England & Walesrecruitment

Reference Request Letter Template — England & Wales

This is a static, verified master template. AI never generates the clause text below — it only helps you fill in the variable fields once you sign up.

This document's core is based on a template published by ACAS (inferred to be under OGL-3.0, from ACAS's site-wide licensing notice — not a template-specific statement). Verstia does not claim this text is approved by ACAS — its fidelity to the source is verified by a deterministic diff, not a legal review.

Template preview

REFERENCE REQUEST LETTER TEMPLATE

your name
employer name and address
letter date
Dear referee name,
RE: applicant name
The person named above has applied for the position of job title. They have given your name as a referee.
I would be grateful if you could fill in the following details, so I can assess whether the applicant is suitable for this position:
[If reference_is_basic:] Position held at your organisation: position held
[If reference_is_basic:] Dates of employment: dates of employment
[If reference_is_detailed:] Position held at your organisation: position held
[If reference_is_detailed:] Dates of employment: dates of employment
[If reference_is_detailed:] Main duties held: main duties held
[If reference_is_detailed:] Salary: referee salary details
[If reference_is_detailed:] Sickness or absence record – do not include absences related to disability or to parental rights, for example maternity leave: sickness absence record
[If reference_is_detailed:] Any current, relevant disciplinary records: disciplinary records
[If reference_is_detailed:] Reason for leaving job: referee reason for leaving
[If reference_is_character:] Your relationship to the applicant: relationship to applicant
[If reference_is_character:] How long you've known them: how long known
[If reference_is_character:] Comment on character and strengths: character comment
[If reference_is_character:] Suitability for the new role: suitability comment
Please also include any other relevant additional comments you have about the employee. To return the reference, please return method.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.
Yours sincerely
your name signoff

Variables you will fill in

Your name(text)required
Employer name and address(textarea)required
Letter date(date)required
Referee's name(text)required
Applicant's name(text)required
Job title applied for(text)required
Reference type(select)required
Position held at referee's organisation (basic/detailed)(text)
Dates of employment (basic/detailed)(text)
Main duties held (detailed)(textarea)
Salary (detailed)(text)
Sickness or absence record (detailed)(textarea)
Do not include absences related to disability or to parental rights, for example maternity leave — including these could amount to unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
Current, relevant disciplinary records (detailed)(textarea)
Reason for leaving job (detailed)(textarea)
Your relationship to the applicant (character)(text)
How long you've known them (character)(text)
Comment on character and strengths (character)(textarea)
Suitability for the new role (character)(textarea)
How to return the reference(text)required
Your name (signatory)(text)required

This information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on a specific situation, consult a qualified adviser or Acas (acas.org.uk).