Transfer Letter Format
An employer moves an employee to another branch, site or department: from where, to where, from when, and who to report to.
Details
transfer letter formatUploads
Your logo
A photo or picture
Goes on this page only. Drag it anywhere and pull its corner to resize it.
Your signature
Draw it with a finger, a mouse or a trackpad, and it goes on the page like a picture.
Pictures and signatures stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Red highlights mark what is still blank. Click anything on the page to change it. Your draft is kept on this device as you work.
Dear [name],
You are transferred from [present posting] to [new posting] with effect from [date], in your present designation of [designation].
Please report at your new place of posting on that date.
Please hand over your present responsibilities and submit a handover note before you leave. All other terms of your employment remain unchanged.
What is a Transfer Letter?
A transfer letter, often called a transfer order, is the employer’s written instruction moving an employee to another branch, site or department: from where, to where, from which date, and whom to report to. It gives both offices and the employee the same facts, so the handover, relieving and joining happen on time. Without it, the employee does not know exactly when to move, the old branch does not know when to relieve them, and any promised relocation support is disputed later. Fill in the form on this page, or adapt one of the sample letters below.
Organisations with more than one branch, site or department issue transfer letters: banks, retail chains, manufacturers, logistics firms, schools and hospitals run by one trust, and companies opening a new office. A transfer may be made for business needs, as part of a rotation policy, to fill a vacancy, or at the employee’s own request. The employee uses the letter to hand over their work, get relieved at the old place of posting and join at the new one, and to deal with practical matters such as moving house or changing a child’s school.
Whether an employer can transfer someone, and how, depends on the terms of employment. Check the appointment letter or contract for a transfer clause, and the standing orders, service rules or HR transfer policy for notice, joining time and allowances. Government departments, public sector undertakings and many banks follow their own published transfer policies. A move to another state can also change which state’s labour laws apply, state taxes such as professional tax, and city-based allowances under your pay policy. Labour law differs from state to state, so take advice if a transfer is disputed.
A transfer letter moves the employee within the same organisation, in the same designation and on the same terms, which is why it says all other terms remain unchanged. It is not a promotion, a change of pay or a move to a different company in a group; a move to another company needs the employee’s agreement and usually a new appointment letter. Nor is it a disciplinary penalty: if a move is part of disciplinary action, follow the procedure in the standing orders or service rules. The relieving order and joining report are separate records.
What to put in a Transfer Letter
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Designation | For example: Senior Assistant |
| Current place of posting | For example: Guntur branch |
| Transferred to | For example: Vijayawada branch |
| Effective from | Free text |
| Report to optional | For example: the Branch Manager, Vijayawada branch |
| Relocation support optional | For example: Travel for you and your family, and seven days' paid joining time |
| Signatory name optional | For example: K. Srinivasa Rao |
| Signatory designation optional | For example: Honorary Secretary |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write a transfer letter
Check the contract allows the move
Read the appointment letter or contract for a transfer clause, and your standing orders, service rules or HR transfer policy. If they allow transfers, check what they say about notice, joining time and allowances; if they do not, you may need the employee’s agreement. Talk to the employee before the letter goes out, especially about family or health circumstances your policy asks you to consider, so the letter does not come as a shock.
Name the present and new place of posting
Enter the employee’s designation and current place of posting, then the branch, site or department they are moving to, using the names your organisation uses, with the town: for example, Guntur branch to Vijayawada branch. The letter confirms that the designation stays the same. A vague destination such as ‘coastal region’ leaves the employee unsure where to report and gives them a fair reason to ask for clarification.
Set the effective date and reporting officer
Give the date from which the transfer takes effect, allowing time to hand over and travel. Name the person to report to on that date, preferably by designation, such as ‘the Branch Manager, Vijayawada branch’, so the letter stays correct even if the post holder changes. If you leave this blank, the letter simply asks the employee to report at the new place of posting on that date.
Spell out any relocation support
If your policy offers relocation support, list it: travel for the employee and family, transport of household goods, temporary accommodation, a transfer allowance or paid joining time. Name each item and, where your policy sets limits, refer to the policy rather than repeating figures from memory. If there is no support, leave the field blank. Support promised in a meeting but never written down often leads to disputes over reimbursements later.
Sign it and arrange the handover
Have the letter signed by an authorised signatory, such as the HR head or a regional manager, with their name and designation, and give it a reference number. Send copies to the heads of both locations and to payroll. The letter asks the employee to hand over their work and submit a handover note; the old office then issues a relieving order, and the new office records the joining report.
Transfer letter samples
Two sample transfer letters: a move to another branch with relocation support, and a move between departments at the same office. Change the places, dates and names to match your own.
Transfer letter to another branch
KUSAGRA SUPPLIES LTD.
Plot 47, Auto Nagar, Guntur 522001
Ref: KSL/HR/2026/98 · Date: 26 October 2026
To,
Lakshmi Devi
D.No 2-45, Arundelpet, Guntur 522002
Subject: Transfer order
Dear Lakshmi Devi,
You are transferred from Guntur branch to Vijayawada branch with effect from 16 November 2026, in your present designation of Accounts Executive.
Please report to the Branch Manager, Vijayawada branch, on that date.
The organisation will provide the following relocation support: travel for you and your family, transport of household goods as per the transfer policy, and seven days’ paid joining time.
Please hand over your present responsibilities and submit a handover note before you leave. All other terms of your employment remain unchanged.
Yours faithfully,
For Kusagra Supplies Ltd.
Priya Menon
Administration Manager
Guntur
Transfer letter to another department
KUSAGRA SUPPLIES LTD.
Plot 47, Auto Nagar, Guntur 522001
Ref: KSL/HR/2026/104 · Date: 4 November 2026
To,
Kiran Babu
D.No 9-14, Lakshmipuram, Guntur 522007
Subject: Transfer order
Dear Kiran Babu,
You are transferred from the Accounts department to the Purchase department with effect from 16 November 2026, in your present designation of Senior Assistant.
Please report to Mr. Venkat Rao, Purchase Manager, on that date.
Please hand over your present responsibilities and submit a handover note before you leave. All other terms of your employment remain unchanged.
Yours faithfully,
For Kusagra Supplies Ltd.
Priya Menon
Administration Manager
Guntur
Common mistakes
- Ordering a transfer that the appointment letter or policy does not allow, without the employee’s agreement, which turns a routine move into a dispute about the terms of employment.
- Naming a vague destination, such as a region rather than a branch, so the employee does not know where to report and the joining date slips.
- Giving too little time to hand over and move, so work is left half done at the old office and the employee joins late at the new one.
- Agreeing relocation support in a meeting but leaving it out of the letter, which leads to arguments after the move about what will be reimbursed.
- Using a transfer as a quiet punishment instead of following the disciplinary procedure, which leaves it open to challenge as a penalty imposed without a hearing.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employee refuse a transfer?
It depends on the terms of employment. Where the appointment letter, standing orders or service rules allow transfers, an employer can usually insist, and a refusal may be treated as a disciplinary matter under its rules. Where there is no transfer clause, the employer may need the employee’s agreement. Either way, the employee can ask in writing for the transfer to be reconsidered or deferred, giving reasons. Check the contract, the policy and your state’s labour law, and take advice in a dispute.
What is a transfer letter?
A transfer letter, or transfer order, is a letter from an employer moving an employee to another branch, site or department within the same organisation. It states the present and new place of posting, the date the transfer takes effect, whom to report to, any relocation support, and that the designation and other terms stay the same. It is signed by an authorised person and given to the employee, with copies to both locations.
How do I write a transfer letter to an employee?
On the organisation’s letterhead, add a reference number and date, the employee’s name and address, and the subject ‘Transfer order’. State the present and new place of posting, the effective date and the designation, then whom to report to and any relocation support. Ask the employee to hand over their work before leaving, say that other terms are unchanged, and have the letter signed by an authorised signatory with their designation.
How much notice should be given before a transfer?
There is no single rule for all employers. The contract, standing orders, service rules or transfer policy may set a notice period or a joining time, so check them first. Where nothing is fixed, give enough time for the employee to hand over their work and arrange the move, which takes longer for a family moving to another city than for a move between departments in the same building.
Does a transfer change the employee’s salary?
Usually not: a transfer keeps the same designation, pay and terms, and the letter says so. Allowances linked to a location, such as house rent allowance or a city allowance, may change under your pay policy, and a move to another state can change deductions such as professional tax. If anything about pay will change, say so in the letter or a separate note, so the first payslip at the new place is not a surprise.
What is the difference between a transfer letter and a relieving letter?
A transfer letter tells an employee to move to another place of posting within the same organisation. A relieving order or letter records that they have been released from their duties at one place, either to join another branch after a transfer or, when they leave the organisation, at the end of their employment. After a transfer the employee usually receives both: the transfer letter first, then the relieving order from the old office.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.