Email signature disclaimer examples
Six short disclaimers you can copy, what they can and can’t do, and how to add one without doubling the size of every email. They’re templates, not legal advice: adapt them to your situation.
Six disclaimer templates
These are the same texts the Fairsig generator inserts with Insert a template in the Disclaimer field. They’re deliberately short.
Confidentiality
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email and any attachments are confidential and intended only for the named recipient. If you received it by mistake, please tell the sender and delete it. Do not copy, forward or use its content.
Legal privilege (law firms)
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL: This email may contain information protected by attorney-client privilege or attorney work product. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it without reading, copying or forwarding it. Receiving it by mistake does not waive any privilege.
Healthcare (no health data by email)
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: Please do not send personal health information by email. This message may contain confidential information intended only for the addressee. If you received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it.
Finance (not investment advice)
This email is for information only. It is not investment, tax or legal advice, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Flexible hours (no need to reply)
I work flexible hours. If this email reaches you outside your working hours, please don't feel any pressure to reply until it suits you.
Privacy notice link
How we process personal data: see our privacy notice at https://your-company.example/privacy
Replace the example link in the privacy notice with your own. In the generator, links that start with https:// become clickable.
What a disclaimer can and can’t do
- It can tell someone who received your email by mistake what you expect from them, set expectations (“this is not investment advice”, “no need to reply outside your hours”), and point to your privacy notice.
- It can’t make an insecure channel secure or replace the company details some countries require, and it is unlikely to bind a recipient who never agreed to it.
Required company details are a separate thing: see the requirements for the UK, Germany (German) and France (French). Fairsig has presets for all three.
Signatures with a short disclaimer
Names and numbers are fictional.
Solo practitioner
 | David Alvarez Attorney at Law, Family & Estate Planning Alvarez Law Office T (505) 555-0127 E david@alvarezlaw.example W alvarezlaw.example A 320 Gold Avenue SW, Suite 700 Albuquerque, NM 87102 |
| This email may contain privileged and confidential information. If you received it by mistake, please notify me and delete it. Sending me an email does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. | |
| Made with Fairsig | |
For a small practice, the lawyer is the firm: a photo, the practice areas and the office address build trust with individual clients.
Accountant (CPA)
| Helen Park, CPA Senior Tax Manager Ridgeway Accounting Group T (303) 555-0151 E hpark@ridgewaycpa.example W ridgewaycpa.example A 1600 Broadway, Suite 400 Denver, CO 80202 |
| This email is based on the facts you shared and is not a formal tax opinion. Please don't send Social Security numbers or tax documents by email; use our secure client portal. |
| Made with Fairsig |
The credential goes after the name, where clients look for it. The short disclaimer sets expectations about informal advice without a wall of boilerplate.
Keep it short
- Gmail limit: signatures over 10,000 characters are refused, and a long disclaimer is the usual reason. The counter under the generator’s preview warns you from 9,000.
- Reply version: leave the disclaimer out of the short signature you use for replies in long threads.
- Text, not an image: a disclaimer in a picture is invisible when images are blocked.
- One disclaimer: stacking confidentiality, environmental and virus notices adds length and no value.
How to add one with Fairsig
- Open the generator and go to the Disclaimer (optional) field in the Extras step.
- Use Insert a template and pick one, or write your own. Edit it to fit.
- Check the preview and the character counter, then copy the signature into your email app.
Ready? The free Fairsig generator builds a signature that works in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, in your browser, with no sign-up. Add a disclaimer to your signature →
Questions
Is an email disclaimer legally required?
Generally, no: we know of no rule that requires a confidentiality notice in business email. What some countries do require is different: company details such as the registered name and number (in the UK, Germany and France, for example). Those are legal details, not a disclaimer.
Does a confidentiality disclaimer protect me?
Don't count on it. A notice at the bottom of an email is unlikely to oblige someone who never agreed to anything, and it doesn't make it safe to email information that shouldn't be emailed. Its practical use is to tell an accidental recipient what you expect them to do. Ask a lawyer if a specific situation matters.
How long should an email disclaimer be?
One to three sentences. Long boilerplate is rarely read, makes every email heavier and counts toward Gmail's 10,000-character signature limit, where the disclaimer is usually the longest part.
Where should the disclaimer go?
At the very bottom, in small but readable text, after your contact details and any legal company details. Fairsig places it there automatically and turns https:// links in it into clickable links.
Does a healthcare disclaimer make email HIPAA compliant?
No. A disclaimer is not a security measure. That's why the healthcare template on this page asks people not to send health information by email instead of promising confidentiality.
Lawyers and therapists: see the attorney and therapist signature guides for profession-specific notes.