person signing, usually from HR
- A company stamp, if the company uses one
Some letters add a line on your responsibilities or your conduct. That is optional. An experience letter is a statement of fact, not a recommendation.
A sample format
If your employer has no standard letter, you can share this with HR as a starting point.
[Company letterhead]
Date: [date of issue]
To whom it may concern
This is to certify that [full name], employee ID [ID], worked with [company name] as [designation] in the [department] department from [date of joining] to [last working day].
During this period [first name] was responsible for [one line on the role, if wanted].
We wish [first name] well in the future.
For [company name]
[Signature] [Name of signatory] [Designation of signatory]
Experience letter, relieving letter and reference letter
An experience letter says where you worked, as what and for how long. A relieving letter says you have left and that nothing is pending between you and the employer. A reference letter is one person’s own view of your work.
Many companies issue the first two as one document. Our guide on the three letters compares them side by side.
Check it before your last day
- Your name is spelled as on your PAN and Aadhaar.
- The dates match your appointment letter, your payslips and your EPFO service history.
- The designation is your latest one, not the one you joined with.
A new employer’s background check will compare these. A mismatch causes delays even when it is only a typing error.
If it has a mistake
Write to HR, say what is wrong and attach the proof.
Subject: Correction in experience letter, employee ID 20418
Hi,
Thank you for my experience letter. It shows my designation as Analyst. I was promoted to Senior Analyst on 1 April 2025, as per the attached letter.
Could you please reissue it with the correct designation? My new employer needs it by 25 October.
Thank you, Meera Joshi
If your employer will not give one
Ask in writing, tell your new employer early and offer other proof of employment, such as payslips, Form 16 and your EPFO service history. Our guide on what to do when a company will not give a relieving letter has the steps and the messages. They apply here too.
Where GoodWord fits and where it does not
A GoodWord report is not an experience letter. It does not confirm your dates or your designation. It is not a background check either. You still need the letter from your employer.
What a report adds is the part an experience letter leaves out on purpose: what the people you worked with say about your work, in their own words. See a sample report.