Offer Letter template
An offer letter is the written confirmation that you are offering a candidate the job — the role, pay, start date, the conditions the offer depends on, and how to accept. Once the candidate accepts, its terms form part of a binding contract of employment.
A verbal offer followed by a vague email is where hiring goes wrong: candidates resign from their current job on terms nobody wrote down, conditions like right-to-work checks get skipped, and disputes start before day one. A tight offer letter closes the gap between interview and contract.
This template gives you a complete, ready-to-edit letter: the offer itself, a summary of key terms, the conditions attached, acceptance instructions with a deadline, and first-day arrangements — plus internal guidance on withdrawing offers safely.
Full text, ready to adapt.
Highlighted fields are placeholders — replace them with your organisation's specifics. A starting point, not legal advice.
Offer Letter
Policy · HR & People
1. Purpose and scope
This is the standard offer letter issued by {{org.name}} for all roles. Issue it on letterhead, signed by [authorised role], after final interview sign-off and before any start date is agreed as final. Only [authorised roles] may make or vary offers.
2. The offer
Dear [candidate name],
Following your recent interview, we are pleased to offer you the position of [job title] with {{org.name}}, reporting to [manager name/role] and based at [location]. This offer is conditional on the requirements set out below, and this letter should be read together with the enclosed [written statement of particulars / contract of employment].
3. Role, pay and key terms
- Job title: [title], reporting to [role].
- Salary: [amount] per [year/hour], paid [monthly/weekly] by [method].
- Hours: [number] per week, [days and times / shift pattern].
- Location: [address], [with hybrid arrangements: [details]].
- Annual leave: [number] days [including / plus] bank holidays.
- Probation: [length], with the conditions set out in the enclosed terms.
- Notice: [period] from either side after probation.
- These are a summary only — the enclosed [statement/contract] contains the full terms and takes precedence over this summary.
4. Conditions of this offer
- Evidence of your right to work in the UK, checked before your employment starts — please bring [acceptable evidence] to [pre-start appointment / your first day, before starting work].
- References satisfactory to {{org.name}} from [number] referees covering [period].
- [If role-relevant:] a satisfactory [DBS check at the appropriate level / occupational health assessment].
- [If role-relevant:] evidence of the qualifications or registrations stated in your application: [list].
- If any condition is not met, {{org.name}} may withdraw this offer or, where employment has already begun, end it in line with the enclosed terms.
5. Your start date and first day
Your proposed start date is [date]. On your first day, please arrive at [time] at [location] and ask for [name/role]. Bring [documents list]. Your first [day/week] will follow our induction plan, and you will receive your written statement of particulars on or before your first day.
6. Accepting this offer
To accept, sign and return the enclosed copy of this letter [and the statement/contract] to [name/email] by [date]. If we have not heard from you by then, the offer lapses. If anything in this letter differs from what you understood, raise it before signing — the signed documents will govern.
We are delighted at the prospect of you joining and are happy to answer any questions before you decide. Yours sincerely, [name], [role], {{org.name}}.
7. Withdrawing an offer (internal guidance)
Before acceptance, an offer can be withdrawn at any time — do it in writing, promptly. After acceptance, withdraw only where a stated condition has failed, and say which one; withdrawing an accepted unconditional offer risks a breach of contract claim for the notice period, so take advice from [role/adviser] first.
Never withdraw or vary an offer for a reason connected to a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — discrimination law protects job applicants, not just employees.
8. Records and next steps
File the signed letter, condition evidence, and right-to-work check records on the new starter's file in [system], retained for [period]. Trigger the written statement, payroll setup, and induction plan the day the acceptance arrives — the day-one statement deadline does not move.
How to adapt this template.
Complete every [bracketed placeholder] from the approved vacancy record, not from memory of the interview.
Delete the conditions that do not apply to the role — an offer conditional on a DBS check you never run undermines the ones you do enforce.
Set an acceptance deadline that gives the candidate a real decision window but keeps your pipeline moving.
Send the written statement or contract with the letter whenever you can — one signing moment, no gaps.
Book the right-to-work check before the start date the moment the acceptance arrives.
Have [authorised role] sign every offer; a manager improvising terms by email creates contract terms too.
Turn this template into trained, proven behaviour
A policy in a drawer proves nothing. In TrainedTeam this template becomes assigned training with knowledge checks, e-signature acknowledgments, version history, and an audit-ready record of who completed what, when.
Offer Letter template FAQs
Is an offer letter legally binding in the UK?
Once the candidate accepts, yes — the offer's terms become part of the contract of employment, even before the first day. That is why conditions must be stated in the letter itself: an unconditional accepted offer generally cannot be withdrawn without breaching contract.
What is the difference between an offer letter, a contract, and a written statement?
The offer letter proposes the deal and its conditions; acceptance turns those terms into a contract. The written statement of employment particulars is the statutory document, due on or before day one under the Employment Rights Act 1996, recording specific particulars. Many employers combine the statement and contract into one enclosure with the offer.
Can we withdraw a job offer?
Before acceptance, yes. After acceptance, only safely where a stated condition — references, right to work, DBS — has failed. Withdrawing an accepted unconditional offer risks a breach of contract claim, and withdrawing for a discriminatory reason is unlawful at any stage.
Should job offers be conditional?
Almost always. Conditions on right-to-work evidence and references cost nothing and preserve your position if checks fail. Add DBS, health, or qualification conditions only where the role genuinely requires them, and complete the checks quickly once the offer is accepted.
When does the right-to-work check have to happen?
Before employment starts — not in the first week. Build it into the offer conditions and the pre-start checklist, and keep the check records on file in line with current GOV.UK guidance.
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