Sample Refusal Letters

Find inspiration in our curated catalog of refusal letters. Each sample letter comes with guidelines and advice to help you find the right words.

Refusal letters are letters written to give a negative response to a job offer or invitation. The main purpose of refusal letters is to notify the recipients of your decision to decline. Whether it is a job offer you don't want to accept or a wedding that you don't want to attend, the recipient deserves to know your decision. Writing a refusal letter will be the best way to inform him/her of this decision. A refusal letter should be sent early enough so that the recipient has enough time to extend the job offer or invitation to someone else.

The objective of refusal letters is to say no and to provide reasons for the decline. Open the letter with a genuine appreciation of the recipient for the opportunity he/she had given to you. Express your heartfelt regret and explain the reasons why you are declining the job offer or invitation. Be polite and sincere and treat this as a chance to build good will. Offer alternative sources that the recipient can appeal to with better chances of success. Close the letter by saying how sorry you are and express good wishes for the recipient's success elsewhere.