1. At-will offer letter (basic)
When to use it: The standard format for most US hires below executive level. Short, professional, includes all the legally important elements without being heavy.
Three free offer letter templates for US hires — a basic at-will offer, a fuller salaried offer with benefits detail, and an independent contractor engagement letter. Copy directly into Word, PDF, or Google Docs. No email required, no signup.
What's on this page
Each offer letter template below is shown in full. Copy the text, replace the bracketed fields, and you have a professional offer ready to send.
When to use it: The standard format for most US hires below executive level. Short, professional, includes all the legally important elements without being heavy.
When to use it: When the offer needs to spell out benefits explicitly — typically because the role is senior, the comp package is non-standard, or the candidate is comparing offers and you want to put the value of the package on paper.
When to use it: For 1099 contractor engagements in the US — not employment, no benefits, no withholding. The language is materially different from employment offers because the legal relationship is different.
For senior hires, executive comp packages, or any role where the offer is the anchoring legal document, the paid templates add the editorial layer — compliance notes, alternative clause language, and full attorney review.
The fuller version of template #2 above — with compliance notes, bracketed customisations, and editorial guidance on every clause. For roles where the offer is the only document the candidate signs before starting.
View the standard offer letter (us, at-will) →VP and C-suite roles. Adds equity acceleration, severance, indemnification, and board approval contingencies. Substantially more legal scaffolding than the standard offer.
View the executive offer letter (us) →The agreement that the offer letter references — typically signed alongside the offer letter at start date. Combines confidentiality, invention assignment, and non-solicit.
View the employee confidentiality + ip assignment →At minimum: position, start date, compensation (base + any variable), benefits eligibility, at-will language (in 49 states; Montana is the exception), and contingencies (background check, I-9, IP agreement). Anything beyond that is style — but those six elements are non-negotiable.
Yes, in every US offer letter except those for Montana employees (where employment is not at-will by default). The at-will clause does two things: (1) it confirms the employment relationship is at-will, and (2) it provides legal evidence in a dispute that the employee understood and acknowledged it. Even if your state is strongly at-will by default, the explicit clause is worth having.
Yes. Under the federal E-SIGN Act and state UETA laws, electronic signatures on offer letters are legally binding in the US. DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and similar services are fine. For high-comp executive offers, some companies still prefer physical signatures for the gravitas; it's not legally necessary.
Before acceptance: legally simple, but professionally costly — handle with care. After acceptance: if the candidate hasn't started, you can still rescind, but you may owe damages (depends on state, terms of the offer, and whether the candidate relied on the offer to quit another job — 'promissory estoppel' risk). After start date: this is termination, not rescission.
Not legally, but yes for credibility. An offer letter on plain paper or in the body of an email feels casual; on letterhead it feels official. Use letterhead, PDF the final, and send via DocuSign or a similar e-signature platform.
The offer letter templates above are free. For everything that comes after the offer — confidentiality agreements, performance reviews, onboarding documents — the paid library has the rest. $49 each.