How To Request an Employment Verification Letter

Updated March 10, 2023

If you need written proof of your employment to provide to a financial institution, government office, potential employer or other organization, you may need to request a formal employment verification letter. This document generally confirms your current employment status, how long you’ve worked with the organization, your salary and other job-related details, depending on the reason for the request.

In this article, we explain what an employment verification letter is, go over how to make an employment verification request from your current or former employer and provide a sample letter to reference.

What is an employment verification letter?

An employment verification letter is typically printed on an organization’s official letterhead or stationery to prove you are a current or former employee. This document is issued by your employer for a variety of reasons, such as:

When you apply for a mortgage or auto loan, the lending institution may want to confirm you are currently employed and earn enough income to cover your monthly payments.
When you apply to rent a home, the property management company or landlord may want to confirm you have a steady income and can afford rent payments, as well as your deposit and any maintenance costs.
When you are asking to defer or reduce loan payments, the bank may require you to share proof of your current income and use this information to determine whether or not they can fulfill your request.
When you are pursuing a job opportunity with another employer, the company may want to verify the information you provided in your application and resume as part of their background check process.

What information is included in employment verification?

An employment verification letter generally includes your employer’s address, the name, and address of the organization requesting the document, your name, your employment dates, your job title and salary. The document may also include your date of birth and social security number for identification purposes.

Keep in mind, the information employers are permitted to disclose to third parties varies by state. In some cases, you may need to sign a release form before your current or previous employer can share your data with another company.

Requesting an employment verification letter

If you need employment verification from your employer, you must make the request as quickly as possible. It might take time for them to prepare and process the document.

Some companies require employees to fill out an employment verification request form, or they may ask the party who has requested this information to complete a form before they can send the letter. Start by contacting the human resources department. They may have a company policy that requires your written permission before they can send any information to the organization requesting verification.

In some cases, an HR representative will write the letter or they may provide a template that your direct supervisor can use. Whoever composes the letter will also need to print and sign it before you can submit it to the other organization. If they’re mailing or faxing the document for you, be sure to provide your HR representative or supervisor with the address, number and contact name, if you have one.

You do not necessarily need to disclose your reason for requesting verification of employment, but you will need to let your employer know which pieces of information the organization has requested.

Sample employment verification request

Here is an example of an employment verification request you might send to your HR department:

Subject line: Employment verification letter
Hi Nancy,
I am applying for a mortgage, and the lending company has requested proof of my employment. They’ve asked that you verify my dates of employment, job title and current salary.
Their address is:
XYZ Lending Company
123 Oak Street
Seattle, WA 98101
They also accept verification via fax at 503-555-0102. Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.
Thanks!
Emilio Silva
Quality Assurance Engineer
ABC Company

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Sample employment verification letter

Here’s what an employment verification letter may look like:

ABC Company
1000 Main Street
Seattle, WA 98101
December 1, 20XX
XYZ Lending Company
123 Oak Street
Seattle, WA 98101
To Whom It May Concern,
Please accept this letter as verification of employment with the ABC Company.
Employee Name: Emilio Silva
Employment Dates: June 12, 20XX – Present
Current Job Title: Quality Assurance Engineer
Current Salary: $112,000
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact us at 503-555-1234 or hr@abccompany.email.
Sincerely,
Nancy Davis
Human Resources Manager
ABC Company

Submitting an employment verification request is generally a simple process and your employer likely already has a system in place for fulfilling these requests. By letting your employer know your needs as quickly as possible, you can ensure they can submit the official letter before the request deadline.