- What Is an Employment Verification Letter?
- What to Know About Employment Verification
- Why Do Employees Need Employment Verification Letters?
- How to Write an Employment Verification Letter
- Examples of Employment Verification Letters
- How Legal Templates Helps With Employment Verification
- Employment Verification Letter Sample
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is an Employment Verification Letter?
An employment verification letter or a salary verification letter is a formal message that proves an employee’s employment and pay. A former or current employer may issue it after receiving a request from an employee.
This document lets an employer confirm an employee’s basic information, such as their job title and description, salary, employment dates, and work status (full-time, part-time, etc.). An employer can also go into more detail, providing information about the employee’s likelihood of continued employment and eligibility for rehire.
As an employer, filling out an employment verification letter template with Legal Templates shows your employees that you are cooperative and professional. By confirming employees’ job status and income, you can help them in their endeavors and create a more stable and content workforce.
What to Know About Employment Verification
Before you write an employment verification letter, you should familiarize yourself with information relating to your responsibilities and protections.
Employer Responsibilities for Employment Verification
Ensure you have the employee’s consent before revealing employment status and salary information.
In most instances, you are encouraged to respond to employment verification requests if they come from employees or non-government bodies.
You must respond if a government agency or state office makes the request. For example, you must provide an employment verification letter if a court order asks for one.
You must only provide truthful, verifiable information in good faith, regardless of the letter’s receiver.
Employer Protections for Employment Verification
You may get protection through state-level job reference immunity laws, which can cover verification of employment (VOE) requests. States offer varying degrees of protection—some offer broad immunity, while others limit protection to certain types of information (facts vs. opinions, etc.).
While you may get protection from defamation claims, it’s essential to check your state’s laws before proceeding.
Why Do Employees Need Employment Verification Letters?
Employees may need an employment verification letter from their employer in the following situations:
- rental application
- mortgage application
- immigration requirements fulfillment
- work permit application
- visa process
- job application
When an employee can show that they have a stable job and earn a certain amount of income per month, they can move forward with their personal and professional goals.
While an employee may be able to prove their salary or employment via bank statements or pay stubs, having written work verification from the employer can provide additional evidence.
How to Write an Employment Verification Letter
An employment letter can be short and sweet, containing only enough information to state an employee’s work status and pay.
Keep it concise and limit it only to what the employee requests. Follow these steps to create an effective employment verification letter.
1. Receive Request From Employee
An employee will typically request an employment verification letter from you. They may email or call you or talk to you in person about their need for the letter.
If desired, you can ask the employee to fill out a release of liability waiver to protect yourself from liability related to disclosing the requested salary and work details.
In some cases, a third party may initiate the employment verification request. In this case, the third party must also gain the employee’s consent through a wage verification form.
Only proceed with writing the job verification letter if you have the employee’s explicit consent.
2. Refer to Your Employment Records
To fill out the requested information in the employee employment verification letter, you can search your records for proof of employment and salary. Common examples of evidence include bank statements, pay stubs, employment contracts, and W-2 forms.
Refer to these documents as you fill out the letter, but do not provide copies unless the employee requests them. This way, you can protect the employee’s sensitive information.
3. Fill Out the Letter
Once you have evidence to refer to, you can start writing the employment confirmation letter. State the purpose of the letter, whether you’re writing to provide salary verification or work verification. Include employee-specific details such as the employee’s:
- full name
- job title
- company name
- employment location
- salary
- frequency of payment
- bonuses/additional compensation
Only include what the employee requests, and verify that all information is correct to the best of your knowledge. Also, keep your statements factual, avoiding subjective judgments about the employee’s work performance. A letter of recommendation is better for giving your feedback on an employee’s performance.
Include your contact information so the hiring manager or other third party can follow up for clarification if needed.
4. Standardize the Employment Verification Process
Handling employment verification requests can be challenging due to different employees’ needs and varying requirements from third parties. Fortunately, you can make future requests more efficient by using our employment verification letter template and implementing a standardized process.
Start by writing instructions you can give employees when they request employment or salary verification. Explain what details they need to provide so you can write a thorough letter.
Then, set realistic deadlines, including how much advance notice the employee must give you. This way, employees can meet their submissions on time for the processes they’re pursuing.
A documented approach benefits both employees and employers by ensuring consistency, reducing administrative time, and preventing human errors.
Consider including the documented letter-writing process in an employee handbook, which you can create with Legal Templates.
Examples of Employment Verification Letters
Every employment or salary verification letter will look different depending on who you’re writing it for. Here are three examples for a former employee, independent contractor, and current employee so you can get an idea of how to structure yours.
1. Employment Verification Letter for Former Employee
Refer to this example that describes an employee’s work situation in the past tense, which can show that they were employed during a certain period.
Greenfield Solutions, Inc.
733 Market Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
February 24, 2025
Summit Property Management
901 Oak Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Dear Hiring Manager,
This letter is to certify the past employment of Michael Lawson. He was employed at Greenfield Solutions, Inc. as a Senior Marketing Analyst from March 12, 2021, to September 30, 2024. The company is located at 733 Market Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017.
At the time of his departure, his salary was $85,000 paid yearly with an additional annual bonus of $5,000.
All of the information provided is correct to the best of my knowledge.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (213) 555-1199 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Sarah Martinez
HR Manager
2. Employment Verification Letter for Independent Contractor
Here’s how to structure a proof of income letter if an independent contractor rather than an employee needs you to verify their pay and work.
Riverstone Construction LLC
825 Oakwood Drive
Cleveland, OH 44125
February 24, 2025
Titan Building Solutions
1150 Lakeside Drive
Cleveland, OH 44125
Dear Hiring Manager,
This letter is to certify the current independent contractor relationship of Ethan Davis with Riverstone Construction LLC. Ethan has been working as a Construction Project Manager since January 15, 2024, overseeing various residential and commercial projects, including managing timelines, budgets, and subcontractor coordination.
Ethan is compensated on a monthly retainer of $6,000, with an additional project-based bonus of 3% for projects completed ahead of schedule or under budget.
All of the information provided is correct to the best of my knowledge.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (216) 555-3254 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Maria Green
Director of Operations
3. Employment Verification Letter for Current Employee
Consider this example of an income verification letter for an employee who currently works for a company.
Northeast Tech Solutions
93 Innovation Parkway
Portland, ME 04101
February 24, 2025
TechCore Solutions
45 Meridian Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
Dear Hiring Manager,
This letter is to certify the current employment of Samantha Pierce at Northeast Tech Solutions. Samantha has been employed as a Senior Software Engineer since July 9, 2020. She works at our office located at 93 Innovation Parkway, Portland, ME 04101.
Samantha’s current salary is $92,000 per year, paid each month.
All of the information provided is correct to the best of my knowledge.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (207) 555-1347 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
John Marshall
HR Director
How Legal Templates Helps With Employment Verification
HR personnel juggle multiple responsibilities, but employment verification doesn’t have to be a challenge. One of the best ways to write clear, concise, and error-free employment verification letters for employees is by using Legal Templates’ document builder.
When you use our document builder, you access a convenient template that walks you through the process. Input the relevant details about your employee’s salary and employment, and we will craft the verification letter for you. Once we generate your letter, you can save it as a PDF or Word document or print it to send to your employee.
Our user-friendly and customizable template streamlines the writing process, ensuring accuracy while saving time.
Employment Verification Letter Sample
Below, you can view a sample employment verification letter template. Once you know all its elements, you can confidently fill out your own via our document builder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone call HR to verify employment?
Yes, anyone can call HR to verify employment. Companies should only provide employment verification information with the employee’s written consent.
Do I need to notarize an employment verification letter?
In most cases, you don’t need to get an employment verification letter notarized. It may be required or preferred depending on the situation, like if the letter is for visa purposes.
Do I have to specify the purpose of an employment verification letter?
No, you don’t need to specify the purpose of an employment verification letter. It should provide the requested information and your contact details for follow-up.
Can an employee write their own employment verification letter?
No. Employees should request an employment verification form from their current or former employer. A company-issued employee verification letter on official letterhead signed by an authorized supervisor ensures credibility.
Employees can provide further proof of income by filling out and submitting Form 4506-T, a request for tax return transcripts, to the IRS.
