Job Acceptance Letter: Template, Examples, and Timing
Download this template
Free .docx. No signup.
A job acceptance letter confirms in writing that you are taking the offer and puts the terms you agreed on the record. Writing it takes ten minutes. The part that costs people money is the order of the next few steps: accept, clear the conditions, and only then resign from the job you still have.
Accept, clear the conditions, then resign
Most offers are conditional. Employers commonly make them subject to a background check, references, a drug test, or proof of your right to work, and in some countries a visa. Accepting does not satisfy any of those conditions; it only tells the employer you want the job on the terms discussed.
So run the sequence in this order:
- Accept in writing and restate the terms, so any mismatch surfaces now rather than on day one.
- Wait until every condition is cleared and you have that in writing. Ask directly: "Please confirm when the background check and references are complete and the offer is unconditional."
- Then hand in your notice at your current job, using the resignation letter once you know your real start date.
Resigning on the strength of an accepted but still conditional offer is the expensive version of this process. If the check comes back with a discrepancy and the offer is withdrawn, you have already given up the job you had.
What your acceptance actually locks in
It pins the terms, not the tenure. An offer, your acceptance, and consideration can form an enforceable agreement, which is why restating salary, title, and start date matters: those are the terms you can point at later. What it does not buy you is job security. In the United States employment is presumed at-will in every state except Montana, and many offer letters say in terms that the letter is not a contract and that employment remains at-will, so either side can still end it.
In England, Wales and Scotland you are owed more than an offer letter. Since April 2020 a written statement of employment particulars has been a day-one right: the employer must give it on or before your first day, covering pay, hours, holiday, notice, place of work, probation, and benefits, with pension and collective-agreement details allowed to follow within two months. If it has not arrived by your start date, ask for it. Northern Ireland runs on its own order, where the statement is still due within two months rather than on day one. In India, and commonly in Nigeria, Kenya and Pakistan, the document that carries the full terms is the appointment letter, which normally follows your acceptance. In Australia the accepted letter of offer is itself the contract, with no second document to wait for.
What to put in the letter
- Clear acceptance. One sentence naming the role and the company.
- The terms as you understand them. Job title, salary, and anything else agreed: bonus, allowances, benefits start, probation length.
- Your start date. Either confirming theirs or proposing yours, with the reason.
- Where and how you will work. For a remote or hybrid role, spell out office days, equipment, and the time zone you are expected to cover. These are the details that turn into arguments in month two.
- Any outstanding conditions you know about, and your offer to help clear them.
- Thanks, and a line about looking forward to starting.
Send it to whoever made the offer, copy HR or the recruiter, and keep the sent copy.
The standard acceptance
samuel.adeyemi@example.com | +44 7700 900142
25 July 2026
Ms. Hannah Cole
Head of Engineering, Brightwater Systems
Dear Hannah,
Thank you for the offer to join Brightwater Systems as a Senior Data Engineer. I am delighted to accept.
As set out in your letter of 22 July, I am accepting a salary of GBP 68,000 a year, a discretionary bonus of up to 10 percent, 25 days of annual leave, and a six-month probation period. The role is hybrid, with Tuesdays and Thursdays in the London office, and the company will provide the laptop and monitor.
I confirm my start date as Monday 1 September 2026. Please let me know what you need from me before then, including anything outstanding for the reference and right-to-work checks.
Thank you again for a straightforward process. I am looking forward to working with you and the team.
Yours sincerely,
Samuel Adeyemi
Accepting while asking for a different start date
Accept first, then ask. Separating the two makes clear you are not reopening the offer, and it gives the employer an easy yes.
Thank you for the offer to join Brightwater Systems as a Senior Data Engineer. I am delighted to accept, on the terms set out in your letter of 22 July.
One request on timing. My current contract requires one month's notice, so the earliest I could start without leaving my present employer short is Monday 15 September 2026 rather than 1 September. If that works, I will confirm it with them this week. If 1 September is fixed for business reasons, tell me and I will see what can be agreed at this end.
Everything else in the offer is agreed as written. Thank you again, and I am looking forward to joining.
Yours sincerely,
Samuel Adeyemi
Accepting an offer that is still conditional
When conditions are outstanding, say so in the letter. It sets up the written confirmation you need before you resign.
Thank you for the offer of the Senior Data Engineer role at Brightwater Systems, which I am pleased to accept on the terms in your letter of 22 July.
I understand the offer remains subject to two satisfactory references and a right-to-work check. I have sent my referees' details to your recruitment team today and can bring my documents to the office at any time this week.
Once those checks are complete, please confirm in writing that the offer is unconditional. I will give notice to my current employer at that point, and we can fix the start date from there.
Yours sincerely,
Samuel Adeyemi
The template
Fill in the brackets and delete what does not apply. All three letters above sit alongside this form in the .docx.
[Email] | [Phone]
[Date]
[Name of the person who made the offer]
[Title, Company]
Dear [First name],
Thank you for the offer to join [company] as [job title]. I am delighted to accept.
As set out in your letter of [date], I am accepting [salary], [bonus or allowances], [leave entitlement], and [probation period]. [For a remote or hybrid role: office days, equipment, and time zone.]
I confirm my start date as [date]. [Or: I would like to ask about the start date, because my notice period runs to [date].] Please let me know what you need from me beforehand, including anything outstanding for [checks].
Thank you again. I am looking forward to working with you and the team.
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your Name]
Before your first day
- Get the unconditional confirmation in writing before you resign, and keep it.
- Read the offer against your acceptance one more time. If the contract that arrives differs from what you accepted, raise it in writing immediately, not after you start.
- Check what you are giving up. An unvested bonus, a leave balance that will not be paid out, or a notice period that runs longer than you thought can all change the maths of the move.
- Ask about onboarding. Documents to bring, equipment delivery, first-day location or link, and who to report to.
- Then resign properly. The resignation letter covers the notice you owe and the final-pay questions worth asking on the way out.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to send an acceptance letter if I already said yes on the phone?
Yes. The letter records what you agreed, in your words, at a date you can point to. It costs ten minutes and it is the document that settles any later argument about salary, title, or start date.
Should I resign as soon as I accept?
No. Wait until every condition on the offer has been cleared and you have written confirmation that it is unconditional. Resigning while a background check or reference is outstanding risks losing both jobs.
Does accepting an offer make it a binding contract?
An offer, an acceptance, and consideration can form an enforceable agreement, and your letter fixes the terms you agreed. It does not guarantee tenure: in the US employment is presumed at-will in every state except Montana, and many offer letters state that they are not a contract.
Can I negotiate the start date after accepting?
Yes, and it is cleaner to accept the offer first and then raise timing as a separate request, so it does not read as reopening the negotiation. Give the reason, usually your notice period, and propose a specific date.
What if the written contract does not match the offer I accepted?
Raise it in writing before you start, quoting your acceptance letter and the offer letter. Differences are usually drafting errors, and they are far easier to fix before your first day than after.
Sources
- Conditional job offers commonly subject to background checks, references, drug tests, and right-to-work verification; acceptance does not satisfy the condition.
- US employment presumed at-will in every state except Montana; offer letters frequently disclaim contract status; contract formation requires offer, acceptance, and consideration.
- UK Employment Rights Act 1996 section 1: written statement of employment particulars is a day-one right since 6 April 2020, with supplementary particulars under section 2 within two months.
This page is general information about accepting a job offer, not legal or employment advice. For advice on your contract, consult a qualified professional.