Employment offer letter.
A complete employment offer letter with title, start date, compensation, leave, IP, confidentiality, and at-will / fixed-term clauses. Jurisdiction-aware variants for US and AU; pay-transparency friendly.
Dear [Candidate Name], On behalf of [Company Name], I am delighted to offer you the position of [Job Title], reporting to the [Reporting Line], based in our [Location] office on a [Work Pattern] basis, commencing on [Start Date]. Your starting base salary will be [Amount] per [pay cycle], paid in equal instalments according to the company's payroll calendar. You will be eligible to participate in the company's benefits programme as described in the attached benefits summary…
What's inside the document.
Company letterhead, candidate full name and address, date of issue, and offer reference number.
Title, department, reporting line, location, work pattern (in-person / hybrid / remote), start date.
Base salary or wage with frequency, currency, payment cycle. Variable / bonus / equity blocks where applicable.
Health, retirement, leave entitlements, public-holiday handling. AU variant references Fair Work minimums.
Employment basis. US variant is at-will with carve-outs; AU variant references ongoing employment under the Fair Work Act.
Optional probation period clause with review timing and notice during the period.
Standard confidentiality undertakings and IP assignment to the company for work product created during employment.
Acceptance signature blocks for the candidate and the authorised company signatory.
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
Three formats, one document.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
8 steps from download to use.
- 01Open the offer letter in Word or copy to Google Docs.
- 02Replace company-name, address, signatory, and reference-number placeholders.
- 03Fill in the role title, reporting line, start date, and work pattern.
- 04Set the salary, payment frequency, and any variable / bonus / equity terms.
- 05Confirm leave entitlements match your jurisdiction (US: company policy; AU: Fair Work minimums plus anything you offer above).
- 06Choose the at-will (US) or ongoing-employment (AU) clause and delete the other.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one HR / legal reviewer read it. Cut anything you cannot defend in a conversation.
- 08Send to e-sign or print on letterhead.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this offer letter for a standard permanent hire — full-time or part-time, in-person, hybrid, or remote. It covers everything a candidate needs to make a decision and everything the company needs to record.
For executive hires with significant equity, sign-on bonuses, or unusual leave packages, start here and add the relevant schedules. For contractor or fixed-term hires, use the contractor or fixed-term variant instead.
Honest answers before you download.
- Is this legally sufficient on its own?
- For most permanent hires, yes — the offer letter is the operative document. Many organisations also issue a separate employment contract; we publish that as a paired document. If your jurisdiction or industry requires specific clauses (e.g. AU industry awards), have local counsel review.
- Do I need a different version for US vs AU?
- The template carries both. Pick the jurisdiction at the top, then delete the inapplicable at-will / Fair Work clause and the leave-entitlements section that doesn't apply. The structure is identical.
- Does this cover sign-on bonuses or equity?
- Yes — variable / bonus / equity blocks are placeholders you fill in. For unusual structures (deferred comp, accelerated vesting, repurchase rights), get counsel to draft the schedule.
- Can I include a pay range to comply with pay-transparency law?
- Pay-transparency requirements vary by jurisdiction. The compensation block accepts either a single figure (single-figure jurisdictions) or a range (NY, CA, CO, WA, and AU in some industries). Check your current obligation before publishing the role.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Job offer letter
The shorter cousin — confirmation-of-offer letter for less formal hiring loops.
Executive offer letter
Equity, sign-on, severance, and change-of-control protection structured properly.
Mutual NDA
Pair with the offer letter for sensitive role discussions before signing.
This employment offer letter template is a professionally drafted starting point and is not legal advice. The clauses follow current US and AU practice; adapt the document for your specific jurisdiction and have qualified counsel review any clauses you add before signing or distributing. Full disclaimer.