Free template
Free Temporary Assignment Letter Template
A temporary assignment letter is a document a staffing agency gives a worker it employs before the worker starts to work for a client. It confirms where the worker goes, whom they report to, what the job is, when it starts and is expected to end, and how pay and time reporting work. State laws and safety guidance may call the client a “worksite employer,” “third-party client,” or “host employer,” but the role is the same: the business where the worker does the job.
The agency prepares a separate assignment letter template for each new placement. It sets expectations for the assignment, while the employment relationship with the agency, the notices the state requires, and the worker’s legal rights stay in place.
Is a Temporary Assignment Letter the Right Document?
Copy section linkThe letter is used when a staffing agency confirms one client placement to a worker on its own payroll. A new letter is usually issued for each placement and each major change, such as a new site, rate, or schedule.
The letter is not the employment contract and not the state wage notice. The agency’s employment terms, such as a staffing agency employment contract, its onboarding documents, and any wage notice required at hiring, stay in place. The letter adds the details of one assignment.
When a different document fits better:
- A company moves its own employee to another role or location for a while, for example, to cover a manager’s leave or to work at another branch for three months. This is a temporary change to the existing job, so it is recorded in an employment agreement addendum or the company’s own reassignment letter.
- The worker is an independent contractor, not the agency’s employee. In this case, the relationship is set in an independent contractor agreement.
Some states require their own notices next to the letter:
New Jersey: For certain job categories, agencies give a notice on a state-approved form at dispatch, in English and in the worker’s primary language.
Illinois: Day and temporary labor agencies give a similar written notice of the assignment terms.
Strikes and lockouts: Sending a worker to a site with a labor dispute has extra rules in some states, including Illinois and New Jersey, such as written notice of the dispute and the worker’s right to refuse the assignment.
What to Settle With the Client Before Writing the Letter
Copy section linkAn assignment letter for an employee can only be as accurate as the agency’s information about the job. Most of the details come from the client, so before filling in the letter, the agency asks for:
Actual tasks the worker will do;
Site address;
Supervisor’s name and phone number;
Schedule;
Protective equipment the job requires, and who supplies it;
Site’s orientation or training steps.
The agency cannot simply rely on the client’s word that training is covered. A common belief is that safety is the client’s problem because the client controls the site. In practice, the agency usually gives general safety training itself, such as recognizing hazards and reporting injuries, and needs a reasonable basis to believe that the client’s site training covers the real hazards. If it doesn’t, the agency raises it with the client, trains the worker itself, or does not send the worker.
A client tells the agency, “We’ll show the new packer around.” The agency asks follow-up questions and learns the packer will work near a conveyor and needs cut-resistant gloves. The letter’s safety section then says: “On day one, report to the shift lead at 7:45 a.m. for a 30-minute conveyor safety orientation. The client provides cut-resistant gloves.”
Duties and Supervision
Copy section linkIn the short-term assignment letter, the duties are the tasks actually agreed with the client. The duty description affects the safety training, the workers’ compensation classification, and the pay rate. A vague “general labor” leaves room for the client to move the worker to a riskier task the agency never priced or trained for. That is why the worker is asked to contact the agency before accepting a major change of duties or an unfamiliar hazardous task.
An agency places a worker as a “general laborer” at a warehouse. A week later, the supervisor asks the worker to drive a forklift. The worker has no forklift certification, and the agency’s insurance and pay rate were set for packing work. With “packing and labeling orders” as the listed duties, the worker knows to call the agency first.
The letter also divides the roles:
The client directs the agreed daily tasks.
The agency handles pay, assignment changes, and employment concerns. For the worker, this means that questions about pay, a move to a new site, or a complaint go to the agency, even though the client supervisor is the person they see every day.
Whether the client is also treated as an employer (a “joint employer”) depends on how control is actually used: who hires, fires, sets pay, schedules, and supervises. The wording of the letter does not decide it. The roles described in the letter should match the agency’s agreement with the client and what really happens on site.
Dates, the End of an Assignment, and What Happens Next
Copy section linkThere are two ways to set how long a temporary assignment lasts:
An end date. This works when the worker covers a set period, such as an employee’s leave or the holiday season.
The end of a task or project. This works for project work, as long as everyone can tell when the task is done.
These dates are only a plan, not a promise. The client may need the worker for a shorter or longer time. Also, when an assignment ends, the worker does not automatically stop being the agency’s employee.
Some states have special rules for what happens after an assignment ends. In Massachusetts, for example, a temporary worker must contact the agency for a new assignment before applying for unemployment. If they don’t, they can be treated as having quit, but only if the agency informed them about this rule in writing. Agencies that use this rule usually include it in their onboarding documents.
If the assignment is extended or ends early, the agency should tell the worker, not just leave it to the client. An updated letter records the new dates.
Pay, Schedule, and Time Records
Copy section linkThe agency pays the worker, not the client. The letter states the hourly rate and the payday that has to fit the state’s rules. California, for example, generally requires weekly pay for temporary workers assigned to clients, with some exceptions.
Overtime counts all hours the worker works for the agency in the workweek, across all placements.
A worker spends 30 hours at a hotel laundry and 14 hours at a catering company in the same week, both clients of the same agency. Neither client sees more than 40 hours, but the agency owes 4 hours of overtime.
The letter names how the worker reports hours. The client’s approval of a timesheet does not decide what the worker is owed. If the client disputes hours, that is a billing matter between the agency and the client, and it does not hold up the worker’s pay. Missing approval or a missed timesheet does not cancel pay for time the worker actually worked.
Schedule changes can also cost money. In states with reporting-time pay, such as California and New York, a worker whose shift is canceled after they arrive may still be owed part of a day’s wages. To avoid such situations, the agency should agree with the client on how much notice it should give before canceling a shift.
Sending the Letter and Updating It
Copy section linkWhen the temporary assignment letter includes an acknowledgment, the worker signs to confirm that they have received it and can raise questions or corrections. Signing does not mean the worker gives up earned pay or any other rights. Without the acknowledgment, the agency signs the letter and shares it. An acknowledgment is useful if the agency may later need to show what the worker was told.
An updated letter that the worker acknowledges gives the agency a record of each change to the site, rate, or schedule.
How Loio Helps With Temporary Assignment Letters
Copy section linkAn agency may issue dozens of assignment letters a month, and each one has to reach the worker before the first shift. Loio helps prepare each letter quickly, get the worker’s signature, and keep every version on record:
Open the letter of assignment template in Loio Templates and fill in the client, duties, site, dates, pay, and safety steps.
Share the letter with the worker and request their signature. The worker will receive a request by email and can sign electronically from a phone, even on their way to the first shift.
If the worker has questions or spots a mistake, such as a wrong rate or start time, they can suggest corrections as redlines in the letter itself.
The signed letter is saved in the account with a time-stamped record of who signed and when.
What is an assignment letter?
An assignment letter is a document that confirms the details of a work assignment: where, with whom, what tasks, for how long, and on what pay. In staffing, the agency gives it to a worker it places with a client.
How to write an assignment letter?
The easiest way is to start with an assignment letter template. The agency first gets the job details from the client, then fills in the client, position, duties, site, supervisor, dates, schedule, pay, time reporting, and safety steps. It signs the letter and sends it to the worker, usually for acknowledgement.
What should an assignment letter include?
The client’s name, the position and duties, the work location, the supervisor’s contact, the start date and expected end, the schedule, the pay rate and payday, how to report hours, the first-day safety steps, and the agency’s contact for questions.
Does an assignment letter need to be signed?
The agency signs it. The worker’s signature is usually optional, but it is useful as proof that the worker received the letter. Some states, such as Massachusetts, require the worker to receive a written assignment confirmation letter and of later changes.