# Offer letter template

An offer letter is a short letter from an employer to a chosen candidate that states the job title, pay, start date and any conditions, and asks the candidate to accept by signing.

## What an offer letter is

An offer letter turns a verbal "we'd like you to join" into something written that both sides can point to. In many places it is not a full employment contract. It summarises the main terms and refers to other documents, such as a handbook or an agreement on inventions. Some employers send a full contract instead. Your lawyer can tell you which fits.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Employment rules differ a lot by country and state, so have a lawyer or HR adviser check your template.

## When it is used

- After the final interview, once the salary is agreed.
- For internal moves or promotions that change pay or title.
- For seasonal or fixed-term hires. See [staffing](/industries/staffing) and [education](/industries/education).
- For rehires, with updated terms.

## What it usually contains

1. **Greeting and offer.** The candidate's name and the role offered.
2. **Job title and manager.** Who they report to.
3. **Start date and location.** Including whether the role is remote, hybrid or on site.
4. **Pay.** Salary or hourly rate, pay schedule, and overtime status where it applies.
5. **Benefits summary.** Short headlines, with detail left to plan documents.
6. **Employment type.** Full time, part time or fixed term, and at-will language where it applies.
7. **Conditions.** Such as a background check or proof of right to work.
8. **Other documents.** References to the handbook, a confidentiality agreement or a policy acknowledgement. See [employee handbook acknowledgement](/templates/employee-handbook-acknowledgement).
9. **Deadline to accept.** The date the offer expires.
10. **Signature blocks.** The employer's signer and the candidate.

## Things to get right

- **Check the numbers against the record.** Wrong salary or wrong name is the classic offer letter error. That is why we suggest a person approves every offer, even when no agent is involved.
- **Keep the deadline real.** If the candidate signs after it, decide whether that still counts and say so.
- **Personal email needs care.** Candidates often use a personal address. If you have not confirmed it, set an [access code](/glossary/access-code) and share it by phone.
- **Treat the signed file as a personnel record.** Keep it as long as your rules say. docuinked does not set your retention period.

## How to send it for signature with docuinked

### In the app

Upload the letter, add your hiring manager or HR signer first and the candidate second, and turn on signing order. Place a signature and date for each. Save it as a template so HR only changes names and figures.

### By API

Your applicant system fills the PDF and sends it. Your signer signs first, then the candidate, who needs a code you read out on the offer call.

```
curl https://docuinked.com/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DOCUINKED_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: offer-req-311-cand-907" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title": "Offer letter: Product designer",
       "pdf_url": "https://example.com/offers/req-311-cand-907.pdf",
       "ordered": true,
       "signers": [{"name": "Dana Reed", "email": "dana@example.org"},
                   {"name": "Taylor Brooks", "email": "taylor@example.com", "access_code": "2290"}],
       "fields": [{"signer": 1, "kind": "signature", "anchor": "For the Company:"},
                  {"signer": 2, "kind": "signature", "anchor": "Accepted by:"},
                  {"signer": 2, "kind": "date", "anchor": "Date accepted:"}],
       "send": true}'
```

Set the key to "Needs my approval" so a person checks each letter before it goes out, even from your own server.

### From an agent

A recruiting agent can draft the letter from the approved offer in your hiring tool and call `create_document` over MCP. It can ask to send, but a live send stops at an `approval_url`. HR reads the name, pay and start date against the source and approves. The agent never signs, and it cannot get a live signing link. The [offer letters use case](/use-cases/offer-letters) walks through the whole flow.

## Sources

Checked 2026-11-07.

- [ESIGN Act, 15 USC 7001](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/7001)
- [Soni v. Solera, 5th Cir. 2022](https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/Opinions/unpub/21/21-10428.0.pdf): an employer won by showing its onboarding steps and the platform's completion record.

## Common questions

### Is an offer letter the same as an employment contract?

Not always. Many offer letters summarise terms and leave detail to other documents. Some employers use a full contract. A lawyer can tell you what yours is in your jurisdiction.

### What should happen if a candidate declines on the signing page?

The decline is logged and you are told. Treat it like any other decline: talk to the candidate, and if terms change, send a new letter.

### Should the hiring manager or HR sign the offer letter?

Whoever your company allows to make offers. Many teams have HR or a named officer sign so authority is clear. The evidence record shows the name and email of the person who signed for you.

### How do I withdraw an offer letter that has not been signed?

Call `void_document` or void it in the app. The signing link stops working, and the record shows it was voided and when.