> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bolto.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Offer Letters

> Create, send, and track e-signed offer letters for W-2 employees and contractors.

Send professional, e-signed offer letters from **Team → Offer Letters**. Offers are built from templates, previewed live as you fill them in, and tracked from draft through signature.

<Note>
  Offer letters are available to **company owners**.
</Note>

***

## Templates

Bolto ships four ready-to-use templates:

| Template                              | Style                          | Optional sections                                                |
| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **W-2 Offer Letter (concise)**        | Compact, core required clauses | —                                                                |
| **W-2 Offer Letter (full)**           | Full coverage                  | Equity, Signing Bonus, Relocation, Commissions, Additional Terms |
| **Contractor Offer Letter (concise)** | Compact, core required clauses | —                                                                |
| **Contractor Offer Letter (full)**    | Full coverage                  | Signing Bonus, Relocation, Commissions, Additional Terms         |

Bolto-managed templates can't be edited directly — instead, **duplicate one into a custom template** from the Templates page. Custom templates let you toggle optional sections on and off, rewrite individual paragraphs, and set default sender name and title. Activate a custom template to make it available when creating offers (template statuses: **Draft → Active → Archived**).

<Warning>
  Bolto-managed templates are configurable starting points. Have your own legal counsel review any template before use — requirements vary by organization and jurisdiction.
</Warning>

***

## Creating an offer

Click **Create offer letter**, pick a template, and fill in the form — the letter preview updates live, and your progress autosaves:

* **Candidate information** — name and email
* **Employment details** — job title, employment type (full-time / part-time, or project-based for contractors), start date (and optional end date for fixed-term contractor engagements), manager, and work location (remote / hybrid / on-site)
* **Compensation** — salary or hourly for employees; project rate or hourly for contractors
* **Signing bonus** (when the template includes it) — amount and repayment period
* **Offer terms** — offer expiration date
* **Sender** — name and title, pre-filled from the template's defaults
* **Personal note** — a short message included in the email to the candidate

**Continue to Review & Send** unlocks once every required field is complete.

***

## Sending and signing

When you send an offer:

1. Bolto freezes the letter exactly as reviewed and renders it to PDF
2. The candidate receives an email — "Offer Letter — \[candidate name]" — with your personal note as the message
3. The candidate opens, reviews, and signs electronically
4. The signed PDF is stored on the offer, downloadable any time

## Offer statuses

| Status            | Meaning                                                 |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Draft**         | In progress — required fields not yet complete          |
| **Ready to send** | Complete and awaiting send                              |
| **Sent**          | Delivered to the candidate                              |
| **Viewed**        | The candidate opened it                                 |
| **Signed**        | Signed — the countersigned PDF is stored on the offer   |
| **Declined**      | The candidate declined to sign                          |
| **Voided**        | Withdrawn by you                                        |
| **Failed**        | The signing service reported an error — fix and re-send |

The dashboard shows counts by status, with search and filters across all offers.

## Managing sent offers

* **Resend offer** (Sent/Viewed) — emails the candidate a fresh signing link; the previous link stops working
* **Void** (Sent/Viewed) — withdraws the offer so it can no longer be signed; this can't be undone
* **Duplicate** (any offer) — clones everything into a new draft, handy for revised terms or similar roles
* **Edit** — available for drafts, ready-to-send, and failed offers; offers that have been sent are locked

<Note>
  Two things to plan around: Bolto doesn't send automatic reminders to candidates — use **Resend offer** to nudge — and the expiration date appears in the letter text but doesn't automatically void the offer; use **Void** to withdraw one that's lapsed.
</Note>

***

## After signing

When the offer is signed, add your new hire to Bolto to kick off their onboarding:

* W-2 employees → [Adding Employees](/payroll/adding-employees)
* Contractors → [Adding Contractors](/contractors/adding-contractors)