Notice periods at Indian startups: what's normal, what's negotiable, and how to handle a buyout

India's notice periods — 30, 60, often 90 days — are the single biggest friction in startup hiring. Here's how to handle them from both directions.

What's normal

Services companies and large enterprises: 60–90 days. Funded startups: 30–60 days, occasionally 90 for senior roles. Early-stage startups: 30 days or less, sometimes 15. The trend is toward 30 days, and most startups will hire someone with a 90-day notice if the role can wait — but they'll prefer a comparable candidate who can join in 30.

Joining a startup with a long notice

Tell them your notice up front; hiding it wastes everyone's time. Then offer options: negotiate an early release with your current employer (most will agree for the right reason), ask whether the startup will fund a buyout, or ask for a start date that fits. Many offers include a buyout clause: the new employer pays your old employer for the unserved notice, and the amount is often recovered from you if you leave within a year.

Negotiate your notice on the way in

Ask for 30 days in your offer letter, symmetric for both sides. A company that insists on 90 days for you and 30 for itself is telling you how it thinks about people.

Leaving a startup

Serve the notice you agreed to unless you've negotiated otherwise in writing. Startups are small networks; a burned bridge follows you. If you're leaving for a role that can't wait, ask for a buyout rather than a walk-out.

What the law says

Notice periods are contractual, not statutory, for most private-sector roles; the standing orders that apply to some workers set a floor, not a ceiling. If a company withholds your relieving letter or final settlement over a notice dispute, that's a labour-court matter — and rare at startups that care about reputation.