Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
Which employment documents are usually requested?
Reference letters on company letterhead, employment contracts, payslips, and tax or social-security records covering the claimed period. Assessing authorities publish the combination they accept.
What should an employment reference letter contain?
Employer details, your position, exact start and end dates, hours per week, duties in enough detail to match the occupation, and the signatory's name, position and contact details.
My employer has closed. What can I use instead?
Tax records, social-security statements, payslips, bank credits of salary, or a statutory declaration from a former supervisor with their own evidence of employment. Ask the assessing body which alternatives it accepts.
Do payslips have to be translated in full?
Usually yes, because officers check period, amount and employer name. If the set is large, ask the authority whether a sample per year is acceptable before commissioning everything.
Can you edit a reference letter that is missing details?
No. The translation must mirror the source. Missing content has to be corrected by the employer in a reissued letter, which we then translate.
How should an employment reference be worded for an assessment?
Most assessing bodies expect the employer's letterhead, dates of employment, position title, hours worked and a description of duties matched to the occupation being claimed, signed by someone able to verify it. The authority's own template, where published, is the safest guide.
What if my employer no longer exists?
Secondary evidence is generally used — payslips, tax records, social security records, contracts or a statutory declaration by a former supervisor. Weight is decided by the assessing body, so provide as much corroboration as you can.
Do payslips and tax records need certified translation too?
Where they are relied on as evidence, yes, and for the full period claimed. Consistency across the set matters: employer name, position and dates should read the same way in every translated document.
