An offer letter is the written employment offer extended by a company to a candidate, documenting the terms of the employment relationship. The document covers role and title, base compensation, equity grant (typically subject to subsequent board approval and stock option agreement), variable compensation if applicable, benefits eligibility, start date, at-will employment status (in most US states), reporting structure, and any role-specific terms (relocation assistance, signing bonus, special vesting). It is the closing document of the hiring process that the candidate signs to accept the role, and establishes the contractual basis for the employment relationship going forward. It is the legal anchor of every new employment re...