Offer Letter Template

How to create an offer letter and welcome candidates to your company

You can make an editable copy of this document by clicking here.

Offer Letter for Candidate Name

My Startup

Hi NAME,

We are excited to have you join My Startup! This is your offer letter for the position of Position Title. In the following pages you’ll find more information regarding the position, salary, perks, benefits, and any additional things you need to know before starting here at My Startup. Please contact Hiring Manager -or- Recruiter’s email if you have any questions about this offer. I look forward to your response and the prospect of working together!

Welcome!

Chief Executive Officer

This page is meant to introduce the candidate to your company and build excitement that you are offering them a job! Think of it as the beginning of an email you would write explaining the offer.

It’s a good idea to have a founder or CEO sign off on the offer to show executive support.

My Startup

Position: Title

Reporting to: Hiring Manager

Department: Dept. Name

Home Office: Location

Anticipated Start Date: Date

Annual Base Salary: xxxxxx (exempt employees) -or-Hourly Rate: xx / hour (non-exempt employees)

(optional) Annual Bonus Potential -or- Commission Structure: xxxx *

Pay Schedule: Semi-Monthly/Monthly

(optional) Signing Bonus: xxxYou will be eligible for a one-time lump sum Signing Bonus (“Bonus”) in the amount of [Amount] gross less all applicable taxes, withholdings, and deductions required by law. This Bonus will be paid with your first paycheck. You understand the Bonus is not part of the salary and it is separate from any other compensation outlined in this offer letter. If you voluntarily resign from My Startup within 90 days of your hire date, you agree to pay the Bonus back to My Startup in full.

Offer Summary

Hiring Manager SignatureHiring manager

For US Hires: Make sure to distinguish between exempt and non-exempt employees when you list out salary information.

*If you include bonus potential or commission in the offer letter, you should add another slide detailing the terms of the bonus eligibility or the commission structure.

My Startup

Your RoleHeader of the job posting

Responsibilities:●

Qualifications:● It’s a good idea to

include the job description in their offer letter. This way you are aligned with the new hire from the beginning and you can reference back to the job responsibilities over time.

My Startup

MissionDrop your mission statement in here.

ValuesList out your values.

My Startup

Benefits & Perks

Benefits are things like:● 401(k)/Roth & Retirement ● Healthcare ● Dental ● Vision ● Parental Leave ● PTO● Life Insurance, Short Term Disability and

Long Term Disability Coverage ● Computer/ Equipment

Perks are things like:● Free food fridays● Dog friendly office ● Stipends to cover wellness, travel, etc.● Volunteer days● Free gym memberships

It’s beneficial to link to an external guide that outlines the specific benefits plans in detail for the geography in which you're hiring. Healthcare and retirement are significant cost considerations and it's helpful for candidates to have specifics on that that info when evaluating an offer.

Benefits and Perks usually change each year, so you might include a disclaimer that explains this*

My Startup *This document reflects current offerings. All benefits and perks are subject to change.

The Legal StuffTerms of Employment - This offer letter is not a contract of employment for any specific terms or duration.

● It’s a good idea to outline that employment is “at will” if you are employing someone in the US.

● If you are employing someone through an employment contract - add that info in here.

● If your offer is contingent upon anything (like successful completion of a background check or signing a confidentiality agreement) - add that here.

Other things to add here:

● Privacy Agreement● Proprietary Information● Conflicts of Interest (Policy for Disclosures)

Don’t skip this page!

It’s critical that you clearly state your offer is not a contract of employment and (if you are hiring in the US) that you define employment to be “at-will”

My Startup

You can utilize free resources like Avodocs.com for guidance on legally compliant language.

Offer AcceptanceWe hope that you found this offer letter helpful. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you! Please sign below to indicate your acceptance of this offer and return your letter to me by Time, Day, Month, Year. If we do not hear from you by then, this offer is withdrawn. Upon your acceptance, MyStartup will send you further information for your first day.

I accept the above terms of employment as stated:

________________________________ _____________________

Name’s Signature Date

Put a specific date and time on the offer letter so the offer is only valid for that period of time.

Have your new hire sign and date the offer to indicate acceptance.

Then celebrate!

My Startup

Other Things You Might Include:● Team Picture● Info on special programs you offer (like a

wellness program or a travel program)● A transparent outline of equity/ownership

compensation, ideally including a calculator for transparently thinking through value (great guides found here)

● *If you include bonus potential or commission in the offer letter you should add another slide detailing the terms of the bonus eligibility or the commission structure.

● Consider sending a small gift to the candidate after you communicate the offer as a thank you for completing the process (a piece of swag, bottle or wine or local restaurant gift card)

eShares: A Better Offer Letter (equity focused)

Workable: Job Offer Letter Sample Template

Gusto: Email Template for Sending an Offer Letter (pg. 7)

Avodocs: Free Legal Docs for Startups - Employee Offer Letter

Great Additional Resources: