| name | at-will-employment-offer-letter |
| title | At-Will Employment Offer Letter |
| description | Drafts a U.S. at-will employment offer letter with unambiguous at-will language, FLSA-compliant compensation terms, benefits disclaimers, and conditions precedent. Use when extending formal job offers, issuing written employment offers, or drafting offer letters for new hires in U.S. jurisdictions. |
| author | CaseMark |
| author_url | https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/at-will-employment-offer-letter |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | us |
| practice | employment |
| language | en |
| tags | ["drafting","letter","transactional"] |
At-Will Employment Offer Letter
Drafts a formal U.S. offer letter communicating all material employment terms while preserving at-will status and preventing implied-contract liability.
Required Inputs
- Employer — legal entity name, address, authorized signatory name and title
- Candidate — full legal name, mailing address
- Position — title, department, supervisor, start date, work location, remote/travel requirements
- Compensation — base salary or hourly rate, pay frequency, FLSA classification (exempt/non-exempt)
- Variable pay — bonus, commission, or incentive details (if any)
- Benefits — health, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO, sick leave, eligibility waiting period
- Conditions precedent — background check, drug screen, reference check, I-9, required agreements (NDA, arbitration, non-compete)
- Acceptance deadline — typically 5–10 business days from letter date
Letter Structure
1. Header
Company letterhead, date, candidate name and address in formal business letter format.
2. Opening
State at-will status immediately in the opening sentence:
"We are pleased to offer you at-will employment as [Job Title]..."
No language suggesting guaranteed duration, job security, or continued employment.
3. Position Details
Include: job title, department, reports-to, start date, work location, travel/relocation requirements. Add duties reservation clause:
"Duties may be modified at the Company's discretion as business needs evolve."
4. Compensation
- Base salary: annual figure + per-period breakdown (e.g., "$85,000/yr, paid bi-weekly at $3,269.23")
- Hourly rate (non-exempt): state rate and standard schedule
- Bonus/commission: label as discretionary, subject to company policy, contingent on continued employment and performance
- Benefits: list coverages with eligibility date; include: "Benefits are governed by official plan documents, which control in case of any discrepancy and are subject to modification."
5. At-Will Clause
This clause is legally critical — do not soften or omit:
"Your employment with [Company Name] is at-will, meaning that either you or the Company may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without cause, and with or without notice. No one other than the [CEO/President] has authority to alter this at-will relationship or enter into any agreement for employment for a specified period, and any such modification must be in writing and signed by the [CEO/President]."
