# Offer Letter: [Job title] at [Organisation name]

> A written job offer that sets out the role, pay, start date, working
> pattern, conditions of the offer and the next steps, plus an
> employer checklist for jurisdiction-specific terms (at-will or notice
> wording, right-to-work checks, day-one written particulars, pay
> transparency). Based on common employment practice with dated UK, EU
> and US examples checked in October 2026. Replace every `[bracketed]`
> value and every line marked *Example*. This is a documentation
> format, not legal advice: an offer letter can form part of the
> employment contract, so check the current official rules and ask a
> qualified employment adviser before you send it.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Decide first whether this letter is the contract, part of it, or a
  summary that a full contract will follow. Say so clearly in section 9
  of the letter, because a signed offer letter can be binding.
- Work through the employer checklist (part B) before you fill the
  letter, so the terms match the law where the person will work, not
  where the employer is based.
- Keep the figures identical to the approved requisition and the
  compensation band. A mismatch between letter and payroll is the most
  common cause of disputes.
- The examples describe Quillfen Devices Ltd, a fictional electronics
  company, and a fictional candidate.
- Related templates: Job Description (`career/job-description`),
  Interview Rubric (`career/technical-interview-rubric`), New Hire
  Onboarding Plan (`hr/new-hire-onboarding-plan`), Employee Handbook
  (`hr/employee-handbook`). Candidates comparing offers can use
  `career/offer-comparison`.
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Track the approval of the offer, not just the letter text. Record who approved pay outside the band. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Offer ID | [OFF-2026-031] |
| Requisition ID | [REQ-NNN] |
| Status | [Draft / Approved / Sent / Accepted / Declined / Withdrawn] |
| Hiring manager | [@name] |
| Approvers | [People team, finance, budget holder] |
| Country and state of work | [Country, state or region] |
| Sent on | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Accept by | YYYY-MM-DD |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 *(Example)* | 2026-10-29 | [@recruiter] | Draft from approved requisition |
| 1.0 *(Example)* | 2026-11-02 | [@people-partner] | Approved and sent |

## Part A: The letter

<!-- Guidance: Plain language, one page if possible, two at most. Put every number in a table so it is easy to check. -->

[Organisation name]
[Address]

[Date: YYYY-MM-DD]

[Candidate name]
[Address or email]

**Private and confidential**

Dear [Candidate name],

### 1. The offer

We are delighted to offer you the position of **[job title]** in our
[team or department], reporting to [manager name and title]. This offer
follows your interviews on [dates] and is subject to the conditions in
section 6.

### 2. Key terms

| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Job title | [Job title] |
| Employment type | [Permanent / fixed-term until YYYY-MM-DD], [full-time / part-time] |
| Start date | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Place of work | [Office address / remote from country / hybrid, N days on site] |
| Working hours | [N hours per week, normal days and times, overtime terms] |
| Base salary | [Currency amount] per [year / hour], paid [monthly / biweekly] |
| Pay band for the role | [Minimum to maximum] |
| Variable pay | [Bonus or commission plan, target, conditions; or "None"] |
| Equity | [Type, number, vesting schedule, subject to plan rules; or "None"] |
| Holiday | [N days per year, plus public holidays / policy name] |
| Benefits | [Pension or retirement plan, health cover, other] |
| Probation | [Length and terms; or "None"] |
| Notice or at-will terms | [See section 5] |

### 3. Your role

[Two or three sentences on the purpose of the role and its main
responsibilities. Link or attach the job description.]

### 4. Pay and benefits detail

[Explain how pay is reviewed, when the first review happens, how any
bonus is decided and which plan documents govern benefits and equity.]

### 5. Notice or at-will employment

Choose the wording that fits the place of work and remove the other:

- *Notice-based (for example UK or EU):* "After any probation period,
  either party may end the employment by giving [N weeks or months] of
  written notice, or the statutory minimum if that is longer."
- *At-will (many US states):* "Your employment is at will, which means
  that you or [Organisation name] may end it at any time, with or
  without cause or notice. Nothing in this letter is a promise of
  employment for a specific period."

### 6. Conditions of this offer

This offer is conditional on:

- [ ] proof of your right to work in [country], checked before your
      start date
- [ ] [satisfactory references from N referees]
- [ ] [a background or criminal record check, where lawful and relevant
      to the role]
- [ ] [professional qualification or licence verification]
- [ ] signing the [employment contract, confidentiality and
      intellectual property agreement]

We will tell you in writing when each condition is met. If a condition
is not met, we may withdraw the offer.

### 7. Before you start

[Organisation name] will send you [the contract, the employee handbook,
forms for payroll and tax, and your first-week plan]. Your manager or
an onboarding buddy will contact you before your first day.

### 8. Accepting the offer

Please confirm acceptance by signing below or replying in writing by
**[YYYY-MM-DD]**. If you have questions, contact [name, email, phone].

### 9. Status of this letter

[This letter and the enclosed contract form your terms of employment. /
This letter summarises the main terms; your employment contract,
sent separately, contains the full terms and prevails if they differ.]

We look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

[Name]
[Title], [Organisation name]

**Acceptance:** I accept this offer on the terms set out above.

Signed: ____________________ Name: [Candidate name] Date: YYYY-MM-DD

*Example (fictional):* Quillfen Devices Ltd offers Priya Hallworth the
role of Firmware Engineer in Leeds, UK, on 2026-11-02, with a base
salary of GBP 52,000 a year (band GBP 48,000 to 56,000), a start date
of Monday 2027-01-04, a six-month probation period and one month's
notice after probation. The offer is conditional on a right-to-work
check and two references, and she is asked to accept by Monday
2026-11-09.

## Part B: Employer checklist before sending

<!-- Guidance: These are questions, not answers. The rules depend on where the person works. As of October 2026; check the current official text and a qualified professional. -->

### Terms and fairness

- [ ] Do pay, title and band match the approved requisition and the
      published job advert?
- [ ] Is the pay decision based on objective, gender-neutral criteria,
      and did anyone ask the candidate about pay history where that is
      not allowed?
- [ ] Are bonus, commission and equity described as governed by their
      plan rules, with no promise the plans do not make?
- [ ] Are restrictive covenants (non-compete, non-solicitation) lawful
      where the person will work, and reviewed by an adviser?
- [ ] Have any reasonable adjustments discussed during hiring been
      recorded for onboarding?

### Dated jurisdiction pointers (October 2026)

| Jurisdiction | What to check | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| UK | A written statement of the main terms (the "principal statement": pay, hours, holiday, place of work, probation, training and more) must be given on or before the first day; other particulars, including pensions and disciplinary and grievance rules, within two months. | https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars |
| UK | Check right to work before employment starts. | https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work |
| EU | Directive (EU) 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions sets the information employers must give in writing at the start of employment, with short deadlines for the essential items, and limits probation to six months in most cases. Check the national law that transposes it. | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1152/oj/eng |
| EU | Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency (transposition deadline 7 June 2026): applicants have a right to information on the initial pay or its range, and employers may not ask about pay history (Article 5). Check national transposition. | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng |
| US | Form I-9: the employee completes Section 1 no later than the first day of employment (only after accepting the offer), and the employer completes Section 2 within three business days of the start. | https://www.uscis.gov/i-9 |
| US | At-will employment is the default in most states, with state exceptions; check state law on pay transparency, final pay and non-competes. | [State labour department] |

### Sending and records

- [ ] Sent from an official account, with the contract and plan
      documents attached or linked.
- [ ] Offer and acceptance stored in the personnel file.
- [ ] Unsuccessful candidates told, and their data kept only for the
      period stated in the privacy notice.

## Standard and licence note

Based on common employment practice for offer letters, with dated
examples from GOV.UK (written statement of employment particulars,
right to work checks), USCIS (Form I-9 and the M-274 handbook),
Directive (EU) 2019/1152 and Directive (EU) 2023/970, checked on
2026-10-30. Original text written for this collection; people and
organisations are fictional. Not legal advice: check the current
official text and a qualified professional. Template licence: MIT.
