Resignation letters

If you know you're leaving a job, the first thing you should do is talk to your manager so they're not surprised. Once you've done that, you're ready to write a formal resignation letter.

Your letter should be brief and to the point – you don't need to include a lengthy explanation of why you’re resigning. If you have a good relationship with your employer, show your goodwill by talking about how your time at the company has benefited you.

Avoid being negative in your letter, it's always best to leave on good terms in case other employers want to check on your employment history. 

A basic resignation letter should state the facts first, such as:

• your role in the organisation
• that you’re resigning from this role
• the last day you will work.

You should cover some key points in any resignation letter, use our example to help you write it.

• Resignation letter example (Word - 17KB)

If you’ve had a good experience with your employer use resignation letter template one. Tell them about where you are going and what you have enjoyed about your current job.

If you want to say the minimum then use resignation letter template two. Even if you haven’t had the best experience with your employer, you can still be polite and mention positive things about your time there.

• Resignation letter template one (Word - 14KB)
• Resignation letter template two (Word - 41KB)

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