Employment Offer Letter

KENTUCKY EMPLOYMENT OFFER LETTER

EMPLOYER REVIEW BEFORE SENDING

Confirm each item before using the letter:

Do not use this letter for a promised definite term unless counsel converts it into an appropriate employment contract. Do not call a worker “exempt” merely because compensation is stated as a salary.

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME]
[Street address]
[City, Kentucky ZIP]
[Telephone] | [Email]

Date: [__/__/____]

To: [CANDIDATE FULL NAME]
[Candidate address]
[City, State ZIP]

Dear [CANDIDATE FIRST NAME]:

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME] (the “Company”) is pleased to offer you employment on the terms below.

1. POSITION

Your duties will include [brief description or reference to attached job description]:

[____________________________________________________________]

The Company may reasonably change duties, reporting relationships, schedule, or work location to meet business needs, subject to applicable law and any written agreement signed by an authorized Company representative.

2. COMPENSATION

Select one base-pay method and delete the other:

☐ Hourly: $[________] per hour.

☐ Salary: $[________] per year, paid in equal installments under the Company's regular payroll schedule. Stating an annual salary does not by itself create a definite employment term or determine overtime eligibility.

Regular payroll schedule: [weekly / biweekly / semimonthly] on [describe paydays].

KRS 337.020 generally requires covered Kentucky employers to pay wages at least semimonthly and limits how far the paid-through date may precede payday. It excludes the individuals described in KRS 337.010(2)(a)2. Confirm coverage before selecting a less frequent schedule; do not select monthly pay merely because compensation is stated annually.

Additional compensation

Complete only what applies and attach the controlling plan when necessary.

No bonus, commission, or other incentive is earned or payable except as stated in its controlling written plan. Do not use this sentence to forfeit compensation already earned under KRS 337.010 or other applicable law.

Overtime

☐ Nonexempt position. The Company will record all hours worked and pay overtime required by applicable law. KRS 337.285 generally requires one and one-half times the hourly wage rate for covered work over 40 hours in a workweek, but Kentucky has its own statutory exclusions and special public-employer provisions. The employee must accurately record all working time and may not perform unrecorded work.

☐ Exempt position. The Company has classified this position as exempt under: [identify Kentucky and federal exemption]. This classification may be reviewed and corrected as duties or law change.

3. BENEFITS AND TIME OFF

Subject to eligibility rules, enrollment, amendments, and the controlling plan or policy documents, you may participate in:

This summary is not a plan document or a promise that a benefit will continue. If this letter conflicts with a governing plan or policy, the governing document controls to the extent permitted by law.

Kentucky's wage definition in KRS 337.010(1)(c) includes vested vacation pay and other compensation agreed upon by the employer and employee or provided as an established policy. State the earning, vesting, use, and separation rules accurately in the controlling policy; do not promise a number of days here that the policy does not provide.

4. NO DEFINITE TERM

Employment is not offered for a definite duration. The employee or the Company may end the employment relationship at any time, subject to applicable law and any later written agreement signed by [AUTHORIZED COMPANY OFFICER]. No manager or supervisor may promise a definite term or alter this provision unless specifically authorized in writing by the Company.

Nothing in this letter authorizes termination, retaliation, or discrimination prohibited by law, and nothing waives a right that cannot lawfully be waived.

5. CONDITIONS BEFORE EMPLOYMENT

This offer is contingent on timely completion, to the Company's satisfaction and as permitted by applicable law, of the items selected below:

☐ Verification of identity and authorization to work using the federal Form I-9 process

☐ Verification of required license or certification: [________________________________]

☐ Background report or check under a separate disclosure, authorization, and review process

☐ Drug or alcohol screening administered under the written policy for this position

☐ Verification of education or employment history

☐ Execution of the attached confidentiality and intellectual-property agreement

☐ Execution of this position's compensation or commission plan

☐ Other lawful, position-related condition: [________________________________]

Do not obtain a consumer report from this letter alone. Do not add a noncompetition or nonsolicitation condition without a separate, Kentucky-specific review and agreement.

If a selected condition is not satisfied by [__/__/____], the Company may withdraw the offer, subject to applicable law. Notify the candidate in writing of any changed start date or withdrawn offer.

6. COMPANY POLICIES AND LEGAL PROTECTIONS

You will receive and must follow the Company's lawful policies, including timekeeping, safety, anti-harassment, confidentiality, information-security, leave, accommodation, and workplace-conduct policies. A policy acknowledgment is not a promise of employment for a definite term.

Where KRS 344.040 applies, it prohibits covered employment discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age 40 or over, qualified disability, and smoker or nonsmoker status when the person complies with workplace smoking policy. It also addresses pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical-condition accommodations. The Company will provide the required written pregnancy-accommodation notice at commencement of employment and will engage in the required process when an accommodation is requested.

KRS 344.040 does not prevent a lawful workplace smoking policy, certain different health-plan contribution rates for smokers and nonsmokers, or incentives or benefits for participation in a smoking-cessation program.

The Company and employee will comply with applicable occupational-safety and health duties. KRS 338.031 requires an employer to provide employment and a workplace free from recognized hazards causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm and to comply with applicable standards; it also requires employees to comply with standards and rules applicable to their conduct.

7. WORKERS' COMPENSATION

The Company will secure workers' compensation coverage when required by KRS Chapter 342. KRS 342.630 identifies employers mandatorily subject to the chapter, KRS 342.640 identifies covered employees, and KRS 342.650 lists exemptions. Do not promise coverage merely “from the first day” without confirming the employer, position, and any statutory exemption.

Coverage determination for this position: ☐ Covered ☐ Exempt ☐ Voluntarily covered ☐ Counsel/insurer to confirm

Carrier or self-insurance information, if included: [________________________________]

8. ENTIRE OFFER; NO CONFLICTING PROMISES

This letter and the attachments listed below state the offer being made. They supersede prior discussions about the subjects they cover, but they do not supersede a benefit plan, collective bargaining agreement, or other writing that expressly controls.

Attachments:

☐ Job description

☐ Compensation or commission plan

☐ Bonus or signing-bonus terms

☐ Benefit summary

☐ Confidentiality or intellectual-property agreement

☐ Required notices

☐ Other: [________________________________]

If you accept, sign and return this letter by [time] on [__/__/____]. This offer expires if not accepted by that deadline unless the Company extends it in writing.

Sincerely,

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME]

By: ________________________________________
Name: [________________________________]
Title: [________________________________]
Date: [__/__/____]

ACCEPTANCE

I accept the offer stated in this letter. I acknowledge that I received the attachments checked above, that employment is not offered for a definite term, and that no oral statement changes this letter.

Candidate signature: ________________________________________
Printed name: [________________________________]
Date: [__/__/____]

KENTUCKY EMPLOYER COMPLIANCE NOTES

These are implementation notes for the employer and should normally be removed from the signed letter.

Regular and final pay

• KRS 337.020 generally requires covered employees to be paid at least semimonthly for wages earned through a date not more than 18 days before payday. Its express exclusion refers to KRS 337.010(2)(a)2.
• Under KRS 337.055, an employee who leaves or is discharged must be paid all earned wages no later than the later of the next normal pay period or 14 days after separation. The old version of this template misstated that sequence.
• KRS 337.385 is not a pay-frequency statute. It provides wage and overtime remedies, including unpaid compensation, a possible equal amount as liquidated damages, costs, attorney fees, and a three-year limitations period for chapter actions without another express period.
• KRS 337.040 was repealed in 1978. It concerned redemption of scrip, not a right to a termination “service letter.” Do not cite it for a written reason-for-discharge requirement.

Minimum wage and overtime

• KRS 337.275 currently sets $7.25 per hour and automatically tracks a higher federal minimum hourly wage under 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1), without importing every federal coverage rule or exception.
• KRS 337.285 contains Kentucky-specific overtime exclusions. Review KRS 337.010(2), KRS 337.285, applicable regulations, and federal law rather than assuming “nonexempt” has been resolved by title or salary.

New-hire reporting

KRS 405.435 generally requires a Kentucky employer or labor organization to report a hire, rehire, or covered return to work of an employee who resides or works in Kentucky within 20 days. The report includes specified employee and employer information and the date services for remuneration were first performed. Use the current Office of the Attorney General reporting route and check the statutory safety/investigation exception.

Pregnancy notice

KRS 344.040(3) requires a covered employer to provide written notice of pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical-condition accommodation rights to a new employee at commencement of employment and to post notice in an employee-accessible area. Prepare the current notice separately; a generic nondiscrimination sentence in an offer letter may not contain the required information.

2026 currency check

The current official KRS 337.010 PDF is effective April 10, 2026 and reflects 2026 Kentucky Acts chapter 72. The 2026 bill screen also surfaced proposals mentioning wage and civil-rights sections, but those proposals do not replace current enacted text. 2026 Senate Bill 343 became Acts chapter 61 and reorganized the Department of Workers' Claims; it did not change the coverage descriptions used here in KRS 342.630 through 342.650.

OFFICIAL SOURCES CHECKED

• KRS 337.010: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56806
• KRS 337.020: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32046
• KRS 337.040 (repealed): https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32048
• KRS 337.055: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32050
• KRS 337.275: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32064
• KRS 337.285: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54508
• KRS 337.385: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55338
• KRS 344.040: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=49405
• KRS 338.031: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32119
• KRS 342.630: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32533
• KRS 342.640: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43049
• KRS 342.650: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=51336
• KRS 405.435: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54384
• 2026 Kentucky Acts chapter 61: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0061.pdf