Employment documents

Employment acceptance letter

Confirm the offer you received, record negotiated changes or tell an employer you are withdrawing. Use the position and terms in the actual offer, including the intended workplace and any additional location where you will regularly work.

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Each example below uses a fictional California workplace. Choose another primary workplace in the builder to see its example.

Bonuses, moving costs and repayment terms

Enter the gross bonus specified in the offer. If payroll has confirmed that all or part was paid, you can record that separately. For a move, distinguish a cash allowance from reimbursement up to a limit. The letter lets you record these terms without agreeing to a new debt or deduction from final wages.

For an agreement subject to California law, check when the parties made the agreement. California made the original 2026 stay-or-pay provisions inoperative for that calendar year. The amended restrictions apply to contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2027. Existing wage-deduction and necessary-expense reimbursement rules still matter. A worker who lives and works primarily in California may retain California protections even when an offer names another state.

For the California discretionary bonus exception, the repayment terms must be in a separate agreement and the payment cannot be tied to specific performance. The employee must receive notice of the right to consult counsel and at least five business days to do so. The statute also requires a deferral option without a repayment obligation, and any early repayment must be interest-free and prorated over a retention period of no more than two years from payment. The separation condition is limited to the employee’s sole election or employer termination for statutory misconduct. Other exceptions, including qualifying grant-funded programs, have different requirements.

Employer-paid moving expenses generally count as federal wages. Specific qualifying military moves can be excluded. Beginning in 2026, certain intelligence-community employees or new appointees relocating for a change in assignment can also qualify. The reimbursement label alone does not establish a tax exclusion.

California AB 1697, chapter 889 · California wage deductions · IRS moving expense guidance

Conditions, duration and separate paperwork

Copy conditions already in the offer. If you are proposing a change, identify it and ask the employer to confirm. Check the offer, any separate agreement and applicable law before describing a position as at will or fixed term.

In New York the employer gives the required pay notice and obtains its acknowledgment separately. A Massachusetts noncompetition agreement has its own eligibility, timing and consideration rules. Washington law changes on June 30, 2027. California has statutory exceptions to its general prohibition on employment restraints. The state named in the offer can differ from where a worker performs the job.

Employment eligibility verification follows its own deadlines. For a covered paid hire, the employee completes Form I-9 Section 1 by the first day of work for pay. The employer generally completes Section 2 within three business days, or on the first day for a job lasting fewer than three business days. The worker chooses acceptable documents.

For a proposed unpaid internship with a for-profit employer, the training and actual work determine who benefits most. An acceptance letter cannot establish a wage exemption. If the employer obtains a consumer report, it handles the applicable disclosure and permission procedure separately.