Employment Offer Letter: Templates, What to Include & FAQs

Start each offer letter with the date, a salutation, and the candidate’s full name. If provided, include the candidate’s address (either physical or email). The beginning of the letter will set the tone of the offer and should mirror your corporate culture, so start with something enthusiastic but professional.

Make sure the company name is clearly identified at the top of the letter. Drafting the offer letter on official company letterhead that includes the company logo will make the letter look more professional and signal to the recipient that it’s a legitimate offer.

Include the formal job title so the recipient knows exactly what is being offered. This should match the job title used throughout the hiring process; if there are any differences, the letter should explain why the title is different. Likewise, the letter should identify the reporting structure for the role, provide details about general responsibilities, and state whether the role is full time or part time, office-based or remote, and exempt or nonexempt.

The offer letter should also include a copy of the job description. It’s good practice to have the candidate sign the job description as well, indicating their understanding of the position and noting their ability to do the core duties as outlined.

Once you provide the job title and a brief description of the role being offered, detail how the employee will be compensated. This section of the offer letter should state the annual salary, per-pay-period salary, or hourly wage and how frequently the employee will get paid—weekly, semimonthly, or otherwise. You can also use this portion of the employment offer letter to describe any additional compensation like commission, equity, or performance-based bonuses.

A job’s benefits package is, in many cases, just as important to candidates as the salary. For that reason, it’s important to include a snapshot of benefits with the offer letter (a more detailed summary of benefits should be in the official employment contract and your company handbook).

If you have access to summary documents from your company’s benefits providers, you can also include this as an attachment when sending the offer letter. Also, note if there is a waiting period before any of the benefits take effect.

Where applicable, you can include general information about benefits in the offer letter, to include:

• Insurance coverage
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off
• Flexible spending accounts
• Educational assistance
• Flexible work schedule
• Work from home option

At-will employment means that a company or employee can terminate employment at any time and for any non-discriminatory reason. Every state is at-will except Montana, so if your business (or new employee) is not located in Montana, you can include at-will language in your offer letter.

As with the benefits summary, many employers choose to reserve this language for the employment agreement. Either way, we recommend you work with a legal professional to ensure you include all necessary language.

It’s important to note that an at-will statement is only part of the process of retaining an employee’s at-will status. Your company and managers must also treat the employee as an at-will employee. If you provide the employee with a written employment agreement, for example, and that agreement refers to their position as permanent or provides listed reasons for termination, then you may be bound by those listed reasons, and terminating the employee for any reason not listed could result in legal action.

Job offers contingent on any further reviews or requirements should list these items clearly and in an obvious location so the recipient is guaranteed to see them. Depending on the type of job, this may include a background check, credit review, drug test, or other evaluations.

If there are contingencies, you should also include information about the next steps and whether you require any immediate action from the candidate. Failing to list contingencies in an offer letter could make it difficult to withdraw the offer if the candidate does not pass your initial requirements.

Often, a hiring manager will discuss the employee’s availability during the interview process. However, an official start date should be identified in the offer letter even if you already discussed it with the candidate. If the start date is dependent on offer contingencies, state that in the letter and provide the date by which those additional requirements must be met.

Offer periods are important because they give candidates time to consider the job offer, discuss it with family members, and compare it with competing offers. Requiring a recipient to respond within a certain period also keeps the hiring process on track and enables you to move on to other candidates if your first choice declines. In general, offer periods range from 24 hours up to one week—but you can always choose a period that makes sense for the role and hiring timeline.

In addition to letting candidates know how long they have to accept an offer, provide details about how they should accept or decline the offer. Including this information in the offer letter gives your potential employee a sense of confidence and security around the acceptance process while ensuring you don’t miss their response. Regardless of how you prefer candidates respond, always provide the relevant contact information, whether it be your phone number or email address.

Finally, include a section in the offer letter explaining that the letter does not serve as a binding employment contract. It is also a good idea to include an equal opportunity employer statement. An attorney can help you draft this portion of the letter and review the offer in its entirety to ensure you’re not including any contractual language.

A standard offer letter is a document stating your intent to hire an employee based on the terms and conditions laid out in the offer letter. The letter outlines the details of the role along with benefits and information about your company and its policies. By signing the letter, the candidate indicates their agreement with the terms of the letter.

Absolutely. Use one of our free templates to help you get started and change the letter so it aligns with your company culture, making it more or less formal. Whether you use our template or you create your own, we do recommend you keep the offer letter to one page, plus any attachments like the job description and bonus structure.

We recommend that you create your offer letter as a document that’s attached to the email sent to a candidate. You may also send the offer letter from an online signature software so that your candidate can accept and sign the offer letter electronically. Do not write your formal offer letter in the body of the email as it may not have the full force and effect of a traditional letter.

Yes—but it is not a contract. While both documents require the candidate’s signature and yours, a contract is a more formal employment document, laying out complete details of the role and responsibilities, including the employment period. In contrast, an offer letter includes details of the role, but with brevity and without an obligation of time.

Yes—if an offer has not been accepted, you can revoke the offer at any time. If the offer has been accepted, you can still revoke the offer, but you may need a qualifying reason to do so, like the failure of a background screen as noted in the offer letter.