Gratuity application letter

How do I apply to my employer for my gratuity after I leave a job?

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You apply to your employer in writing. Rule 33(1)(a) of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 provides for the application ordinarily within thirty days from the date the gratuity became payable. That date is your last day of service. A late application is still entertained for sufficient cause under rule 33(1)(e).

Section 53(1) of the Code on Social Security, 2020 makes gratuity payable on superannuation, retirement or resignation after not less than five years of continuous service. For a fixed term contract the five years are not needed, and the Rules ask for at least one year of service under the contract.

Rule 33(1)(a) provides for the application in Form-IV, so the letter goes with your Form-IV application as an enclosure. Once the employer receives it, rule 33(2)(a) gives it fifteen days to issue a notice in Form-V. The notice either sets a payment date that falls by the thirtieth day after receipt or gives reasons for rejection.

The letter below carries your service dates, the way your employment ended and these timelines. You may add your own calculation of the amount. It states no ceiling, because section 53(3) leaves the ceiling to a notification of the Central Government.

What you get

Gratuity application letter, as a Word file to edit and a PDF to print

Example with made-up names

Application for payment of gratuity

Date: 24 October 2026

From: Anil Varma, B-12, Shanti Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462003.

To: Lakshmi Textiles Private Limited, Plot 8, Industrial Area, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462023.

Subject: Application for payment of gratuity under section 53 of the Code on Social Security, 2020

Dear Mr Sunil Rao,

I worked with Lakshmi Textiles Private Limited as Senior Accountant from 3 February 2025 to 15 October 2026. My employment ended by the expiry of my fixed term employment. I am applying in writing for payment of the gratuity due to me.

Name	Employee code	Designation	Date of joining	Last day of service
Anil Varma	EMP-0457	Senior Accountant	3 February 2025	15 October 2026

My employment was a fixed term employment. Section 53(1) of the Code does not require five years of service on the expiry of a fixed term, and section 53(2) provides for gratuity on a pro rata basis. The second proviso to rule 33(1)(a) of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 asks for at least one year of service under the contract. I ask you to check my service record against these provisions and pay the gratuity.

By my own calculation the gratuity is ₹38,000. This is my calculation from my last drawn wages and my years of service. Please confirm it, or send me your working if you calculate a different amount.

My application in Form-IV under rule 33(1)(a) of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 is enclosed. The rule provides for the application ordinarily within thirty days from the date gratuity became payable, which here is by 14 November 2026. The enclosed application is made within that period.

Under rule 33(2)(a), within fifteen days of receiving my application in Form-IV, you are to issue a notice in Form-V. The notice either fixes the date of payment, which is not to be later than the thirtieth day after you receive the application, or gives your reasons for rejecting it. Please send that notice to the address above.

Rule 33(3) provides for payment by demand draft or by credit to a bank account. Please tell me in writing if you need my bank details, and I will send them.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Anil Varma

Enclosed: application in Form-IV under rule 33(1)(a).

Fill in your own

You, the employee

Your full name *

Your address *

Employee codeLeave it empty if you did not have one.

Your last designation *

The employer

Employer's name *

Employer's address *

Person to address the letter toThe HR head or the proprietor. Leave it empty to write Dear Sir or Madam.

Your service

Date you joined *

Last day of service *This is the date gratuity became payable: the day you left, retired, or your fixed term ended.

How did your employment end? *

Are you sending this within 30 days of your last day of service? *

Gratuity amount by your own calculationOptional. The letter calls it your calculation and asks the employer to confirm it or send theirs. Leave it empty to ask for the gratuity due.

The letter

Date on the letter *Today, or any day in the next seven days.

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BuildWright does documentation, filing and compliance facilitation. This tool works from the rules cited on this page and does not give legal advice. We prepare the documents from your answers; you check, sign and send or file them.

If this is where you are

I left my job and the employer has not paid my last salary, gratuity or other dues, and has not given my relieving letter.

Demand letter to a former employer for unpaid dues

A dated demand to HR with a copy to a director, a statement of dues and a sheet with the deadline and the rule for each item.

Demand for payment of my final dues
Statement of dues
Before you send

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Common questions

Is there a time limit to apply for gratuity?

Rule 33(1)(a) of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 says the application is made ordinarily within thirty days from the date gratuity became payable. Rule 33(1)(e) allows a late application to be entertained for sufficient cause, so a late letter should give the reason.

How long does the employer have to reply?

Rule 33(2)(a) gives the employer fifteen days from receiving the application to issue a Form-V notice. The notice either sets a payment date that falls by the thirtieth day after receipt or gives reasons for rejection.

Do I have to state the amount in the letter?

No. You may write your own calculation, and the letter then calls it your calculation and asks the employer to confirm it. If you leave the amount empty, the letter asks the employer to calculate the gratuity under section 53 and send the working.

Do I need Form-IV as well as this letter?

Yes. Rule 33(1)(a) provides for the application in Form-IV, and the employer's fifteen days under rule 33(2)(a) run from receiving that application. Fill in Form-IV and send it with this letter every time. The letter lists it as an enclosure.

Source: Code on Social Security, 2020, section 53: when gratuity is payable, the five year rule, the waiver and pro rata payment for fixed term employees, and the amount as notified by the Central Government. Read 18 October 2026. Sections 17 to 141 of the Code, which include section 53, were brought into force on 21 November 2025 by notification S.O. 5319(E) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 is among the nine laws the Code repeals. The India Code copy carries the commencement footnote (labour.md items 1 and 4; banking-employee.md item 5, parts a to e).
Source: Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, rule 33: application ordinarily within thirty days, Form-V reply within fifteen days, payment no later than the thirtieth day after receipt, late application for sufficient cause, one year for fixed term employees, payment by demand draft or bank credit. Read 18 October 2026. Gazette of India Extraordinary, Part II section 3(i), New Delhi, 8 May 2026 (G.S.R. 344(E)), in force on publication. The gazette number is read from the Hindi header because the text layer is garbled.

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