Notice period is the most negotiated clause in Indian hiring — and the least understood. Here is how it actually works, from both sides of the table.
The standard bands
- 30 days: startups, agencies, and most non-IT roles. Also common during probation.
- 60 days: mid-size companies and many product firms.
- 90 days: large IT services companies, banks, and most senior roles. The stated reason is knowledge transfer; the practical effect is slowing attrition.
Your notice period is written in your appointment letter. Read it before you resign, not after.
What a buyout means
A buyout — also called notice-pay recovery — lets you leave early by paying the company your salary for the unserved days, or, more commonly, having your new employer pay it. If your notice is 90 days and you leave after 30, the buyout is roughly 60 days of basic pay. Check two things:
- Whether your current company allows a buyout at all. Some contracts leave it to the manager’s discretion.
- Whether the new employer reimburses it. Many do, but only against a proper relieving letter, and usually with a cap.
Negotiating an early release
An early release is a request, not a right. What works:
- Ask early and in writing. Raise it in your resignation mail, not in week seven.
- Offer a complete handover plan with names and dates. Managers release people who make exits painless.
- Time it around delivery cycles. Asking mid-release is a no; asking right after a milestone often works.
- Use unused leave. Many companies adjust earned leave against notice days.
The immediate-joiner premium
Candidates who can join within 15 days get interviewed faster and, in our placement data, receive offers 10–15% higher than identical profiles on 90-day notice. If you are already serving notice or between jobs, say so in the first line of your application — it is a genuine advantage.
Do’s and don’ts
Do:
- Resign in writing and keep the acknowledgement.
- Serve your notice professionally; your relieving letter follows you for decades.
- Get the buyout arrangement from your new employer in writing before you commit to a joining date.
Don’t:
- Never abscond. Leaving without a formal exit means no relieving letter, and background verification at the next company — and every company after that — will flag it. We have seen strong candidates lose offers three years later over one absconding record.
- Don’t claim a shorter notice to win the offer and then ask for extensions. It burns trust with everyone, including your consultant.
Handled properly, notice period is just logistics. Handled badly, it follows your career around. Take the extra two weeks and exit clean.