Verification of Employment (VOE) Form — What It Is and How to Complete One

Understand the standard VOE form, when a form is required instead of a letter, and generate a signed employment verification letter that satisfies most requests.

Create an Employment Verification Letter

Form or letter?

A verification of employment form is completed by the employer for a requester. If you were asked to "provide" verification, a signed employment verification letter from your employer usually does the job — create one with the generator.

What is a verification of employment form?

A verification of employment (VOE) form is a structured document that a third party — most often a lender, landlord, or background-screening agency — sends to an employer to confirm that someone works there. Unlike an employment verification letter, which the employer writes in free form, a VOE form has fixed fields the employer fills in and signs, so the answers come back in a consistent, comparable format.

The form is completed by the employer or HR department, not by the employee — that independence is the whole point. The requester wants confirmation straight from the source, not a statement the applicant wrote themselves.

VOE form vs employment verification letter

Verification of employment form

Sent by the requester to the employer with fields to complete and return. Common in mortgage lending, where the lender controls the exact wording. The employee is not involved in filling it out.

Employment verification letter

Written by the employer, usually at the employee's request, on company letterhead. Flexible wording, accepted by most landlords, banks, and agencies — and the fastest option when no specific form was provided.

If the request did not include a specific form to fill in, a signed letter is almost always accepted. Use the generator to create an employment verification letter your employer can review and sign.

What a verification of employment form includes

Most VOE forms ask the employer to confirm:

  • Employer and employee names and the employee's job title.
  • Employment status — full-time or part-time, current or former.
  • Start date and, for a former employee, the end date.
  • Income — base pay, plus overtime, bonuses, or commission for lending forms.
  • Probability of continued employment — a field specific to mortgage forms.
  • Signature, title, and contact of the person completing it.

Who uses VOE forms

  • Mortgage lenders — using the standard Fannie Mae Form 1005 (Request for Verification of Employment) or the Freddie Mac equivalent.
  • Banks and lenders reviewing a loan, credit line, or account application.
  • Landlords and property managers screening a rental applicant.
  • Background-check and pre-employment screening companies verifying history.
  • Government and benefits offices confirming income eligibility.

Large employers often route these through an automated service like The Work Number; smaller employers complete the form or issue a letter by hand.

How to complete and return a VOE form

The requester sends the form to the employer or HR.

HR verifies the details, fills in each field, and signs.

The signed form goes back to the requester — or a letter is issued instead.

No form provided? Create a letter instead

When a requester only asks you to "provide verification of employment," a signed letter on company letterhead is accepted almost everywhere. Generate one in minutes.

Create Your Employment Verification Letter

Frequently asked questions