Acceptance Letter Samples: Definition and Examples

Updated 9 April 2023

The next step after getting the job offer is to send an acceptance letter to your future employer to accept it. While conveying your acceptance of the job opportunity, it's standard practice to express your gratitude and excitement for the new opportunity. Knowing what information to include and how to organise your acceptance can help you draft a good acceptance letter. In this article, we explore what an acceptance email is and outline some steps to write an acceptance letter, with some samples.

Why is it important to read acceptance letter samples?

You may wish to read acceptance letter samples to understand the best practices for writing acceptance letters. To improve your own acceptance letter, you could read more than one acceptance letter sample to get a sense of the different ways of writing acceptance letters. Following that, you can piece together useful information when writing your own acceptance letter.

What is an acceptance letter?

An acceptance letter shows your potential employer that you're accepting the job offer they extended to you. You may address the acceptance letter to your hiring manager or recruiter or even your direct manager in your new job. You usually send this acceptance letter after you have reviewed the terms of your new employment, including the terms related to job title, salary, intended start date and other terms of your employment. You may send the acceptance letter using physical mail or via email, depending on the mode of communication preferred by your future employer.

Take note of what information your potential employer requires, as set out in their offer letter or email to you. Some employers may request additional information together with your acceptance letter, such as a recent photograph of yourself for employee records. The acceptance letter is an important piece of communication, as it's likely the first response you undertake as an employee of your new company. Your employer may keep your acceptance letter in your records to document your employment.

How to write an acceptance letter

When writing your acceptance letter, you may wish to check that it's professional and clear. This can help you leave a good impression on your potential employer. Your acceptance email sets the tone and indicates your good communication skills, so it's crucial to be thoughtful about your acceptance letter response. You may wish to follow these steps when writing the body of your acceptance letter or email:

1. Address the appropriate party in your response

Your acceptance of the job offer is generally addressed to the party who extended the offer to you unless specified otherwise. You could look at the name of the party signing off your job acceptance letter as a guide. Alternatively, look for the person who sent the job offer email to you to guide you on who the addressee may be.

This line informs the recipient that you're aware of who is receiving the email. In the unlikely event that you send the email to the wrong party in the organisation, stating the correct addressee can also help to get the email forwarded to the right addressee. Remember to check the recipient before sending the email.

2. State clearly and concisely why you are writing

This line sets the context for the email. You may wish to state that you are writing to respond to the job offer for a certain position in the company as offered by the hiring manager or another person on a certain date. This paragraph may be short.

3. Thank the party writing to you for considering you and extending the job offer to you

This line expresses the gratitude that you have for considering you and offering you the job position. Appearing polite and well-mannered when accepting the job offer increases the professionalism of your email. The hiring manager likely worked hard to eliminate all the other candidates who applied for the job before narrowing it down to offering you the job so it's helpful to recognise and thank the hiring manager for their efforts.

4. Set out your response to the job offer letter

This is the key portion of the email where you indicate your acceptance of the job offer which has been extended to you. A simple response conveys your acceptance in a clear and concise manner. State that you accept the job offer with thanks.

Related: Guide on How to Write an Email

5. Include any questions or modifications you may have about the terms of employment

This is the time to seek clarifications from your employer if you have any questions about your employment terms after reviewing the employment contract. If there are modifications you wish to see, such as to the salary, title or other employee benefits given in the contract, this is your chance to negotiate these terms. Sometimes, you may have entered into an oral agreement during the interview, but this was not in the contract sent to you. The hiring manager may have overlooked these points if they were not at the interview, so do point them out in your reply email.

Be polite when asking your employer if you may discuss the specific items in the contract. Remember that the addressee of your email is your future colleague. An explanation of your request for modification may help the addressee understand your position and be more amenable to your request for modification.

6. Give your well-wishes and sign off the email

This section is your opportunity to thank the hiring manager once again and express your excitement to start the job. You give the impression that you are a hardworking individual when you express your eagerness to start the job. It is also a common practice to express such enthusiasm. The last sentence of your email is usually most memorable to certain individuals, so we suggest writing it with deliberation and consideration. Remember to sign off the email professionally to maintain the professional and competent cover that you have portrayed throughout the interview process up until this moment.

Letter of acceptance template

Here is a template you can customise when writing your own letter of acceptance:

Dear [Recipient's name],

I am writing in response to the job offer for the position of [job title]. Thank you for this opportunity to work with [Company name]. [Statement showing your gratitude].

I have reviewed the contract of employment. I am pleased to formally accept the position of [job title] and start my employment on [date]. Thank you once again for the position and I look forward to working with the team. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have other questions or require further documents from me.

[Closing],

[Your name]

Sample acceptance letters

There are many ways to format your acceptance letter or email in a manner that your future employer may find acceptable. Here are examples of acceptance letters you can reference when writing your own:

Example 1

This example shows a professional accepting a senior marketing role:

Dear Mr Chin,

I am writing in response to the job offer for the position of Deputy Marketing Manager which you kindly extended to me yesterday via email. Thank you for this opportunity to work with Simple Company and I deeply appreciate you taking the time to consider me for the position.

I have reviewed the contract of employment and am pleased to formally accept the position of Deputy Marketing Manager and start my employment on 1 October 2022. Thank you once again for the position and I look forward to working with the team. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have other questions or require further documents from me.

Kind regards,

Samuel Chan Weng Hong

Example 2

This example shows someone accepting an entry-level manufacturing role:

Dear Mr Tan,

I am writing in response to the job offer for the position of Assistant Product Developer which you kindly extended to me last week via email. To start off, please accept my gratitude for considering me for the position of Assistant Product Developer and for this opportunity to work with the team at Zoho Creators. I am certain that this is the start of a fulfilling journey with Zoho Creators.

Please accept this as my formal acceptance of the position of Assistant Product Developer. As requested, I am available to start work next Monday.

During my review of the contract, I had a question relating to my annual salary. Clause 3 of the contract states that my annual salary is $45,000. I believe that there may have been a misunderstanding since during the final interview on 17 August 2022, Andy and I discussed that my annual salary would be $50,000. I would be most grateful if you could check with Andy and make the revisions to the contract. I am available for discussion this week if necessary.

Thank you once again for the position and I look forward to working with the team. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have other questions or require further documents from me.