What is an Employment Verification Letter?

An employment verification letter is used to verify that an employee previously worked at a company or is still employed at a certain business. This letter may be used to demonstrate eligibility for certain benefits, to demonstrate experience in a certain field, or to show residency in a certain area.

An employment verification letter will typically list the information for the business or company that employs the party. This includes name, address, location, and phone number. The letter will then state when the employee began working there, what their job title was, and how long they were employed there. An employment verification letter may also include more personal information (upon request) such as the employee’s salary, and number of hours worked per week.

An employer may also include information about the employee’s performance. This can help the employee if they are current looking for employment elsewhere, and can serve to be used as a reference.

Employment Verification Letter vs. Background Check

A background check is intended to verify more personal information than simply who the employee was previously employed by. Background checks verify previous addresses, previous employers, as well as criminal history.

Employment Verification Letter vs. SSN Verification

An employee's social security number is confidential information and should not be included in an employment verification letter. If an employer wishes to verify an employee's personal information, such as his or her social security number, they may contact eVerify, or theDepartment of Social Security.

Employment Verification Letter vs. References

Employment verification letters and reference letters are two different types of letters, although they are commonly mistaken for one another. Verification letters are more “matter of fact” and take a closer look into the employee’s previous employment and performance. They also may include information such as salary, and hours worked (however, it is important to note that in some states, it is illegal for employers to request your previous salary). Reference letters can be from peers, coworkers or previous employers and are more favorable or opinion driven letters to give the employer a better consensus of the employees character.

Who Needs an Employment Verification Letter?

Employment verification letters come into play in multiple scenarios and many find that verification letters are needed not only when someone is looking for a new job. Here are a few different scenarios when an employment verification letter may be needed:

When Applying For a New Job

This is an obvious one. A new or potential employer may want to see proof that you have the experience and qualifications that you presented when you applied for the job.

When Buying a Home or Renting an Apartment

Sometimes landlords will want to see a potential tenant’s employment verification to ensure that he or she is employed and earns enough income to pay rent every month. When buying a home, many financial institutions will use an employment verification letter to verify your employment, length you’ve been employed with the company, and if possible, salary. This will help the financial institution better assess if you will qualify for the loan amount you are applying for.

How to Request an Employment Verification Letter

An employer verification letter is an important letter, and requesting one also requires a professional approach. Your company many have certain restrictions on releasing employees personal information, so your first step should be to check in with your Human Resources department and give consent for your information to be released to a third party. Some Human Resource offices will compose the letter for you, while others will give you a template to give to your manager.

If your company does not have such policies, you can approach your manager or supervisor directly. To make steps easier for him or her, you can provide a template or sample letter as a guide with the proper information on who to address the letter to and which details need to be included in the letter.

Components of an Employment Verification Letter

An employment verification letter forms a short, simple document. When building a business, it's a good idea to draw up an employment verification letter template, to help streamline the process when an employee inevitably requests one. Luckily, the process is largely stress-free. An employment verification letter essentially needs to consist of one statement, which can be broken down into the following components.

Employer Contact Information

You'll want to head your letter with your company's name, address, phone number and email address so that the recipient can contact you if necessary.

Employee Information

Verification: A statement verifying that the employee does indeed work for the company, and the date he or she began working. Something like:

"Please accept this epistle as legal confirmation that Xavier Kindergarten has been employed with Brussel Sprout Industries, Inc. since March 31st, 1994."

Details of Employment: These can be bullet points. Basically, this part of the employment verification letter should sum up the following:

• The employee’s name,  and title/position the employee holds at the company, as well as his or her responsibilities
• The type of employment in question (full-time, part-time, number of hours a week, etc.)
• Information regarding salary and bonuses

Finally, you’ll want to sign your name at the bottom of the letter.

It’s important to remember to keep an employment verification letter concise. Employment letters should not be lengthy documents and should not contain information beyond what the employee requests. Additional information about what not to include in an employment verification letter are listed below.

What NOT to Include In a Proof of Employment Letter

As an employer it's important to limit your liability and only provide the information that your employee requests. In the instance that your employee requests a verification form that reveals his or her salary, be sure to have them sign a release form that grants you consent to reveal personal information such as salary and pay, and save their consent form for your records.

Additionally, do not provide:

• The financial information of the employee (unless specifically requested by the employee)
• Protected information, such as marital status or health information
• Personal information such as previous legal trouble or failed drug tests
• Reasons why you would not advise them to hire this employee, such as poor performance or tardiness. Remember this is an employment verification letter, not a job recommendation letter.

How Do You Write an Employment Verification Letter?

Here is an easy step-by-step guide to creating an employment verification letter, as well as some examples for writing a letter for both current and past employees.

Step 1

Write the company’s information. This includes the company name, full address, phone number and contact information so that you may be contacted if necessary.

Step 2

Include a statement verifying that the employee does indeed work at this place of employment, as well as the date he or she began working. Be sure you include the employee’s name, job title and employment responsibilities.

Step 3

Sign the document.

Current Employee

Here is an example of how to write an employment verification letter for current employees who need an employment verification letter.

• Your name
• Your job title
• The company’s name and address
• The date
• Name of the employee requesting verification
• His or her job title
• The company’s name, and address
• Dear Mr./ Ms. (whomever the employee requested the letter to be addressed to),
• “This letter is to verify that (employee name) has been employed here at (company name) since (start date)”.
• “If you require any additional information regarding (employee’s name) please feel free to contact me at (your contact phone number).
• Sincerely, Best Regards, Thank you,
• (Your signature)
• Your printed name

Past Employee

Writing an employment verification letter for a past employee is nearly the same as writing a verification letter for one who currently works for the company. See the difference below.

• Your name
• Your job title
• The company’s name and address
• The date
• Name of the employee requesting verification
• His or her job title
• The company’s name, and address
• Dear Mr./ Ms. (whomever the employee requested the letter to be addressed to),
• “This letter is to verify that (employee name) was employed at (company name) from (start date) to (end date)”.
• “If you require any additional information regarding (employee’s name) please feel free to contact me at (your contact phone number).
• Sincerely, Best Regards, Thank you,
• (Your signature)
• Your printed name

Best Practices

As as employer, your goal should be to assist your employee or previous employee in providing everything they need to verify their employment or previous employment with you. These are often used for important transactions, such as obtaining housing, services, or credit, so it is important to complete this document and submit it back to the employee as soon as possible. However, there are times when the employment verification letter process may not be so cut and dry. Here are a few scenarios that employers may find themselves in, and the best practices on how to handle them.

Commonly Asked Questions

When an employee needs a verification letter but has not yet started working for you yet.

• Sometimes a new hire may be relocating and needs a verification letter to purchase a home or rent an apartment. Instead of providing an employment verification letter, you may give the new employee a copy of their official job offer letter.

When an organization requires that you fill out their form instead of writing your own.

• In this case, simply fill in the blanks and sign the form at the bottom.

When an organization requests personal information that you are not comfortable sharing.

• If an organization asks personal questions of the employee or previous employee that you are not comfortable sharing, you may write “decline to answer” in the blank, and sometimes you have the obligation to do so. For example, if an organization asks how many days off the employee took off sick, you’d be violating HIPPA law by answering. Furthermore, if they ask for information such as the marital status or gender of the employee, you’d also be violating their privacy by answering.

When an employee writes the letter themselves and asks you to sign it.

• Ensure you read the entirety of the document before signing it. Make sure that all of the information in the letter is accurate, and that you are comfortable with all of the information that the employee has included. Also, ensure that you have the employee sign their name above yours and that you keep a copy of the letter for your records.

When an employee has never worked for you.

• Sometimes the requestor has the wrong information. You can simply respond by saying “I have no record of this employee working here”.

Other Ways to Verify Employment

Depending on the type of information you need, you may not need an employment verification letter. Here are some other ways to verify employment without an employment verification letter.

• HR/Payroll
  • With some payroll vendors, you may not need an employment verification letter because the vendor can verify all the information you need, including proof of income and salary.
• Employment Verification Systems and Vendors