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Employment verification letter template
An employment verification letter is a short, signed letter from an employer. It confirms a person’s job title, dates of employment and, when the employee asks, pay. Fill in the fields, check the letter as it builds, then download it. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
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Prefer to write it yourself? This is the standard version. Replace each bracketed field.
[Employer legal name]
[Street address, city, state ZIP]
[Main phone]
[Date]
Re: Employment verification for [Employee full name]
To whom it may concern:
This letter confirms that [Employee full name] has worked for [Employer legal name] since [Start date]. [Employee full name] holds the [full-time / part-time] position of [Job title].
We provide this letter at [Employee full name]’s request. To verify this information, please contact me at [Phone or work email].
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Signer name]
[Signer title]
[Employer legal name]
What to include in an employment verification letter
Confirm facts from your records. Nothing else.
- Your company’s legal name, address and main phone number
- The date
- The recipient, or “To whom it may concern”
- The employee’s full name
- Job title
- Start date, and end date for a former employee
- Full-time or part-time status
- Pay and pay basis, only when the employee asks in writing
- A name and phone number or work email for questions
- Your signature, name and title
Leave out
- The reason for leaving
- Performance or discipline
- Medical, disability or leave details
- Immigration status or I-9 documents
- Social Security number
- Complaints, charges or lawsuits
Federal rules require some medical and FMLA records to be kept confidential (29 CFR 1630.14; 29 CFR 825.500(g)).
Include pay only when asked, in writing
We found no general federal rule that requires the employee’s permission. A written request is still good practice. San Francisco requires written authorization before you share salary history with a prospective employer.
At least eight states require a letter on request
In these states, a former employee can ask for a service letter. Who qualifies, how to ask and the deadline differ by state, and some cover only employees who were fired. The statute sets the content, which usually includes the reason for leaving. This tool does not write service letters. See the state rules.
Fla. Stat. § 768.095 Tex. Lab. Code § 103.004 19 Del. C. § 709 Minn. Stat. § 181.967
Confirm. Don’t explain or evaluate.
Leave out reasons for leaving, medical or leave details, immigration status, discipline and any mention of complaints. These reference-immunity laws lose their protection for statements the employer knows are false, and most cover only answers to a prospective employer.
Letter versions by purpose
Each one is a setting in the form above.
Current employee
Confirms the start date, job title and schedule. This is the default letter.
Former employee
Confirms the start and end dates and the last job title held. It leaves out the reason for leaving.
Dates only
Confirms only the dates of employment, with the line “Our policy is to confirm only dates of employment.” Use it when that is your policy for every employee.
With pay
Adds base pay and its basis. A current employee’s pay is stated as of the letter date, and a former employee’s as of the end date. Add it only when the employee asks in writing.
For a lender
Addressed to the lender, with the loan number. If the lender sent its own form, usually Fannie Mae Form 1005, complete that form and return it directly to the lender (Form 1005).
For a landlord
Addressed to the landlord or property manager, with the application number if there is one. Add pay only at the employee’s written request.
For a prospective employer
Addressed to the new employer. In San Francisco, share salary history with a prospective employer only with the employee’s written authorization (S.F. L.E.C. § 61.4(d)).
How to answer a verification request
Common practice, not a legal requirement.
- Read the request. If a lender sent its own form, usually Fannie Mae Form 1005, complete that form instead of writing a letter.
- Check each fact against your payroll and HR records.
- Include pay only when the employee asks in writing.
- Have someone who can confirm the records sign it, such as an HR manager or the owner.
- Keep a copy with the request.
- Use the same policy for every employee. EEOC guidance lists refusing a reference, or giving an untruthful negative one, as possible retaliation against a person who made a discrimination complaint (
EEOC guidance).
Do you have to provide one?
Usually not. Some states require a different letter, called a service letter.
Outside federally regulated transportation jobs, we found no federal law that requires one. Trucking and aviation employers must answer some records requests from a new employer (49 CFR 391.23; 49 U.S.C. 44703).
At least eight states require a service letter when a former employee asks. Each statute sets who qualifies, how to ask and what the letter must say. Oklahoma also requires one from public service corporations and their contractors (40 O.S. § 171). Delaware has a separate rule for health-care and child-care employers (19 Del. C. § 708).
| State | Who can ask | Deadline | What the letter states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri RSMo § 290.140 | An employee with at least 90 days of service at a corporation with seven or more employees, by certified mail within one year of leaving | 45 days | The nature, character and length of service, and the true cause of leaving, if any |
| Kansas K.S.A. § 44-808(3) | An employee whose job ended, in writing | None stated | Length of employment, job classification and wage rate |
| Indiana Ind. Code § 22-6-3-1 | An employee who quit or was discharged, in writing. Some employers are exempt. | None stated | Whether the employee quit or was discharged |
| Maine 26 M.R.S. § 630 | The terminated employee, in writing | 15 days | The reasons for termination |
| Minnesota Minn. Stat. § 181.933 | An employee who was involuntarily terminated, in writing within 15 working days | 10 working days | The truthful reason for termination |
| Montana Mont. Code § 39-2-801 | A discharged employee, by written demand | A reasonable time | The reasons for discharge |
| Nevada NRS § 613.210(4) | An employee with at least 60 days of service, on demand | None stated | The reason for leaving or discharge. Only one statement may be issued. |
| Washington RCW § 49.12.250 | A former employee who left within the last three years, or their designee, in writing | 21 calendar days | The effective date of discharge, whether there was a reason and, if so, the reasons |
This tool writes verification letters, not service letters. A service letter usually states the reason for leaving, which takes your records and judgment. The list covers the statutes we read. It is not a 50-state survey.
Verification letters and the FCRA
The FCRA does not cover your own first-hand report about your employee. A consumer report comes from a consumer reporting agency. The definition leaves out a report based only on your own dealings with the person (15 U.S.C. § 1681a(d)(2)(A)(i)). FTC staff read it the same way in a 2011 staff report, which does not bind the agency.
It reaches you once a consumer reporting agency is in the chain. If you send employment data to a screening company or to The Work Number, you are a furnisher. You must not furnish information you know or have reasonable cause to believe is inaccurate (15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(1)(A)).
The CFPB lists The Work Number as a consumer reporting company. Equifax Workforce Solutions runs it, and employees can ask it for a free copy of their report (CFPB).
Employment verification letter vs. Form I-9
They are different documents. Form I-9 verifies a new hire’s identity and authorization to work in the United States (USCIS).
Federal law limits how the form and anything attached to it may be used (8 U.S.C. § 1324a(b)(5)). Never attach I-9 documents to a verification letter, and leave immigration status out of it.
Requests that ask for salary history
San Francisco bars an employer from releasing a current or former employee’s salary history to a prospective employer without the employee’s written authorization. The exceptions: the law requires the release, the information is public record or a collective bargaining agreement covers it (S.F. L.E.C. § 61.4(d)).
Some laws bind the employer that asks instead. California bars an employer from seeking an applicant’s salary history (Cal. Lab. Code § 432.3(b)). Oregon bars it too, but allows a request for written authorization to confirm prior pay after an offer that includes pay (ORS 659A.357).
Connecticut lets an employer verify dates of employment, title and wage or salary without written authorization. Other personnel-file information needs it (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-128f).
We did not survey every state. Elsewhere, treat the employee’s written request as good practice.
Questions
How do I write an employment verification letter?
Put it on letterhead or include your company’s name and address. Date it. Confirm the employee’s name, job title, start date (and end date for a former employee) and full-time or part-time status. Add pay only if the employee asked for it in writing. Give a name and phone number or work email for questions, and sign it. The generator above builds this letter for you.
Who can sign an employment verification letter?
In practice, a person who can confirm the facts from your records signs it, such as an HR manager or the owner. State service letters have their own rules. In Missouri, the superintendent or manager signs (RSMo § 290.140).
Does it need to be on company letterhead?
In practice, use letterhead or put your company’s legal name, address and main phone number at the top. It helps the recipient check that the letter came from you. One exception: an Oklahoma service letter from a public service corporation goes on plain white paper with no letterhead (40 O.S. § 171).
What documents can serve as proof of employment?
It depends on who asks. Each lender, landlord or agency sets what it accepts. Common examples are a verification letter from the employer, recent pay stubs and a W-2. A lender may also confirm employment with you directly.
Do I need permission to confirm salary?
We found no general federal rule that requires it, but a written request from the employee is good practice. San Francisco requires written authorization before you share salary history with a prospective employer. See requests that ask for salary history.
Can I say why the employee left?
A verification letter does not need it. If you give a reason, make sure it is true and your records support it. In California, a reason given without a special request can be used as evidence of a violation (Cal. Lab. Code § 1053). Some service-letter states require a reason when the employee asks.
A lender sent me a form. Do I still need a letter?
No. Complete the lender’s form, usually Fannie Mae Form 1005, and return it directly to the lender. For Fannie Mae loans, the lender also confirms employment near closing, usually by calling a number it finds on its own (Selling Guide B3-3.1-04). Make sure your main line can confirm employment.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(d)(2)(A)(i), FCRA, first-hand information
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(1)(A), furnisher accuracy
- FTC staff report (2011), 40 Years of Experience with the FCRA
- CFPB, The Work Number
- 49 CFR 391.23, motor carrier employment history
- 49 U.S.C. 44703, pilot records
- RSMo § 290.140, Missouri
- K.S.A. § 44-808(3), Kansas
- Ind. Code § 22-6-3-1, Indiana
- 26 M.R.S. § 630, Maine
- Minn. Stat. § 181.933, Minnesota
- Mont. Code § 39-2-801, Montana
- NRS § 613.210(4), Nevada
- RCW § 49.12.250, Washington
- 40 O.S. § 171, Oklahoma
- 19 Del. C. §§ 708, 709, Delaware
- S.F. L.E.C. § 61.4(d), San Francisco
- Cal. Lab. Code § 432.3(b), California
- Cal. Lab. Code § 1053, California
- ORS 659A.357, Oregon
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-128f, Connecticut
- Fla. Stat. § 768.095, Florida
- Tex. Lab. Code § 103.004, Texas
- Minn. Stat. § 181.967, Minnesota
- EEOC retaliation guidance
- 29 CFR 1630.14, medical records
- 29 CFR 825.500(g), FMLA records
- 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(b)(5), limits on I-9 use
- USCIS, Form I-9
- Fannie Mae Form 1005, verification of employment
- Selling Guide B3-3.1-04, Fannie Mae
Last reviewed · General information, not legal advice.