Offer letter
An offer letter is the written document an employer sends to set out an offer to the chosen candidate: title, compensation, start date and key conditions. It sits between the verbal yes and the signed contract.
What goes in an offer letter
The usual headings:
- Role: title and reporting line.
- Compensation: base salary, variable pay, equity if any, signing bonus.
- Start date: a specific date, or “subject to notice period”.
- Location and arrangement: office, hybrid or remote.
- Contingencies: background check, reference check, visa.
- Reply-by date: when you expect an answer.
The employment contract is a separate document, drawn up and signed afterwards. Our job offer letter page has a full offer letter template and the UK written-statement headings to build it around.
When to send it
Soon after the verbal yes. The longer the candidate waits, the more room there is for a counter-offer or second thoughts.
Prepare for the negotiation
A candidate who negotiates the offer is showing interest in the role. Decide before you send it how far you can move on base pay and the other terms, so you can answer a counter-proposal quickly without going back for internal sign-off.