What Is an Employment Verification Letter?

An employment verification letter is a short, signed letter from your employer confirming that you work there, in what role and since when. Landlords, letting agents and lenders ask for one to check that you have the job you put on your application.

It is one of the most common documents in a rental application anywhere in the world. Some employers call it a proof of employment letter, an employment confirmation or a salary certificate. The rules about what a landlord may ask for differ by country, but a good letter looks much the same everywhere.

What the letter usually says

A useful letter answers one question: does this person work here, in this role, right now? Keep it to the facts the requester needs.

Mortgage lenders in the US often use a standard form instead of a letter. Fannie Mae's Form 1005, the Request for Verification of Employment, is completed by the employer. Some of its fields are optional, including the probability of continued employment and the dates and amounts of pay increases, and the borrower signs it to allow the employer to answer.

What it should never include

An employment letter is not a place for personal details beyond the job. Leave these out, whoever asks and wherever you live:

• ID numbers such as a Social Security number, national ID number or passport number. The US Federal Trade Commission warns renters that until you've agreed to rent a place, a landlord doesn't need your Social Security number.
• Health, leave reasons or disability. "On leave" is enough; the reason is private.
• Immigration or citizenship status, family details and anything about age, religion or ethnicity.
• Performance reviews or disciplinary history. They have nothing to do with renting a home.

Do you have to include your salary?

No. A landlord needs to know you can pay the rent, but the employer letter is only one way to show it. Many people prefer the letter to confirm the job and to show income with pay slips or bank statements instead. If you send bank statements, Citizens Advice suggests covering your account numbers.

If the landlord compares income with the rent, ask how they count it. Some places protect people whose rent is partly paid by a voucher or benefits. In New York City, lawful source of income is a protected class under the city's Human Rights Law. In England, since 1 May 2026 landlords cannot discriminate against potential tenants who are on benefits or who have children.

How to ask your employer

1. 1

   Find out exactly what is needed

   Ask the landlord which details they need, who the letter should be addressed to, and how recent it must be. Some only need your title and start date.
2. 2

   Write to HR or payroll

   Email rather than ask in passing, so there is a record. Say what the letter is for and when you need it.
3. 3

   Say what they may include

   List the details, and say clearly whether to include your pay. Giving your written permission up front saves a round trip.
4. 4

   Ask for letterhead, a signature and a contact

   A letter on company letterhead, signed by a named person, with an HR email or phone number, is easy for a landlord to check.
5. 5

   Check it before you send it

   Your name should match your ID and application. Check the dates, the title and the employment type.
6. 6

   Send it securely

   Upload it to the landlord’s document request or send it to a work email address. Avoid public chat threads and listing comments.

A short email is enough. For example:

Hi, I'm applying to rent a home and the landlord has asked for an employment verification letter. Could you confirm my job title, employment type, start date and that I'm currently employed, on letterhead, signed and dated? Please [include / don't include] my pay. I'd need it by [date]. Thank you.

How landlords check it

A careful landlord confirms the letter with the employer, not with the phone number printed on the letter itself. Look up the company's main number or website and ask HR to confirm the details. Tell the applicant before you contact their employer.

Checking a document is different from accepting it as provided. When a landlord looks at the letter and it meets what they asked for, they have accepted it. When they confirm it with the employer, they have verified it, and they should note how. Our guide on reviewing tenant documents fairly explains both steps.

If you're self-employed, a contractor or starting a new job

• Self-employed: Citizens Advice notes that landlords in England may ask self-employed renters for trading accounts and an accountant's reference. Elsewhere, ask whether recent tax returns, invoices or bank statements will do the same job.
• Contract or agency work: ask the agency or the client for a letter with the contract dates and your role.
• New job: ask whether a signed offer letter with your start date and role will do until your first pay slip arrives.
• No employer letter at all: offer other proof and ask the landlord which they accept. Some landlords accept a guarantor instead.

Common problems, and how to fix them

A letter that comes back with a reason is not a rejection of you. A clear reason, such as "outside the date range" or "pages missing," tells you exactly what to upload next.

Where you rent changes the details

Using Roofy

Our free employment verification letter template has the fields above, makes pay optional and prints a clean, signed copy. On the Roofy dashboard a landlord can request it, and the tenant uploads it to the request. The landlord's review then shows "Accepted" or "Verified" with the reviewer's name. Roofy itself does not verify documents or applicants.

Before you send your letter

Tick off each check. Your progress stays in this browser.

Once the letter is in, the next question is usually whether the rent fits your income. The tenant income ratio calculator shows how landlords compare the two. Before you pay anything to a landlord you haven't met, read how to check a listing anywhere.