An offer letter is a conditional offer, not the contract. Where a work pass is needed, the offer must be conditional on it — an unconditional offer accepted by a candidate whose pass is then refused leaves the employer holding a contract it cannot lawfully perform. Key employment terms still have to be issued separately within fourteen days of the candidate starting work.
Offer of Employment
[COMPANY NAME]
An offer letter is a conditional offer, not the contract. Where a work pass is needed, the offer must be conditional on it — an unconditional offer accepted by a candidate whose pass is then refused leaves the employer holding a contract it cannot lawfully perform. Key employment terms still have to be issued separately within fourteen days of the candidate starting work.
[COMPANY NAME] UEN: [UEN] [REGISTERED ADDRESS]
Private and confidential
Date: [DATE] Reference: [REF]
[CANDIDATE NAME]
[ADDRESS] [EMAIL] [PHONE]
Dear [FIRST NAME],
Offer of employment — [JOB TITLE]
Following our discussions, we are pleased to offer you employment with [COMPANY NAME] on the terms set out below. [ADD A SENTENCE ON WHAT STOOD OUT — it costs nothing and is remembered.]
1. The Role
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Job title | [JOB TITLE] |
| Department and function | [DEPARTMENT] |
| Reporting to | [NAME], [DESIGNATION] |
| Place of work | [ADDRESS] (describe any hybrid or remote arrangement expressly) |
| Nature of employment | [Permanent / Fixed term from ______ to ______] |
| Proposed start date | [DATE] |
| Working days and hours | [DAYS] days per week, [HOURS] hours per day, [TIME] to [TIME] |
| Rest day | [DAY] |
| Probation | [NUMBER] months |
| Notice — during probation | [PERIOD] |
| Notice — after confirmation | [PERIOD] |
| Work pass required | [Not applicable / Employment Pass / S Pass / Work Permit] |
| Offer valid until | [DATE] — this offer lapses if not accepted by this date |
2. Remuneration
6 more pages in the Word file
This is page 1 of the Word document, exactly as it appears when you open it. Fields shown like THIS are placeholders for you to complete.
These notes accompany the template and explain the drafting choices, the compliance points and the mistakes most often made with this document. They appear as a final page in the Word file, intended to be deleted before the document is executed.
Key employment terms containing the prescribed particulars must be issued in writing within fourteen days of the employee starting work. An offer letter, however detailed, does not discharge that obligation unless it is expressly issued as the key employment terms and contains every prescribed item. Clause 5.1 makes the sequence explicit.
Where a pass is required, an unconditional offer creates a contract the employer may be unable to perform lawfully if the application fails. Condition (a) covers grant and continuing validity. This is the single most important clause in a Singapore offer letter and the one most often omitted from templates ported in from elsewhere.
An in-principle approval letter allows entry and the pass to be issued, but the pass itself is only issued after arrival and completion of formalities, sometimes including a medical examination. Do not treat approval in principle as the condition satisfied; keep the condition running until the pass is issued.
For Employment Pass applications, the role must generally be advertised on the national jobs portal for the prescribed period and Singapore citizens fairly considered, before a pass application is made. An offer extended to a foreign candidate before that process is properly run creates a problem that cannot be fixed retrospectively — the advertisement must precede the application, not accompany it.
Annexure B is unusual and deliberate. Because restrictive covenants are enforceable in Singapore where reasonable, a candidate who first sees them in a contract on day one has a legitimate grievance, and a covenant sprung late is more open to argument about whether it was fairly agreed. Disclosing the scope up front costs nothing, improves the employer’s position, and avoids losing a candidate at signature.
Condition (e) and acceptance paragraph 2 exist to keep the Company out of a dispute with a former employer. Unlike some jurisdictions, a former employer’s non-compete may well be enforceable here, and an employer that hires knowing of it can face a claim for inducing breach of contract. Ask the question in writing and keep the answer.
A citizen or permanent resident sees the employee contribution deducted; a pass holder does not. Two candidates on identical gross salary take home very different amounts. Clause 2.3 says so plainly, which prevents a difficult conversation in the first month.
The thirteenth-month payment is a matter of contract or custom, not statute. If it is not payable, do not leave the row blank in a way that implies it is. If it is payable, state the conditions — particularly whether it is pro-rated and whether the employee must be in service on the payment date.
Verification involves collecting personal data, sometimes from third parties. Obtain written consent, describe what will be checked, collect only what is needed for the role, and retain it only as long as necessary. A blanket authorisation to conduct unspecified checks is neither good practice nor a sound basis under the Personal Data Protection Act.
A repayment obligation on early departure is generally enforceable as a genuine pre-estimate of recruitment cost, provided the amount is reasonable and the period short. Keep it modest and time-limited; a disproportionate clawback risks being treated as a penalty.
An offer left open indefinitely can be accepted months later, after the role is filled. Clause 1 and the closing paragraph both set a date. Diarise it, and confirm in writing if it is extended.
Probationers are employees. Statutory leave accrues, Central Provident Fund is payable, key employment terms must be issued, and dismissal for misconduct still requires due inquiry. Probation shortens the contractual notice period; it does not suspend the Employment Act.
Where the engagement is genuinely for a fixed term, say so with start and end dates. A fixed-term contract that expires does not require notice, but repeated short renewals for continuing work invite the argument that the true position is permanent employment.
Reflects Singapore law current as of {{DATE OF USE}}. Work pass salary thresholds and the COMPASS framework, Central Provident Fund rates and ceilings, leave entitlements and Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirements all change — have this template reviewed by an employment adviser before use, and confirm current pass thresholds before every foreign hire.
This is a ready-to-use template provided for convenience. Laws and requirements change, and every situation is different — please have it reviewed by a qualified professional (a lawyer, corporate secretary, or accountant as relevant) before you rely on it.