contract-law employment
Question regarding offer letter
<p>I got an offer from a company(US Based) that seems like a wonderful opportunity. However, there's some wording in it that I've never seen in an offer letter before, so I'm looking for some clarification. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/29XCI.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/29XCI.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>This sounds like, if employment is terminated, I will be paid the remainder of my annual salary upon my next payday. Is that an accurate interpretation?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>This sounds like, if employment is terminated, I will be paid the
  remainder of my annual salary upon my next payday. Is that an accurate
  interpretation?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No. This is exactly the opposite of what it says. Pro-rated means that you will only be paid the portion of your annual salary that was earned as of your termination.</p>

<p>The real kicker is the final sentence which means you don't get paid for unused sick or vacation days (not that unusual), or bonuses not finally approved (again not that unusual), or expense reimbursements not yet submitted for payment (unusual and really potentially quite unfair).</p>

<p>Moral of story: Don't run up too many unreimbursed expenses and get the ones you have submitted ASAP.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"...you will be solely entitled to <strong>pro-rated</strong> compensation for your
  annual salary... You are not entitled to any additional compensation
  of any form beyond the date of termination..." <strong>(Emphasis mine)</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Pro-rated does not mean the rest of total of your annual salary; it means a portion pro-rated up to the day you were terminated. Get fired, and you are paid up to (and maybe including) that day, and no more, as a portion of your annual salary.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prorate" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Prorate | Definition of Prorate by Merriam-Webster</a>: <em>"to divide, distribute, or assess proportionately."</em></p>

<p>As a side note: that phrase "AT WILL" means just that:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>At-will employment is a term used in U.S. labor law for contractual
  relationships in which an employee can be dismissed by an employer for
  any reason (that is, without having to establish "just cause" for
  termination), and without warning. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>At-will employment - Wikipedia</em></a>.</p>
</blockquote>
