HR Templates Service Letter Format
Service Letter Format: Free Templates for Sri Lankan Employers
Download free, professionally drafted service letter (certificate of service) formats in Word and PDF — including a Sinhala version — and learn what to include before you sign one.
A service letter — also called a certificate of service — is the document an employer issues to confirm that a person was employed at the company, the position(s) they held, and the dates their employment began and ended. Employees ask for one when they leave a job, apply for a new one, apply for foreign employment, or need proof of work history for a bank or a visa.
Sri Lankan labour law does not clearly set out a stand-alone statutory right to a service letter for private-sector employees. It is, however, firmly established practice — and it costs an employer nothing to do well. What the law does require is closely related: under the Shop and Office Employees Regulations, covered employers must maintain a service record for every employee (Form F) recording their dates of employment, posts held and salary history, and keep it for two years after the employment ends. That record is exactly what a service letter certifies, so a well-run company can issue one in minutes.
The templates below cover the three most common situations: a standard certificate of service, a version for an employee who resigned, and a Sinhala version (සේවා සහතිකය). Each is available as an editable Word file and a PDF.
Service letter template (standard)
The general-purpose certificate of service: employment dates, designation, an optional conduct line, and a signature block for an authorised signatory.
[Company Letterhead]
Date: [DD Month YYYY]
Ref: [HR/SL/____]
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
This is to certify that [Employee Full Name] (NIC No. [xxxxxxxxxV / xxxxxxxxxxxx]) was employed at [Company Name] from [Start Date] to [End Date].
At the time of leaving the Company, [he/she] held the position of [Designation] in the [Department] department. During [his/her] period of service, [he/she] also served as [previous designation(s), if applicable].
During [his/her] employment with us, [his/her] conduct and performance were satisfactory.
This certificate is issued at the request of the employee. We wish [him/her] every success in [his/her] future endeavours.
Yours faithfully,
.................................................
[Name of Authorised Signatory]
[Designation]
[Company Name]
[Company Seal]
Service letter for a resigned employee
Confirms the employee resigned (rather than being terminated), records the last working day, and notes that duties were handed over.
[Company Letterhead]
Date: [DD Month YYYY]
Ref: [HR/SL/____]
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
This is to certify that [Employee Full Name] (NIC No. [xxxxxxxxxV / xxxxxxxxxxxx]) was employed at [Company Name] from [Start Date] until [he/she] resigned from [his/her] position with effect from [Last Working Day].
At the time of resignation, [he/she] held the position of [Designation] in the [Department] department, and had completed [X years and Y months] of service with the Company.
[He/She] handed over [his/her] duties in full and was released with no outstanding obligations to the Company.
During [his/her] employment with us, [his/her] conduct and performance were satisfactory.
This certificate is issued at the request of the employee. We wish [him/her] every success in [his/her] future endeavours.
Yours faithfully,
.................................................
[Name of Authorised Signatory]
[Designation]
[Company Name]
[Company Seal]
Service letter in Sinhala (සේවා සහතිකය)
The standard certificate of service in formal Sinhala, for employees and institutions that require documentation in Sinhala.
[ආයතනයේ ලිපි ශීර්ෂය]
දිනය: [දිනය මාසය වර්ෂය]
යොමුව: [HR/SL/____]
මෙයින් සැලකිය යුතු සියලු දෙනා වෙත
සේවා සහතිකය
[සේවකයාගේ සම්පූර්ණ නම] (ජා.හැ.අං. [xxxxxxxxxV]) මහතා/මහත්මිය/මෙනවිය [ආයතනයේ නම] හි [සේවය ආරම්භ කළ දිනය] සිට [සේවය අවසන් වූ දිනය] දක්වා සේවය කළ බව මෙයින් සහතික කරමු.
ආයතනයෙන් ඉවත් වන අවස්ථාව වන විට ඔහු/ඇය [අංශයේ නම] අංශයේ [තනතුර] තනතුර දරමින් සිටියේය.
අප ආයතනයේ සේවය කළ කාලය තුළ ඔහුගේ/ඇයගේ හැසිරීම හා සේවා කාර්යක්ෂමතාව සතුටුදායක විය.
මෙම සහතිකය සේවකයාගේ ඉල්ලීම පරිදි නිකුත් කරන ලදී. ඔහුට/ඇයට ඉදිරි කටයුතු සාර්ථක වේවායි ප්රාර්ථනා කරමු.
මෙයට විශ්වාසී,
.................................................
[බලයලත් නිලධාරියාගේ නම]
[තනතුර]
[ආයතනයේ නම]
[ආයතනයේ මුද්රාව]
What to include in a service letter
- The employee’s full name and NIC number
- The designation(s) held, including promotions during service
- The dates employment started and ended
- An optional, factual statement on conduct and performance
- The signature of an authorised signatory, with designation, on company letterhead with the company seal
Common mistakes employers make
- Leaving out the dates. Start and end dates are the whole point of the document — banks, embassies and new employers check them against EPF records.
- Writing negative remarks. A service letter is a factual certificate, not an appraisal. If you cannot honestly write “satisfactory”, omit the conduct line entirely rather than editorialising.
- Signing without authority. Have a director, HR head or another authorised signatory sign, with the company seal — unsigned or informally signed letters get rejected.
- Confusing it with a salary confirmation letter. If the recipient needs remuneration details, they need a salary confirmation letter instead — don’t add salary figures to a certificate of service by default.
- Delaying for weeks. There is no statutory deadline, but slow issuance creates disputes and Labour Department complaints. Issue it within a few working days of the request.
Related templates
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an employer required to issue a service letter in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lankan statute law does not clearly codify a stand-alone duty on private-sector employers to issue a service letter — our review of the Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act and its Regulations found no such provision. It is, however, firmly established practice, and the Regulations do require covered employers to maintain a service record (Form F) for every employee containing exactly the facts a service letter certifies. Refusing a reasonable request invites disputes and Labour Department complaints — the practical answer is to issue one promptly.
What is the difference between a service letter and a salary confirmation letter?
A service letter confirms employment history — the dates of employment and the designation(s) held. A salary confirmation letter additionally certifies the employee’s current remuneration, which is what banks and embassies usually need. See our free salary confirmation letter formats.
Can a service letter include negative remarks?
Best practice is no. A service letter is a factual certificate of employment, not a performance appraisal. If you cannot honestly describe the employee’s conduct as satisfactory, omit the conduct line entirely rather than including adverse remarks — negative comments in a certificate can ground disputes and expose the company unnecessarily.
How quickly should a service letter be issued after a request?
There is no statutory timeframe, but issuing it within a few working days is reasonable practice. The information it certifies — dates, designation, salary history — is already in the service record employers are required to maintain, so there is rarely a good reason for delay.
Should a service letter be issued in Sinhala or English?
Whichever the employee or receiving institution needs — many employers issue English by default and Sinhala on request. This page includes a free Sinhala service letter (සේවා සහතිකය) template alongside the English versions.
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