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Offer letter template

A job offer letter for an employer in the United States: the role, the pay, the start date, and the terms that make an offer clear. Read it here, download it in Word, or send it for signature.

A starting point, not legal advice: have a lawyer in your state read it before you use it.

Offer of employment

[Date]

[Candidate name]

[Candidate address]

Dear [Candidate first name],

We are pleased to offer you the position of [Job title] at [Company name] (the Company), on the terms below.

Position

You will report to [Manager name], [Manager title]. This is a [full-time / part-time], [exempt / non-exempt] position based at [work location, or remote].

Start date

Your first day will be [Start date], subject to the conditions below.

Pay

You will be paid $[amount] per [year / hour], less required withholdings, on the Company's regular [biweekly] pay schedule. [You will also receive a signing bonus of $[amount], paid with your first paycheck.]

Benefits

You will be eligible for the Company's benefits, including [health insurance, a 401(k) plan with a [percentage] match, and [number] days of paid time off a year], under the terms of each plan, which the Company may change from time to time.

Conditions of this offer

This offer depends on [a background check satisfactory to the Company], [your references], and proof of your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as Form I-9 requires, no later than your third day of work. [You will also be asked to sign the Company's confidentiality and invention assignment agreement.]

At-will employment

Your employment with the Company is at will: either you or the Company may end it at any time, with or without cause or notice. Nothing in this letter or in any other statement changes that unless it is in writing and signed by [the Company's Chief Executive Officer].

Accepting this offer

To accept, sign below by [Offer expiry date]. This letter, with the agreements it names, is our whole agreement about your employment and replaces anything said or written before it.

[Company name], by [Name], [Title]

Accepted by [Candidate name]

About the offer letter

What an offer letter does

It puts a job offer in writing: the role and who it reports to, the pay and how it is paid, the start date, the benefits, and anything the offer depends on. When the candidate signs it, both sides hold the same record of what was offered and what was accepted.

It is not the employment contract in full. The benefit plans, the handbook, and a confidentiality agreement carry the detail, and the letter names them.

What goes in it

The job title and the manager; full time or part time; exempt or non-exempt; pay per year or per hour, and how often it is paid; the start date and the place of work; the benefits in outline; the conditions, such as a background check and proof of eligibility to work on Form I-9; a statement of at-will employment where the job is at will; and the date the offer lapses.

Leave out what you cannot promise: words like permanent, guaranteed raises, or a bonus described as certain when it is discretionary. A lawyer in your state should read the letter before you first use it.

Sending it for signature

Upload the letter, place the candidate's signature and date, and send. The candidate signs from a link on any device, with no account, and both of you get the signed PDF with a certificate of who signed and when. Hiring several people at once, send one letter to each from a list, with each name and salary filled in.

Send it for signature on ShareSign

  1. 01

    Step 1

    Download the template in Word and fill in the brackets, or use your own letter.

  2. 02

    Step 2

    Upload it, place the candidate's signature and date, and your own if you countersign.

  3. 03

    Step 3

    Send it. The candidate signs from a link on any device, with no account.

  4. 04

    Step 4

    Both of you get the signed PDF and its certificate. Save it as a template and the next offer takes a minute.

Send your offer letter today.