Offer letter examples: three templates and what every offer should include

An offer letter confirms, in writing, the job you’re offering and its main terms: the title, pay, start date, hours, where the work happens and any conditions. A good one is short, specific and matches what you said in the interview. Below are three examples to adapt, a checklist of what to include, and the written-notice rules that apply in some places whether you send an offer letter or not.

Download the template: offer letters (Word). Free, no sign-up. All three letters below, with every detail to fill in highlighted.

This is general information, not legal advice. Employment law differs by province and state, and a signed offer letter can become part of the employment contract. Have a lawyer check your template once, especially any clause about probation or termination.

What every offer letter should include

• Job title, and who the person reports to.
• Start date, and the date the offer expires.
• Pay: the amount, how it’s calculated (salary or hourly), and how often it’s paid.
• Hours, or a general description of them, and whether the job is full time or part time.
• Where the work happens: an office, a site, remote or a mix.
• Benefits and time off, briefly, with where to find the details.
• Conditions, if any: references, a background check, proof of the right to work, a licence.
• Your company’s legal name and a contact for questions.
• How to accept: sign and return by a date.

Leave out anything you haven’t decided. A vague promise in an offer letter (“you’ll be considered for a raise after six months”) is easy to write and hard to take back.

Example 1: salaried, full-time role

These examples use a fictional employer. Replace everything in brackets.

[Date]

Dear [Candidate name],

I’m pleased to offer you the position of Senior Accountant at Larkspur Partners, reporting to [Manager name], Partner.

Start date: [Monday, 2 November 2026]

Salary: $[amount] a year, paid every two weeks on Friday by direct deposit.

Hours: full time, normally Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. Some longer days at month end and during tax season.

Location: our Main Street office, with up to two days a week from home once you’ve completed your first three months.

Benefits and time off: [three] weeks’ paid vacation a year, and our group health and dental plan from your first day. Details are in the enclosed benefits summary.

Conditions: this offer depends on satisfactory references from two previous employers.

Please sign and return a copy of this letter by [date] to accept. If you have any questions, call me at [phone] or email [address].

We’re looking forward to working with you.

[Name], [Title] Larkspur Partners, [address]

Accepted: [signature] Date: [date]

Example 2: hourly, part-time role

[Date]

Dear [Candidate name],

We’d like to offer you a part-time position as Front Desk Associate at [Employer legal name], operating as [business name].

• Start date: [date]
• Pay: $[rate] an hour, paid weekly on [day]. Overtime is paid at [1.5 times] your hourly rate for hours over [40] a week.
• Hours: about 15 to 20 hours a week, mostly weekday evenings and Saturdays. Your schedule is posted two weeks ahead.
• Location: [store or site].
• Your manager: [name], [phone].

To accept, reply to this email or sign below by [date]. On your first day, please bring [what you need them to bring].

[Name], [Title]

Example 3: conditional offer

Use this shape when the offer depends on something you can’t check yet, such as a background check or a professional licence.

Dear [Candidate name],

We’re pleased to offer you the position of [title], starting [date], at $[amount] [a year / an hour]. The full terms are set out below.

This offer is conditional on [a satisfactory criminal record check / proof of your current licence to practise]. We’ll send you a separate form to authorise the check. If the result means we can’t go ahead, we’ll tell you before making a final decision, and explain why.

[Remaining terms, as in example 1.]

If you’re in the United States and the check comes from a background check company, the federal rules on how to ask for it are specific; see the next section.

Written notices the law may require

Some places require written information at hiring, whether or not you send an offer letter. The offer letter is a convenient place to include it, but check the exact list and format.

Ontario

From 1 July 2025, an employer with 25 or more employees in Ontario on a new employee’s first day must give them, in writing and before that first day (or as soon as reasonably possible after it), according to the province’s guide:

• the employer’s legal name, and any operating name if different;
• contact information: address, phone number and one or more contact names;
• a general description of where the employee will initially work;
• the starting wage rate or commission;
• the pay period and pay day;
• a general description of the initial anticipated hours of work.

Part-time and casual employees each count as one employee toward the 25. You must also give each new employee a copy of the province’s employment standards poster within 30 days of their start.

Probation. Under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, employees who have been employed for less than three months are not entitled to notice of termination or termination pay under the Act. The province’s termination guide also notes that these are minimum requirements and that some employees may have greater rights at common law. That is why a probation or termination clause is the one part of an offer letter worth having a lawyer write.

New York

New York’s Department of Labor requires a written notice of pay rate for each new hire, in English and in the employee’s primary language where the department provides a translation. It covers the pay rate and overtime rate, how pay is calculated, the regular payday, the employer’s name and any business names, the main office address and phone number, and any allowances such as tips or meals counted toward the minimum wage. The department publishes templates you can use.

California

California’s Labor Code section 2810.5 requires a written notice at hiring, no later than the start date, for most private-sector employees. Exempt salaried employees (executive, administrative and professional) are excluded. It covers pay rates and the overtime rate, allowances, the regular payday, the employer’s name, address and phone number, and the workers’ compensation carrier’s details. The Labor Commissioner publishes a template.

Background checks in the United States

If you use a background check company, the Federal Trade Commission says you must tell the applicant in writing, “in a stand-alone format”, and get their written permission first. The notice can’t be part of an application, and the same logic means it shouldn’t be buried in an offer letter: send it separately. If you then decide not to hire because of the report, you must first give the applicant a copy of it and a summary of their rights.

Sending the offer

• Call first, then send the letter. A phone call lets you hear the reaction and answer questions; the letter confirms the details.
• Give a reasonable deadline, often a few working days, and say what happens after it.
• Check the letter against the job posting and what you said in interviews. The pay and hours in the offer should match the posting, and in places with pay transparency rules, the posted range. See what a job posting must disclose.
• Keep a signed copy with the person’s records.
• Tell the other finalists once the offer is accepted. Our hiring process guide covers the steps before and after the offer.

Where SortTheStack fits

An offer is the end of a process that starts with reading applications. SortTheStack reads every application against requirements you set and shows the evidence for each one, so the people you interview, and eventually make an offer to, are the ones who actually meet them. See how the screening works.

Sources

• Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Mandatory information for employees and Termination of employment, accessed 13 October 2026.
• New York State Department of Labor, Notice of pay rate, accessed 13 October 2026.
• California Labor Commissioner’s Office, Labor Code 2810.5 notice FAQ, accessed 13 October 2026.
• Federal Trade Commission, Background checks: what employers need to know, accessed 13 October 2026.