Equal employment opportunity policy template and EEO statement examples for 2026
On this page
- What does federal law require of an employer's EEO materials?
- Which characteristics should the policy list?
- The EEO policy template
- EEO statement examples: short, standard and federal contractor
- How did the 2025 executive orders change EEO wording?
- Where should each version go?
- Common mistakes
- Questions people ask
An equal employment opportunity (EEO) policy is the handbook statement that a company makes hiring, pay, promotion, discipline and termination decisions without regard to legally protected characteristics, explains how to ask for an accommodation and how to complain, and forbids retaliation. An EEO statement is the one- or two-line version used in job ads and on careers pages. As of October 2026, the EEOC says most employers with at least 15 employees are covered by the laws it enforces (20 for age discrimination) and must display its "Know Your Rights" poster; federal contractors no longer need the Executive Order 11246 tagline, whose regulations were removed on October 26, 2026, but must still include the veteran and disability statements required by VEVRAA and Section 503.
Below: what has to be posted and stated, the policy template, three statement versions with a fill-in list for state protected classes, how the 2025 executive orders affect the wording, and mistakes to avoid. For the detail of job-ad rules for contractors, see job posting requirements for federal contractors. Not legal advice.
What does federal law require of an employer's EEO materials?
| Item | Who | What is required | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" poster | Covered employers (most with 15+ employees; 20+ for age) | Displayed where applicants and employees see notices; the EEOC encourages also posting it online, which may be the only posting for remote workers. The EEOC says the Title VII penalty for not posting is currently $680 | EEOC poster page; EEOC overview |
| Job ads | All employers and employment agencies covered by Title VII | No ad may indicate a preference, limitation or specification based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, except a bona fide occupational qualification. No statement is required | 42 U.S.C. 2000e-3(b) |
| Veteran statement in ads | Contractors with a VEVRAA-covered contract | State "that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their protected veteran status" | 41 CFR 60-300.5 |
| Disability statement in ads | Contractors with a Section 503-covered contract | State "that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability" | 41 CFR 60-741.5 |
| Hiring records | Employers covered by Title VII, the ADA and GINA | Keep application forms and other hiring records for one year from the record or the personnel action, whichever is later, and longer if a charge is filed | 29 CFR 1602.14 |
A written EEO policy is not itself a federal requirement for most private employers. It is still worth having, because it is where employees learn how to raise a concern, and it is the first document asked for when a candidate files a charge (see what to do about an EEOC charge from a rejected candidate). The EEO-1 report for larger employers is separate; see EEO-1 reporting requirements.
Which characteristics should the policy list?
The EEOC's poster page lists the federal protections: race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and transgender status), national origin, religion, age (40 and older), equal pay, disability and genetic information (including family medical history), plus retaliation for filing a charge, opposing discrimination or taking part in a proceeding (EEOC, as of October 2026). Most states and many cities add more. Rather than guess, keep a fill-in list per work location and have counsel complete it:
PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS: [STATE / CITY] Checked: [date] by [name]
Federal: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual
orientation and transgender status), national origin, age (40+),
disability, genetic information, protected veteran status
[for federal contractors], and retaliation.
State/local additions (examples of categories some states use;
confirm each): [marital status] [military or veteran status]
[ancestry] [creed] [height or weight] [hairstyle or texture]
[arrest or conviction record] [credit history] [unemployment status]
[source of income] [reproductive health decisions] [other: ____]
Source(s): [statute or agency page]Several of these have their own pages in this batch, such as CROWN Act hair discrimination, height and weight discrimination and unemployment status discrimination.
The EEO policy template
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POLICY
[Company name] Owner: [HR lead] Effective: [date] Version: [n]
1. OUR COMMITMENT
[Company] makes employment decisions on the basis of job-related
qualifications, performance and business needs. We do not
discriminate against applicants or employees because of race, color,
religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and
transgender status), national origin, age, disability, genetic
information, [protected veteran status,] [state/local list], or any
other characteristic protected by applicable law.
2. SCOPE
This policy covers every stage of employment: recruiting,
advertising, screening, interviewing, testing, selection, pay and
benefits, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, layoff and
termination. It applies to employees, managers, interviewers,
contractors and recruiting agencies acting for [Company].
3. HIRING PRACTICES
- Job requirements are written before recruiting starts and are
limited to what the job needs.
- Interviewers use structured, job-related questions and a written
scorecard, and record reasons for decisions.
- We do not ask about protected characteristics in interviews or
forms, except voluntary self-identification kept separately.
- Agencies working for us agree to follow this policy.
4. ACCOMMODATIONS
We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and
employees with disabilities, for known limitations related to
pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, and for
sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, unless doing so
would cause undue hardship. Applicants can ask at any stage by
contacting [name, email, phone]. Asking does not affect the decision.
5. HOW TO RAISE A CONCERN
Anyone who believes this policy has been broken can tell any of:
- their manager or the hiring manager;
- [HR contact, email, phone];
- [second route that bypasses the manager, e.g. hotline or URL].
We investigate promptly and as confidentially as we can, and take
corrective action where the policy was broken.
Employees and applicants may also contact the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission or [state agency].
6. NO RETALIATION
We do not retaliate against anyone who raises a concern in good
faith, files a charge, or takes part in an investigation. Retaliation
is itself a violation of this policy.
7. TRAINING AND RECORDS
Managers and interviewers complete [training] [on hire and every
X years]. Hiring records are kept for at least [one year, or longer
if a charge is filed or a longer state rule applies].
8. POSTERS
The EEOC "Know Your Rights" poster and required state notices are
displayed at [locations] and on [intranet / careers page].
Questions: [HR contact].EEO statement examples: short, standard and federal contractor
Short (job board character limits)
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are
considered without regard to any characteristic protected by law.Standard (careers page and full job ads)
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We make hiring decisions
based on job-related qualifications and do not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual
orientation and transgender status), national origin, age,
disability, genetic information, [state/local list], or any other
characteristic protected by law. If you need an accommodation at any
point in the hiring process, contact [email or phone].Federal contractor (VEVRAA and Section 503 covered)
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment
without regard to protected veteran status and will not be
discriminated against on the basis of disability. [Company] is an
equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis
of [standard list]. To request an accommodation, contact [contact].The first sentence of the contractor version carries the two statements the regulations still require; the rest is optional. The full sentence is safer than shorthand such as "EOE/Vets/Disability," because the regulations describe what must be stated rather than approving an abbreviation.
How did the 2025 executive orders change EEO wording?
- EO 11246 is gone. Executive Order 14173 (January 21, 2025) revoked it and gave contractors 90 days to keep complying with the old scheme. The Department of Labor's final rule rescinding the implementing regulations in 41 CFR parts 60-1, 60-2, 60-3, 60-4, 60-20, 60-40 and 60-50 was published August 21, 2026 and took effect October 26, 2026 (91 FR 54444). EO 14173 also tells agencies to require contractors to certify that they do not operate DEI programs that violate federal anti-discrimination law.
- VEVRAA and Section 503 stay. They are statutes. DOL amended both sets of regulations in August 2026 to remove cross-references to EO 11246, and the current eCFR text of both clauses still contains the ad statements quoted above. DOL's OFCCP page says both laws "remain in effect."
- Disparate impact. Executive Order 14281 (April 23, 2025) directs federal agencies to "deprioritize enforcement" of statutes and regulations to the extent they include disparate-impact liability, naming 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2. An executive order does not amend Title VII, and state laws are unaffected, so the policy above still tells interviewers to use job-related criteria. For the difference between the two theories, see disparate treatment vs disparate impact.
Where should each version go?
| Place | Version | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Employee handbook | Full policy | Acknowledged on hire |
| Careers page | Standard statement plus accommodation contact | Link the EEOC poster if you post notices online |
| Job ads | Short or standard; contractor version where covered | Agencies posting for a contractor client use the client's wording; see the contractor posting page |
| Application form | Standard statement; voluntary self-identification on a separate page | Self-ID answers kept away from interviewers |
| Interviewer training | Policy sections 3 to 6 | Pair with ADA accommodations in interviews |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it matters | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A statement that promises preference for a group | Title VII prohibits decisions based on protected characteristics in either direction, and contractors now certify against unlawful DEI programs | Describe the process (job-related criteria, structured interviews), not an outcome |
| Only one complaint route, through the manager | An employee whose concern is about the manager has nowhere to go | At least two routes, one bypassing the manager |
| Federal list only, in a state with more classes | The policy understates the protections that apply | The fill-in list, checked per work location |
| Stale contractor tagline treated as mandatory | Wasted characters, and the required veteran and disability wording sometimes gets dropped to make room | Lead with the two required statements |
| No accommodation contact | Applicants with a disability, pregnancy limitation or religious need do not know how to ask | A named contact in every statement longer than one line |
Ad wording rules apply to age too; see age discrimination in hiring and discriminatory job ad language. General information as of October 2026, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Is an EEO statement required in job postings?
Not for most private employers under federal law. Title VII prohibits ads that indicate a preference based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, but it does not require a statement. Federal contractors are different: as of October 2026, contractors covered by VEVRAA and Section 503 must state in every job ad that qualified applicants will be considered without regard to protected veteran status and disability. State or local law or a client contract may also require wording.
Do federal contractors still need the 'race, color, religion, sex' EEO tagline?
Not as a federal contract requirement. Executive Order 14173 revoked Executive Order 11246 on January 21, 2025, and the Department of Labor's final rule removing the EO 11246 regulations took effect on October 26, 2026. Many contractors keep a general EEO statement anyway, and the VEVRAA and Section 503 statements are still required.
What must an EEO policy include?
A useful EEO policy says the company makes employment decisions without regard to protected characteristics, lists them, covers every stage from recruiting to termination, explains how to request an accommodation, gives more than one route to raise a complaint, and promises no retaliation. Federal law requires the EEOC's Know Your Rights poster rather than a written policy, but a policy is what employees and investigators look for.
Which employers are covered by federal EEO laws?
The EEOC says most employers with at least 15 employees are covered by the laws it enforces, and 20 employees in age discrimination cases. The Equal Pay Act covers virtually all employers, and many state laws reach smaller employers, so a company below 15 employees may still need an EEO policy under state law.