Can We Issue a Relieving Letter for an Employee Who Resigned After 4 Months? Seeking Advice from Senior Management

One of our employees worked for 4 months. Due to health problems, he resigned in accordance with company norms. I believe we can issue a relieving letter since he has completed all the formalities. However, my colleague suggests that we should issue it only after the completion of 6 months. I seek advice from senior management on this matter.

Thank you,

Meena

I do agree. Normally, any relieving letter or service certificate is issued only after the completion of 6 months. But this is only a practice. You may take a call. However, herewith is the relieving letter format attached for ready reference.

Sub: Relieving Letter

Dear .......,

This has reference to your letter dated ........, submitting your resignation from the service of the company. Your resignation has been accepted, and you are relieved from the services of the company from the close of working hours of ........

As per the terms of your appointment letter, you are required to give 30 days' notice. Since you have requested an early release, the shortfall in the notice period by 30 days will be adjusted against the balance privilege leave or will be recovered from your full and final settlement.

We wish you all the best in your future professional endeavors.

Regards,
S Rajasekaran
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

There is no need to wait until the end of 6 months. You can issue a certificate for the days or months he worked. You should not provide a certificate beyond his last working day.

Regards,

There is no waiting period for a Relieving Letter and an Experience Letter. This has nothing to do with the Probationary period; it is the same for 6 months. If an employee has undergone a smooth exit according to the corporate policy, then he/she should be given an experience letter and a relieving letter.

There is no fixed rule about when you can issue a relieving letter to an employee. The only requirement for deciding upon the same should be whether the employee has given a proper handover of their responsibilities and cleared all the dues or not (though this is my opinion, others may differ).

Best regards,
Nisha

You can issue a relieving letter at the employee's request; otherwise, there is no need to do so.

Please understand the purpose of a Relieving Letter. This is a certificate given to the employee by the employer to confirm that they have completed all their responsibilities before leaving. Therefore, you should definitely issue the Relieving Letter to the employee. There is no minimum service period required to issue it.

Thank you.

Understanding the Term "Relieving"

First of all, let us understand the word "relieving," which means to relieve a person from their duties. So, if an employee has completed all formalities, why wait even for a single day? We can provide them with the relieving letter as per their request.

Difference Between Experience Certificate and Relieving Letter

Please remember, an experience certificate and a relieving letter are two different concepts. We cannot even hold the experience certificate.

Thank you.

Regardless of the number of days an employee has worked, and irrespective of the reason, you must issue a relieving letter as well as an experience letter. If the employee has not completed the formalities or has not given a handover, you could withhold only the relieving letter. Such an action could damage your organization's reputation and is not advisable for the future.

Regards,

Relieving Letter: An Acknowledgment of Service

A relieving letter is an acknowledgment of the service rendered by an employee in the organization. The employee has the right to ask for this letter, and the employer is responsible for honoring such requests. Please do not withhold the relieving letters. This is one way to put on record that the employee has left, and he/she does not come back to claim reinstatement for any aforementioned reasons.

Regards,
Murali

You can issue a relieving letter. The company does not lose anything, and moreover, it is a good HR practice.

Regards,
G.S. Rao