Free Resignation Letter Template

A resignation letter is used to officially give a company notice that you are leaving a job. It is a short document that explains that you have chosen to terminate your employment as of a certain date, usually giving a brief explanation of why you have chosen to resign.

By submitting your letter, you will help your current company smoothly deal with any issues that your resignation might cause.

By providing them with an idea of when you will leave, they will be able to reallocate resources and begin the process of finding your replacement without too much disruption.

Resignation Letter Example

Have a look at our example template to know exactly what to include in your Resignation Letter. Use the template to turn in a well-writtenandprofessional letter to your employer: 

[Your name]

[Address]

[Date]

[Phone number]

[Email address]

[Company Name and Address]

Dear [Name]

I am writing this letter to serve as notice of my resignation from [company name] as of [date].

I have had a fulfilling experience working at [company name] but I have chosen to leave to [reason for resignation]. My last day will be [date of final day]. 

I would like to take this chance to thank you and [company name] for the opportunity you have given me, as well as for the support that you have provided to me during my time working with you. I wish you both great success moving forward. In the meantime, please let me know if I can assist you in any way during this transition period. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

When writing a resignation letter, it’s important to keep one word in mind: formality. Whether you’ve loved or hated your job up until now, you must keep things professional. 

Use the Correct Tone

It’s best to write in a polite and formal tone, avoiding slang or over-familiar language. Address people by their proper titles and make sure not to sound too abrupt or curt. It’s also a good idea to thank your employer where necessary for any support or opportunities that they’ve provided to you.  

Keep Your Letter Positive

By keeping things civil and positive but still focusing on your motivation to write the letter in the first place, you’ll be able to help your relationship with the company end on a good note. A resignation letter will also usually go in your company file and could be a crucial factor in whether you are able to get a reference or not. 

Write in Complete Sentences

When you draft your resignation letter you should also write in complete and coherent sentences. However, you don’t need to provide a long detailed explanation of how and why you will leave your job. Short, simple, clear sentences will often do the trick.

Limit it to One Page

A resignation letter usually won’t extend beyond one letter page. To make sure it stays within this boundary and appears tidy and easy to read, you should ideally write in a clear 10-12 point font such as Times New Roman or Arial.

While your letter doesn’t need to be very long or complicated, it will need to include several key features. We’ll explore these below.

What to Include in a Resignation Letter

The most important thing a resignation letter needs to do is explain that you are leaving your employer’s company and when you intend to do so. However, there are a number of essential inclusions you should remember to add. 

Resignation letters will normally include details on the following subjects:

• A statement that you intend to resign from your job

• The date that you intend your notice period to begin

• Your proposed final day in your current place of work

• A brief explanation of why you have chosen to leave

• A short statement thanking the manager and/or company for their support 

This is not an exhaustive list of what you could include in a resignation letter but it notes the crucial features most employers will expect to see. You could however also include other elements such as a request for a letter of reference or to offer help with the transition.

There are many formats of resignation letters that you can use to serve your notice. Depending on your reason for leaving your current job or the type of position you’ve been working in and the level of seniority, you may need to take a specific approach with your letter.

Below you’ll find some of the most common resignation letter types you may come across. We’ve also provided a quick explanation of how they work and when they might come in handy.

Immediate Resignation Letter

Employers will generally prefer you to give at least two weeks’ notice when resigning. However, unexpected situations may sometimes force you to leave a job suddenly without giving any prior notice. 

In these cases, it’s important to use an immediate resignation letter to maintain an amicable relationship with your company after leaving. With this type of document, you can inform your employer of your in a professional manner. 

Overall, the letter should include all the same information and details of a standard resignation letter alongside the reasons behind your no-notice resignation.

Two Weeks’ Notice Letter

A two weeks’ notice letter is very similar to a conventional resignation letter, although with a slight difference. Unlike other draft documents, it only gives the employer 2 weeks’ notice of your resignation.

Overall, the 2 weeks’ notice letter is a solid template to use for a resignation. A couple of weeks is probably the most common notice period that companies will expect from employees leaving their firm. 

However, in some cases, this kind of letter will be impractical as you may have to give a longer period of notice for your job. This is especially the situation with senior management positions where you may be required to give well over a month of notice. 

Short Resignation Letter

A short resignation letter (sometimes known as a simple resignation letter) offers a simplified and to the point way to submit your departure from a company or corporation.

It usually only includes the essential information a letter of resignation needs, making it quick and easy to use if you intend to leave your job.

This kind of resignation letter is good to use if you want to keep things short and sweet. However, in some cases, it may be considered too simple. This may be especially true if you’ve worked for your current company for a long time and want to go into more detail in the text. 

Career-Specific Resignation Letters

Another option is to tailor your resignation letter to fit your specific career sector, like a Teacher Resignation Letter. These types of templates are specially prepared to work in specialized situations where you may be required to give your resignation in a special way.

Career-specific resignation letters work best if you’re in a profession that requires a more nuanced approach to leaving your position. However, they can also be the most detailed and time-consuming template to create yourself. 

It can often help to see what a completed resignation letter looks like before getting started with your own. Look carefully over our resignation letter sample below to get an idea of how a simplified template should appear when it is submitted to your line manager.