# Essential Job Offer Letter Checklist for Candidates

> A job offer letter checklist for candidates and HR: pay, bonus, equity, benefits start dates, legal terms, and red flags to ask about before you sign.

## Job offer letter checklist

Use this checklist before you sign a job offer. HR teams can use it before they send one. A complete offer letter gives each item in writing. If an item is missing or vague, ask the employer to put it in the letter.

| # | Item | What the letter must say |
|---|------|--------------------------|
| 1 | Job title | The exact title and the department |
| 2 | Manager | The person or the role that you report to |
| 3 | Start date | A specific date |
| 4 | Location and schedule | On site, hybrid, or remote. For hybrid, the number of office days and if those days are fixed. The usual hours each week. |
| 5 | Employment type | Full time or part time, permanent or temporary, employee or contractor |
| 6 | Overtime status | Exempt or non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) |
| 7 | Base pay | An exact amount, annual or hourly, and the pay frequency |
| 8 | Bonus | The target amount, how the employer calculates it, when it pays it, and if it is guaranteed |
| 9 | Sign-on bonus | The amount, when it pays, and the repayment terms if you leave early |
| 10 | Equity | The type (stock options or RSUs), the number, the vesting schedule, and the cliff |
| 11 | Health insurance | The plans, your share of the premium, and the date coverage starts |
| 12 | Retirement plan | The employer match formula and the vesting schedule for the match |
| 13 | Paid time off (PTO) | The number of days, how you earn them, and if sick days are separate |
| 14 | Other benefits | Stipends and training budgets, with their rules |
| 15 | At-will statement | If employment is at-will, or if a contract with a fixed term applies |
| 16 | Contingencies | Background check, references, drug test, or proof of work authorization, with time limits |
| 17 | Other agreements | Non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality, or IP assignment agreements that you must sign |
| 18 | Deadline | The date to accept, and how to accept |

## Pay: make sure the numbers are exact

"Competitive salary" is not an offer. "Annual salary of $50,000" is an offer. Look for an exact amount and the pay frequency.

The pay frequency changes the size of each paycheck. A $50,000 salary paid every two weeks gives 26 paychecks of about $1,923 before tax. The same salary paid twice a month gives 24 paychecks of about $2,083.

For an hourly job, the letter must give the rate and the expected hours. At $25 an hour, 40 hours a week and 30 hours a week give very different annual pay.

A bonus clause must give a formula. "You are eligible for an annual bonus" gives you no number. A clear clause gives a target and a formula. For example: "15% of base salary, 50% on individual performance and 50% on company performance, paid in the first quarter". On a $50,000 salary, that target is $7,500. A target is not a guarantee.

![Total compensation: base salary, variable pay, equity, and benefits value](/assets/blog/offer-letter-review/diagram_total-compensation-salary.webp)

## Equity

Stock options and RSUs (restricted stock units) work differently. The letter must name the type, the number of shares or options, and the vesting schedule. Vesting is the schedule on which the equity becomes yours.

A common schedule is four years with a one-year cliff. A cliff is a period before any equity vests. If you leave before one year, you get nothing. At one year, 25% vests. The rest vests each month for the next three years.

## Benefits: start dates and fine print

The start date of health coverage matters if you leave a job with coverage. If the new coverage starts after a waiting period, you need other coverage for the gap. Federal rules do not permit a group health plan to make an eligible employee wait [more than 90 days](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20140297) for coverage.

For a 401(k) plan, the letter must give the match formula. A common formula is a 50% match on the first 6% of salary that you contribute. On a $60,000 salary, you contribute $3,600 (6%), and the employer adds $1,800 (3%).

Your own contributions are always yours. The employer match can have a [vesting schedule](https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-vesting). Federal rules permit full vesting after up to three years of service, or step-by-step vesting over up to six years. If you leave before you are fully vested, you lose the unvested part of the match.

For PTO, the letter must say if sick days are separate and how you earn the days. "Fifteen days of PTO each year" can mean all 15 days on January 1. It can also mean 1.25 days each month. With monthly accrual and a November start, you have only 2.5 days in your first calendar year.

For stipends and training budgets, find out if they need approval. Also find out if unused money carries over to the next year.

## Legal terms

At-will employment means that you or the employer can end the job at any time, for any legal reason. Most US jobs are at-will. If the letter has no at-will statement, ask if a contract with other terms applies.

The overtime status tells you if you get overtime pay. Under the FLSA, a non-exempt employee gets [overtime pay](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime) for hours over 40 in a workweek. The overtime rate is at least one and a half times the regular rate. An exempt employee does not get overtime pay.

Non-compete rules are different in each state. For example, California law makes most employee non-compete clauses void. Its [Business and Professions Code section 16600.1](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=16600.1) makes it unlawful to put one in an employment contract. In other states, look at the scope, the area, and the duration of the clause. Ask for changes before you accept.

An IP assignment clause gives the employer the rights to the work that you create for the job. Some clauses also cover work that you do in your own time. If you have side projects, read this clause carefully. Ask for an exception in writing if necessary.

Contingencies need time limits. If the offer depends on a background check, ask how long the check takes. Do not resign from your current job until the employer tells you in writing that all contingencies are complete.

## Red flags

Ask questions before you accept if the letter has one of these problems:

- No exact salary or hourly rate.
- "Eligible for benefits" with no description of the benefits.
- No at-will statement and no contract term.
- A non-compete that covers your full industry or a large area for a long time.
- Contingencies with no end date.
- Terms that are different from the verbal offer, for example fewer PTO days.
- A wrong name, title, or start date. The employer can have copied an old letter.

## For HR teams

Before you send an offer letter, make sure that:

1. The name, the title, the manager, and the start date are correct for this candidate.
2. The letter gives the FLSA status, exempt or non-exempt.
3. Hybrid work has a definition: the number of office days, and if the days are fixed.
4. Bonus, sign-on, and clawback terms agree with the other offers for the same role.
5. Each clause follows the law of the state where the employee will work.
6. The letter makes no promise that the company cannot keep.
7. The legal clauses have a plain-language summary.

## Use this checklist with Claude or ChatGPT

Claude or ChatGPT can compare an offer letter with this checklist and list the missing items:

1. Remove your home address, your phone number, and any ID numbers from the letter.
2. Read the letter for a confidentiality request. Some employers ask you to keep the offer private.
3. Paste the checklist and the letter text into the chat, or attach the PDF.
4. Add the verbal promises that you got, so that the model can compare them with the letter.
5. Ask the model to go through each item and list the questions for the employer.

```text
Here is my job offer letter checklist and the offer letter I received.
The recruiter also told me on the phone: [verbal promises].
For each checklist item, say whether the letter covers it, quote the text,
and flag anything vague or different from the verbal promises.
Then write a short, polite list of questions I can send to the recruiter.
```

Use the answer as a first review only. The model can miss a clause or quote text that is not in the letter. Find each quoted sentence in the letter before you act on it. Read the data settings of your workspace before you upload the letter. For questions about a non-compete, an equity grant, or employment law in your state, ask an employment lawyer.

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I ask for changes to an offer letter?

Yes. You can ask for changes to salary, start date, PTO, remote days, or restrictive clauses before you sign. Make your request in writing, and ask for a revised letter that shows the agreed terms.

### What happens if I miss the deadline to accept an offer?

The employer can withdraw the offer after the deadline. If you need more time, ask the recruiter for an extension before the deadline, and ask for the new date in writing.

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