An HR request for "proof of employment" gets interpreted differently by everyone who asks for it, and the two most common documents that satisfy it — a salary slip and an employment letter — are genuinely not interchangeable.
| Salary Slip | Employment Letter |
|---|---|
| Shows exact pay breakdown for a specific period | Confirms employment status and role generally |
| Issued monthly, ongoing | Issued on request, one-off |
| Proves income level and consistency | Proves you're currently employed, and often since when |
| Used for loans, visas, rentals | Used for visas, embassies, sometimes rentals too |
When a salary slip is what's actually needed
A bank evaluating a loan application, or a landlord checking whether you can afford rent, usually wants to see your actual income over time — a salary slip (often several months' worth) demonstrates that directly.
When an employment letter is what's actually needed
A visa application or an official body confirming your employment status often wants a formal letter from HR stating your job title, start date, and sometimes salary — a single document rather than a running series of pay stubs.
Some requests genuinely want both
Larger loans, some visa categories, and certain government applications ask for a salary slip series plus an employment letter, since together they confirm both "you're currently employed" and "here's what you actually earn."
If you're not sure which one to provide
When a request is vague, both cost little to prepare and cover more bases than guessing which single document the requester actually meant.