Employment Verification Letter vs. Proof of Income Letter
An employment verification letter confirms someone's job — title, dates, status. A proof of income letter confirms how much they earn. They're often requested together but answer different questions.
The core difference
An employment verification letter answers "does this person actually work here, and in what role?" — it confirms job title, employment dates and current status (active, on leave, terminated). A proof of income letter answers a different question: "how much does this person make?" It's entirely possible to need one without the other, but many landlords, lenders and agencies ask for both at once because together they establish that someone has a real job and know what it pays.
What each one typically includes
An employment verification letter: employee name, job title, start date (and end date if applicable), employment status, and sometimes a brief statement about job performance or likelihood of continued employment. A proof of income letter: employee name, income amount and frequency, and how long they've earned at that rate — deliberately light on other detail.
A salary verification letter sits in between — it confirms a specific salary or hourly rate the way a proof-of-income letter does, but it's requested by name specifically in some mortgage and visa paperwork, so it's worth using the exact term the requester asked for.
Who writes each one
All three are normally written from the employer's side — HR, a manager, or a small business owner confirming their own employee. If you're self-employed, you write your own version and typically back it up with tax returns or bank statements, since there's no third-party employer to vouch for you.
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Frequently asked questions
Which one should I request if I'm not sure?
If the requester used a specific term ("employment verification," "salary verification," "proof of income"), use that one. If they just said "proof you have a job and what you earn," the safest bet is providing both an employment verification letter and a proof of income (or salary verification) letter together.
Can one letter cover both employment and income?
Yes — many employers combine both into a single letter when asked for "employment and income verification" together, rather than issuing two separate documents.