A mortgage letter of employment is a formal document from your employer verifying your job title, tenure, and exact income structure. It is a "make or break" document because underwriters use it as definitive proof that you have a stable income to afford your mortgage payments.
How to Get a Letter of Employment
To secure this document, reach out to your company’s HR department. If you work at a smaller business without a dedicated HR team, a member of the senior leadership team or your direct manager can write it.
Because mortgage approvals move quickly, ask for this letter as soon as you start house hunting. Lenders typically require the letter to be dated within 30 days of your mortgage closing.
The Copy-Paste Mortgage Employment Letter Template
Copy and paste the text below into an email or document and send it directly to your HR representative or manager to ensure they include every detail lenders look for.
[MUST BE ON COMPANY LETTERHEAD]
[Date - Must be less than 30 days old]
To Whom It May Concern,
RE: Verification of Employment for [Employee Full Name]
Please accept this letter as confirmation that [Employee Full Name] has been employed with [Company Name] since [Start Date: Month, Day, Year].
Currently, [Employee Full Name] holds the position of [Job Title] on a [Select one: Permanent Full-Time / Permanent Part-Time / Contract] basis.
Their current compensation structure is as follows:
- Base Salary / Hourly Rate: [Amount, e.g., $75,000 per year OR $35.00 per hour]
- Guaranteed Hours (If hourly): [e.g., 37.5 hours per week]
- Additional Income (If applicable): [e.g., Average annual bonus of $5,000, or Commission structure]
If you require any further information or verbal verification regarding [Employee Full Name]’s employment status, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at [Phone Number] or via email at [Email Address].
Sincerely,
[Authorized Signature]
[Print Name of HR Representative or Manager]
[Job Title of Signee]
[Company Name]
The 10-Point Underwriter Checklist
Before you upload your letter of employment to your Homewise portal, cross-reference it with this checklist. If any of these are missing, ask HR to revise it immediately:
Company Letterhead: Must feature the clear, official company logo and corporate address.
Contact Info: A direct phone number and corporate email address for the person signing it.
Fresh Date: The letter cannot be a month old; underwriters want to see that you are actively employed now.
"To Whom It May Concern": Or addressed directly to your mortgage lender/broker.
Full Legal Name: It must match the name on your mortgage application exactly (no nicknames).
Explicit Job Status: It must explicitly state if you are Full-Time or Part-Time, and ideally include the word Permanent.
Exact Hire Date: The exact day, month, and year you started.
Clear Income Breakdown: If you are salaried, state the flat annual rate. If you are hourly, it must state your hourly rate and your guaranteed hours per week.
Separated Bonus/Commission: Lenders will not accept a lumped-together figure. Bonuses, overtime, and commissions must be written on a completely separate line.
A Real Signature: Digital signatures (like DocuSign) or physical ink signatures are required. A typed name is not enough.
Why Lenders Call HR: Don't be surprised if your lender calls the person who signed your letter. Underwriters frequently conduct random verbal audits to ensure the document is authentic and that you haven't given notice to leave the company.
Seamless Approval Starts Here
A flawed job letter is one of the most common reasons mortgage approvals get delayed. By using this template, you can bypass the back-and-forth with HR and keep your home buying journey entirely on track. When you are ready to upload your documents and compare rates across 30+ lenders, apply online with Homewise in just five minutes.
Example
Legend
- Company Letterhead: This includes the company logo (if applicable)
- Company Contact information: Full address and contact number
- Date: Ensure that the job letter is up to date. If it is over a month old, the lender may request a newer version.
- Re line: This line is not mandatory, however, if included, it will reference that it is an employment letter (or job letter) for the respective borrower
- To line: If there is a specifc individual (broker or lender) that name should be written. Otherwise, it can say “To whom it may concern”
- Borrower’s Position: The borrower’s (employee) position as well as if their job is full-time, part-time, contact, etc.
- Employment Date: This is the date that the employee was first hired
- Income: This line will include the annual income that is earned by the employee, as well as if the income was salary, hourly or commission. Additional forms income, such as a bonus, have to be listed our on a separate line than the annual income.
- Job Letter Writer’s Signature: The writer of the job letter will have to sign the document
- Job Letter Writer’s information: The writer of the job letter must have their full name and title must be included as it is possible that they will be contacted.
