Employment Reference Letter Format and Documentation Guidance
Get your ACS employment reference letter checked for the required details, correct format, and consistency with your RPL evidence.
- Understand what ACS requires in an employment reference letter.
- Check your letter for missing or inconsistent details.
- Align employment dates and duties with your RPL project reports.
- Get guidance on alternative evidence when a reference is unavailable.
Disclaimer: We do not issue, sign, or draft employment reference letters. Your letter must be issued by an authorised person at your employer.
What is an ACS employment reference letter?
An employment reference letter is a formal document issued by your employer confirming your role, dates, and duties for your ACS skills assessment.
ACS uses this letter together with payment evidence to verify the professional ICT work experience claimed in your application. The letter must come from an authorised representative of the employer. It cannot be written or issued by the applicant or by a third party.
- Your employer has provided a reference without knowing the required format.
- Your reference letter is missing dates, hours, or duty details.
- Your reference details do not match your RPL project reports.
- You need help understanding alternative evidence options.
What must an employment reference letter include?
ACS expects each reference letter to contain specific verifiable details rather than a general description of your role.
Letterhead and contact details
Confirms the letter is genuine and traceable to a real employer.
Applicant name and letter date
Confirms who the letter concerns and when it was issued.
Employment start and end dates
Verifies the length of your relevant experience.
Employment status and weekly hours
Confirms paid, relevant employment.
Salary and work location
Supports genuine paid employment.
Position title and duty statements
Shows the ICT work you actually performed.
Authorised signatory details
A named, contactable signatory confirms who can verify the letter on behalf of the employer.
What our employment reference letter review covers
These checks help you see whether a self-sourced reference letter is complete, correctly formatted, and consistent with your other RPL evidence.
Format and Letterhead Check
Confirm your letter includes verifiable letterhead, contact details, and signatory information.
Employment Detail Verification
Check start and end dates, weekly hours, and employment status against ACS requirements.
Duty Statement Review
Compare listed duties against your nominated ANZSCO occupation for relevance.
Consistency Check with Project Reports
Match employment dates, titles, and duties across all your submitted documents.
Missing Detail Identification
Flag any required detail that your current letter does not include.
Alternative Evidence Guidance
Discuss statutory declaration options when an employer reference is not available.
Our employment reference letter review process
The workflow checks format and content while your employer remains the sole issuer of the letter itself.
Initial Document Check
Share your current reference letter or draft duty statement details.
Detail Verification
We check letterhead, dates, hours, and signatory information.
Consistency Review
We compare your letter against your project reports and other evidence.
Gap Feedback
Receive clear notes on missing or inconsistent details.
Employer Follow-Up
You request corrections or additions directly from your employer.
Final Review
We check the updated letter before you add it to your submission.
What we do and what we do not do
What We Do
- Check required letter details.
- Compare duties with your ANZSCO occupation.
- Flag missing or inconsistent information.
- Explain alternative evidence options.
- Review consistency with project reports.
- Confirm formatting expectations.
What We Do Not Do
- Draft your reference letter.
- Issue or sign employment documents.
- Contact your employer on your behalf.
- Fabricate duties or employment facts.
- Guarantee ACS acceptance.
- Provide migration or legal advice.
Common issues we flag in employment reference letters
- The letter is missing company letterhead or contact details.
- Duty statements are copied directly from an ANZSCO occupation description.
- Employment dates conflict with the applicant's project reports.
- Weekly hours or employment status are not stated.
- The signatory is not named or cannot be contacted.
- The letter lists vague duties instead of specific ICT tasks.
Service disclaimer
We provide general guidance on employment reference letter format, required details, and consistency with your RPL evidence only; we do not draft, issue, sign, or guarantee employment reference letters. We are not affiliated with ACS and do not provide migration advice or guarantee assessment outcomes.
Official sources used for this page
Check your employment reference letter before submission
Get structured guidance on required details, correct format, and consistency with your RPL project reports.
Review with confidence
Frequently asked questions
It is a formal document issued by your employer confirming your role, dates, hours, and duties for the ACS RPL pathway.
No. Your reference letter must be issued and signed by an authorised person at your employer. We review format and detail only.
ACS expects letterhead, applicant name, letter date, employment dates, hours, salary, location, position title, duty statements, and signatory details.
We can discuss alternative evidence options, such as a statutory declaration, based on your circumstances.
Yes. Employment dates, titles, and duties should be consistent across your reference letter and your RPL project reports.
No. ACS may not accept duties copied directly from an ANZSCO description or another applicant's reference letter.
No. We provide document requirement guidance only. Contact a registered migration agent for migration or visa advice.